Oleksandr Usyk has been named Ring Magazine’s new pound-for-pound king after handing Tyson Fury his first career defeat last Saturday night in their undisputed heavyweight championship in Riyadh.
With the win over Fury, Usyk has one of the best resumes in the sport, as has two victories over former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) has replaced Naoya Inoue at the top #1 spot in the pound-for-pound list after beating Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) by a 12-round majority decision.
Inoue had only been #1 for one month, so it shows you how difficult it is to stay at the top of the pound-for-pound list.
The New Pound-for-Pound Hierarchy
1. Oleksandr Usyk
2. Naoya Inoue
3. Terence Crawford
4. Canelo Alvarez
5. Artur Beterbiev
6. Dmitry Bivol
7. Errol Spence
8. Gervonta Davis
9. Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez
10. Junto Nakatani
Boxing Analyst Tim Bradley’s Take on Usyk’s Achievement
“I put him at #1. What he was able to accomplish. it was a fantastic fight and a great performance. You had Tyson Fury, who had all the advantages and had the experience in the heavyweight department. He had the height and the reach, all the attributes he brings inside the ring, and Usyk was able to overcome all that,” said boxing analyst Tim Bradley to Probox TV, talking about Oleksandr Usyk making it to #1 pound-for-pound after his win over Tyson Fury last Saturday night.
“It was part of his game plan and the commitment he had early on. The fact that he fights at a fast pace, and Fury couldn’t keep up with it. I thought Fury was going to have that gas tank needed to be able to keep up with him, but he didn’t.
“Usyk finding that shot and standing still and trading with Tyson Fury and catching him in that sequence where he hurt in against the ropes in the ninth round. Just the follow up shots as well.
“Everyone is giving the referee a hard time about the knockdown that should have been a knockdown, but just understand this. Usyk hit this man 20 times unanswered. I don’t have a problem with what the referee did,” said Bradley.
