Does Oleksandr Usyk have a ‘thin’ heavyweight resume?

Oleksandr Usyk reclaimed his position as the undisputed king of the heavyweight division by knocking out Daniel Dubois in July.

But his credentials have still been questioned when it comes to ranking him as an all-time great in boxing’s blue-riband weight class.

Boxing analyst Max Kellerman believes his heavyweight resume is a “little thin” and claimed he is now “overrated” when compared with greats of the past.

Is Kellerman right or is he being harsh on Usyk?

Let’s reflect on Usyk’s heavyweight career to date to assess Kellerman’s controversial statement.

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This needs to be taken into consideration as Usyk started off as a professional in the cruiserweight division.

He did not make his professional debut until he was 26 after winning Olympic gold as an amateur in 2012 but swiftly made up for lost time by claiming a world title at 200lbs in his 10th fight.

Usyk then set about proving he was the best cruiserweight of his era by taking part in the World Boxing Super Series.

In the tournament, Usyk beat Marco Huck, Mairis Briedis and Murat Gassiev to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion, before defending his throne by knocking out Tony Bellew.

After 16 fights at cruiserweight, he decided to move up to heavyweight and had his first bout in October 2019 at the age of 32.

With this in mind, he was always going to have less time than those who have always campaigned as heavyweights to achieve legendary status.

Usyk has fought just eight times at heavyweight, which is a relatively small sample size when comparing him to other icons.

Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis both had more than 60 heavyweight fights, while Evander Holyfield, who Kellerman referenced when talking about Usyk’s CV, made the switch up to boxing’s highest weight class earlier in his career and fought on until he was almost 50.

But Usyk has still accomplished some remarkable feats. In just his third heavyweight contest, he comfortably outpointed Anthony Joshua to become a unified champion, and just the third man after Holyfield and David Haye to win titles at cruiserweight and heavyweight.

He repeated the trick in their rematch the following year, and then knocked out a young, hungry contender in Daniel Dubois back in 2023.

An undisputed clash with Tyson Fury followed, and Usyk scored a ninth-round knockdown to edge a split decision before winning more comfortably on the scorecards in their second meeting.

Ahead of the Fury rematch, Usyk relinquished his IBF title but was handed the opportunity to win it back when he took on Dubois for a second time in July.

Under the famous Wembley arch, Usyk picked up an even more resounding victory than his first fight with Dubois, stopping the Brit in the fifth round.

In just eight fights, Usyk has two wins over Joshua, Fury and Dubois, respectively, and has been crowned undisputed champion twice. That is a mightily impressive record.

One potential criticism of Usyk at heavyweight is his lack of activity.

He fought 16 times in five years during his cruiserweight days, but that has dropped to just eight fights in six years since moving to heavyweight.

Usyk beat Fury twice in the space of seven months, but 2024 is the only year that he has boxed multiple times since 2018.

He delivers world-class performances every time he steps into the ring, but if he had been busier, he could have seen off more contenders and completely silenced any doubters he may have.

It is difficult to compare Usyk to the likes of Louis and Mike Tyson, who fought every month at certain points in their respective careers.

Louis and Tyson were criticised at times for their level of opposition, while Usyk has targeted the heavyweight elite ever since he left the cruiserweight division behind.

This is where the quality vs quantity debate comes into play, and fans will all have different views on which should be considered more important.

Kellerman claimed Ali and Holyfield tested themselves against “everyone” in their respective eras.

He is not convinced Usyk has, given the 38-year-old has only faced five different men at heavyweight – Joshua, Fury, Dubois, Derek Chisora and Chazz Witherspoon.

Kellerman wants to see Usyk challenge himself by taking on Joseph Parker, and he may get his wish if the Kiwi can get past Fabio Wardley on Saturday night.

Parker has been in the mix at the top of the heavyweight division for the best part of a decade and held the WBO title between 2016 and 2018. He has won his last six fights to become Usyk’s mandatory challenger and appears to be a credible opponent.

Agit Kabayel is also in red-hot form and currently possesses the WBC interim title. He is unbeaten and has won his last five fights by knockout to suggest he could pose problems for Usyk.

Meanwhile, Moses Itauma is another contender who has been linked with fighting Usyk. The 20-year-old has flown through the rankings and knocked out Dillian Whyte inside a round in August.

Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh has made no secret of the fact he wants Usyk to face Itauma, but the Ukrainian has dismissed the potential fight for now.

Kellerman seems to be focusing on Usyk’s lack of heavyweight fights when claiming he has a “thin” resume.

But the counterargument is Usyk has six high-quality wins to his name against Joshua, Fury and Dubois, who many would consider to be the three best heavyweights in recent years, aside from Usyk.

Some would also claim that it was impressive how Usyk overcame initial struggles against Derek Chisora in just his second heavyweight bout before pulling away in the second half of the fight to win on points.

Usyk also passes the eye test. He may have been involved in far fewer fights than other heavyweight greats, but his talent simply cannot be denied.

The general consensus is he could hold his own in any era, even if his resume on paper is not as eye-catching as the likes of Ali and Louis.

Fortunately for Usyk, he still has time to appease any critics. If he does continue into his forties, this could equate to around five more fights before he hangs up his gloves.

In this time, he could take on Parker and Kabayel – two heavyweights in their primes – and then face the best of the next generation in Itauma.

Should he get past all three, Usyk will have the perfect blend of quality and quantity on his CV, and it will be almost impossible to deny that he is a true heavyweight great.

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