In a method, the heavyweight division has been in a little bit of a resurgence lately. 2024 actually stood out, because of a pair of fights between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury. The Ukraininan got here out on high in each, placing a stamp on what has changed into a legendary profession. Usyk did not cease there, although.
In 2025, he appeared to slay one more large, for a second time. Daniel Dubois, who had rebounded amazingly after dropping to Usyk in 2023, needed revenge at Wembley Stadium this summer time. As a substitute, he helped Usyk additional cement his legacy, because the heavyweight king knocked out the 27-year-old within the fifth spherical. At this level, there actually is not the rest Usyk must do to show himself. Any more, he is simply preventing for the report books and for the love of the sport.
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Oleksandr Usyk requests extension for Joseph Parker negotiations
Usyk may simply retire now, however he shut that down rapidly proper after the Dubois struggle. His physique felt contemporary at 38 years outdated. Or was he hiding one thing? On Thursday, promoter Frank Warren revealed that Usyk filed an extension request on negotiations for the Joseph Parker struggle. The explanation? An harm, a minimum of based on Usyk.
Usyk has been ordered by the WBO to defend his heavyweight title in opposition to Parker, the necessary challenger. It hasn’t been clear if that is the struggle Usyk really needs, so this harm may be an excuse to have extra time to decide. An identical state of affairs occurred in 2024, when the IBF stripped Usyk of his belt when he refused to struggle Dubois, selecting to take the second Fury bout as a substitute.
Parker might not have the identify recognition of among the high-profile boxers within the division, however he has greater than earned a shot on the throne. Parker has rattled off six straight victories since dropping to Joe Joyce in 2022. His most up-to-date was a 2nd spherical TKO win over Martin Bakole.
