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Oleksandr Usyk is gearing up to defend his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO Heavyweight Titles against Anthony Joshua in a highly-anticipated rematch. The bout will take place on August 20th in Jeddha, Saudi Arabia and will see the Ukrainian champion attempt to defend his unified heavyweight crown for the first time.
'The Cat' shocked the world when he defeated and dethroned Joshua last year. Usyk, an Olympic gold medalist, outboxed and nearly knocked out the British superstar to become heavyweight champion of the world.
Oleksandr Usyk's win over Joshua was certainly a career-defining moment. His hard-fought victory propelled his name forward as one of the sport's pound-for-pound best and helped introduce him to a more mainstream audience.
As significant and powerful as his victory is, however, fans should never forget that 'The Cat' had already achieved immense success before he became a heavyweight champion.
The cruiserweight division has undeservedly lived in the shadow of heavyweight boxing since its very inception
Before he journeyed to the land of giants, Oleksandr Usyk fought in the cruiserweight division.
The cruiserweight weightclass was first established in 1979 by the World Boxing Council and other world championship bodies followed suit in the '80s. The division was seen as a serious necessity by many in the boxing world for a long time.
The era of heavyweight champions like Rocky Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott, fighters who walked around under 200 pounds, appeared to be over by the time Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali arrived in the 1960s. Then, in the '70s, George Foreman crashed onto the scene with his incredible power and size.
As heavyweights got bigger and stronger with time, the need for a weightclass between heavyweight and light heavyweight (175lbs) grew more evident. Thus, the cruiserweight division was born. Its initial creation saw the division's weight limit set at 190 pounds, however, today's cruiserweight fighters compete at 200 pounds.
Despite cruiserweight being the second heaviest weightclass in the sport, it has never achieved the popularity of heavyweight boxing.
To some extent, it's understandable. After all, heavyweight boxing has a much longer history and has immeasurable lore attached to it. From Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis to Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, heavyweight boxing has produced some of the greatest cultural icons the world of sport has ever seen.
However, none of this takes away from the fact that the cruiserweight division has seen an exhaustive list of great boxers compete in the weightclass.
During the '80s, boxing legend Evander Holyfield put the division on the map by dominating his 190 pound contemporaries and unifying all the cruiserweight titles. The future Hall of Famer defeated the best at 190 pounds: from former champions Ossie Ocasio and Piet Crous to WBC Champion Carlos De León and WBA Champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi.
In the 2000s, the division was carried by European stars such as Jean-Marc Mormeck, David Haye, Enzo Maccarinelli, Denis Lebedev, and Marco Huck.
Since its inception, it has almost become customary even for cruiserweight champions to move up in weight and capture heavyweight gold. In 1990, Evander Holyfield moved up in weight to dethrone Buster Douglas right after the latter's historic win over Mike Tyson. In 2007, David Haye defeated the Russian goliath Nikolai Valuev for the WBA Heavyweight Championship.
Then, of course, in 2021, Oleksandr Usyk captured heavyweight gold too, once again proving that cruiserweight boxers deserve respect, recognition, and to be held to the same mainstream standard as their heavyweight counterparts.
It wasn't too long ago when Oleksandr Usyk was the cruiserweight king
From 2016 to 2018, Oleksandr Usyk fought and clawed his way to become the Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion of the world, winning every single major world title and unifying the division.
As part of the World Boxing Super Series tournament, 'The Cat' battled the best fighters and champions of his weightclass and defeated them all, boxing politics and network negotiations be damned. With his expert in-ring IQ, quick hands, and swift footwork, the Ukrainian fighter dominated his competition.
Usyk's victories in the tournament include Marco Huck, Mairis Briedis, and Murat Gassiev. Huck was a cruiserweight veteran and a former champion, while Briedis and Gassiev were hard-hitting, undefeated champions. The end of the tournament saw 'The Cat' hold the WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO, and The Ring Cruiserweight Titles and win the highly-coveted Muhammad Ali Trophy.
To say the level of competition in the World Boxing Super Series tournament was elite would be a gross understatement. Every boxer in the tournament had the tools to win. Whether it was Gassiev's brutal punching power, Briedis' tenacious forward pressure, or the smooth footwork of Yuniel Dorticos, each man had the chance to prove they were the best cruiserweight on the planet. Only Usyk, however, was able to get the job done and claim the glory.
After the tournament, Oleksandr Usyk traveled to England to fight Tony Bellew. The Englishman was undefeated at 200lbs and was a former champion with some serious victories over Nathan Cleverly, Ilunga Makabu, and David Haye. As worthy of a challenger as 'Bomber' was, however, 'The Cat' proved to be in a completely different league and knocked out the Englishman in the eighth round.
Following his victory over Bellew, Usyk left the division to chase heavyweight greatness, and of course, succeeded.
Usyk's incredible streak at cruiserweight should never be forgotten. Fans should always remember the spectacular run he had before he moved up in weight, especially since it may be a long time before any fighter is able to come close to replicating it.
Currently, there are multiple champions at 200lbs. While the likes of Jai Opetaia (IBF Champion) and Lawrence Okolie (WBO Champion) appear to be the next stars of the division, fans should not hold their breath for either of them to become an undisputed king anytime soon.
Before 'The Cat' exploded onto the scene, Evander Holyfield was easily viewed as the best cruiserweight of all time. However, as incredible as Holyfield's legacy at the weightclass was, it's safe to say that Oleksandr Usyk battled the tougher competition, and in the process, became the greatest cruiserweight of all time.
