With 1 minute, 46 seconds remaining in the fifth round, Daniel Dubois snapped Oleksandr Usyk’s head back with a perfectly timed right hand set up by the jab during their rematch in July 2025 in London. For a brief moment, it looked as though Dubois had finally cracked the puzzle. But Usyk answered instantly. Just four seconds later, he fired back with a left hook followed by an overhand right that sent Dubois crashing to the canvas.
Dubois beat the count, but the recovery was short-lived. Usyk swarmed him and detonated another left hook that folded Dubois to the mat for good.
As Usyk stood in the center of the ring with his arms raised before collapsing to his knees in victory celebration, the conversation quickly shifted from disbelief to inevitability: What exactly was left for him to accomplish?
Usyk has done just about everything that you could ask of the boxer from Ukraine. He captured gold in the 2012 Olympic Games, capping off a stellar run through the amateur ranks with a 335-15 record before turning pro, where he became undisputed in two weight classes and the first male boxer with the distinction of being a three-time undisputed world champion in the four-belt era (since 2004).
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With a sparkling record of 24-0 with 15 KOs and two wins apiece against the cream of the crop of the heavyweight division — Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Dubois — in his past six fights, there’s not much left for Usyk to do in the sport. So he will take his talents to Egypt on Saturday to headline against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza (DAZN, 1 p.m. ET). It’s a unique event, ESPN’s No. 2 pound-for-pound boxer facing one of the greatest kickboxers of all-time, with an Egyptian backdrop adding to the spectacle.
“For the first time, I am doing what I really want to do. Not what I must do and not what people expect from me,” Usyk told ESPN via e-mail. “This event will be something special. A big event in a beautiful place. It’s like a Hollywood movie fighting in front of the Pyramids. It’s the first time in Egypt for me. This is history. This is a sport but also a show and fun. I am happy.”
Very few fighters have found themselves in Usyk’s position this late into their careers: undefeated, financially secure, still elite and with no clear challenger to his throne. And far too often, the cruel sport of boxing has seen fighters extend their careers well past their expiration date when Father Time steps in to intervene. We’ve seen legacies damaged and heroes fall. However, in the case of Usyk, he’s still as good as he’s ever been. And participating in a fight that will earn him what is expected to be a massive fight purse in a low-risk, high-reward event is, in his words, “interesting.”
“I fight because I want to fight and I will stop when I want to stop,” Usyk reported. “Listen, I am honest with myself. I understand the body has limits and every athlete has a limited time in their sport. But, for now, I know what I can do and I know what I want. And this is exactly what I want to do.”
After spending more than a decade collecting titles, defeating heavyweight giants and cementing himself as one of boxing’s all-time greats, Usyk is no longer fighting out of necessity. His showdown with Verhoeven is part spectacle, part celebration and part reminder that, even at 39 years old, Usyk remains one of the few fighters capable of leaving the sport on his own terms.
Oleksandr Usyk celebrates after knocking out Daniel Dubois to regain the undisputed heavyweight championship in July 2025. Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty ImagesWHAT USYK IS doing by facing a non-boxer is not unusual. Floyd Mayweather did it in his final professional fight to date when he fought MMA superstar Conor McGregor in 2017, and both Fury and Joshua did the same when they fought former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in 2023 and 2024, respectively. But unlike those who preceded him, Usyk is doing it while he is still at the top of his game. There are no clear and present threats to his heavyweight supremacy because he has knocked them all off while cementing his spot at or near the top of boxing’s pound-for-pound lists. He’s at a point in his career where his options for quality opponents are limited. Some are too young, inexperienced and not yet deserving of a title opportunity (Moses Itauma), or are a relatively unknown commodity (Agit Kabayel). But regardless of this fact, Usyk’s not ready to call it a career … yet.
“To me, he has already proven that he’s an all-time great and he still has more left to keep fighting at the top level,” retired former WBO lightweight champion Ray Beltran told ESPN. “I don’t think he should retire yet, but I don’t think anybody can beat him, and he has nothing else to prove.”
