SUMMARY
- Tyson Fury is about to take on Oleksandr Usyk.
- Ahead of the fight, Fury makes a bold statement about his legacy.
At long last, the long-awaited matchup between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk is upon us. Despite numerous setbacks and delays, we finally have it all together and understandably, many cannot wait. Ahead of the historic bout, Tyson Fury has made a very bold claim regarding its implications.
For those unaware, ‘The Gypsy King’ faces the indomitable Oleksandr Usyk on May 18, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Initially targeted for April 2023, the fight was finally negotiated for December of last year. That said, Fury’s fight against former UFC champion Francis Ngannou waylaid those plans. Thus the fight was then pushed to February 2024, but owing to a sparring injury to Fury, pushed the fight to May.
𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐃.
👑 #FuryUsyk | MAY 18 | @ESPNPlus PPV pic.twitter.com/ZrC7zG6Jvy
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 12, 2024
All things considered, the fight will be one for the ages as it will crown the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Seeing that we will witness such a feat for the first time in three decades, since Lennox Lewis in 1999, it makes the entire ordeal all the more special. Thus, as Tyson Fury has suggested, the fight holds a lot of implications not just for the current scene but for all of heavyweight boxing history.
Tyson Fury makes a bold claim of being the best heavyweight boxer of all time
Coming into this one, there is arguably a lot on the line for Tyson Fury. Seeing that he is going up against a two-divisional champion in Oleksandr Usyk, it is all to win for the Ukrainian boxer to become undisputed in two divisions. On the other hand, Tyson, who currently holds the WBC title has only held the rest of the title in passing, but never all at once. Despite his achievements, that undisputed tag still evades him.
That said, the lineal heavyweight champ believes that a win over Oleksandr Usyk seals his legacy as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. With the undisputed status the only thing left to claim for him, Fury feels that while he is already on the list for one of the greatest, he can leapfrog some of the best names if he wins this fight.
“I think this win puts me at number one, barring none. Beating Usyk now puts me at number one status, of all time.”
On whether it would put him above the likes of Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, Larry Holmes, and more. Fury added, “All of them, all of them.”
“Here’s the thing, we can say that, and you can say well, every one of you has an opinion. Opinions mean f**k all. It’s man’s opinion again innit? Don’t mean anything. And that’s why I’m not that interested in being compared to other people. Don’t like it, never have done, never will do. And that’s it. I can just be what I can be. History and all that stuff don’t really mean nothing to me.”
For the most part, Tyson Fury is convinced that should he beat Usyk, he will be the greatest heavyweight ever. Throughout history, we have seen some true phenoms in heavyweight boxing, so for Fury to claim such a thing is quite a bold take.
Does Tyson Fury transcend Muhammad Ali’s legacy by beating Oleksandr Usyk?
Throughout the entire history of heavyweight boxing, we have seen some great names claim the title of undisputed champion. Whilst there are many names on the list, the most highly sought after out of all of them include the likes of George Foreman, Evander Holyfield, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, and of course, the greatest of all time, Muhammad Ali. Thus, for Tyson Fury to say that he will be transcending all their legacies is a bit of a reach.
For one, let’s simply take Muhammad Ali, whom Fury is confident he can overtake with this fight. Often hailed as the GOAT, and for good reason, Ali was the undisputed champion from 1974 to 1978 and had 10 title defenses in that time. Not only is Fury yet to achieve that status, but his time in the sport, as per himself, will not be for much longer either, meaning that he will not be able to match Ali’s record.
That said, one thing that Tyson Fury does have over Muhammad Ali is that he is unbeaten in 35 fights holding a record of 34 wins and one draw. On the other hand, Ali suffered his first loss to Joe Frazier in his 32nd bout. Thus, considering all these factors and the fact that Fury has yet to face some top names like Anthony Joshua, his legacy is still some ways off those he believes he has transcended.