Usyk has been a dominant force since making his pro debut in 2013. He began to turn heads and entered the World Boxing Super Series, featuring eight top-rated cruiserweights in a single-elimination tournament. He won all his fights and unified all four major cruiserweight world titles to become undisputed. While an impressive achievement, cruiserweight was never recognized as a glamour division in boxing, with a relatively shallow pool of recognizable names, so his trek through the 200-pound weight class was understated at best and ignored at worst. Usyk then decided to make the move up to heavyweight.
“[Usyk] refuses to lose and can operate on the edge of failure like no one I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen him almost lose in the amateurs. I’ve seen him almost lose at cruiserweight. I’ve seen him almost lose at heavyweight, but he never loses.”
Chris Algieri, boxing analyst and former champion
While most fighters move up in weight gradually, usually by just a few pounds at a time, Usyk jumped to heavyweight in 2019 at 215 pounds to face Chazz Witherspoon and still gave up 27 pounds on the scale. While moving up from cruiserweight to heavyweight has been done before, most notably by Evander Holyfield in the 1990s, none have been quite as dominant as Usyk.
“The heavyweight division is a completely different business in boxing than any other weight class,” former junior welterweight champion Chris Algieri told ESPN.
“Heavyweight is almost like a different sport because the power and speed are different. I have a saying: No one has a good chin at heavyweight because everyone hits super hard. You just can’t get hit.”
Usyk did get hit by the best fighters the division has to offer, but weathered the storm and eventually became a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion, the only fighter to be undisputed at cruiserweight and heavyweight in the four-belt era.
While other men fighters have been world champions across multiple weight classes, Usyk is in rare company, alongside Holyfield and David Haye, as a former cruiserweight champion who also became a heavyweight champion. But the fact that he has done it all without suffering a loss is what separates him from the rest of the field.
“With all due respect to the smaller weight classes, those guys have no idea what it’s like to be hit by a 220-pound man,” former cruiserweight champion BJ Flores told ESPN. Flores campaigned at cruiserweight for a majority of his career but also saw action at heavyweight. “Until you’ve been in with a guy that size, it’s really hard to explain how that feels and what it’s like to be in there.”
Usyk passed the first test at heavyweight by beating Witherspoon in seven rounds before moving on to Derek Chisora in 2020, who held a 38-pound weight advantage. Usyk outpointed Chisora and immediately lined up the iron of the division: Joshua, Fury and Dubois.
Oleksandr Usyk, left, defeated Anthony Joshua in a rematch in 2022 to retain the WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight world titles. Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty ImagesJoshua is one of the most prolific knockout artists in the heavyweight division with a KO percentage just a fraction under 90%, but Usyk twice took him to the final bell. Against Fury, Usyk gave up 6 inches in height, and in their second bout, Fury outweighed him by 55 pounds. Dubois was not just taller (6-foot-6) and 16 pounds heavier for their rematch, but was also a decade younger.”As a cruiserweight, he kind of bullied some guys. But as a heavyweight, he never tried to go in there and mow these guys over,” reported Flores. “He outboxed and made them frustrated. He began playing chess, not checkers, and was always three moves ahead of his opponent.”Usyk treats boxibg as psychological warfare more than a simple test of strength and power. Both Flores and Algieri cited Usyk’s ability to always figure out a way to win, especially when taken into deep water, as the reason he should be recognized as one of the greatest fighters of all time. He’s been on the brink of defeat, most notably when Dubois sent him to the canvas with a body shot that was ruled by referee Luis Pabon as an illegal low blow. But Usyk’s ability to bend and not break is why he still maintains an unblemished record.
“He’s an expert at walking the tightrope between failure and success,” reported Algieri. “[Usyk] refuses to lose and can operate on the edge of failure like no one I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen him almost lose in the amateurs. I’ve seen him almost lose at cruiserweight. I’ve seen him almost lose at heavyweight, but he never loses.
“His ability to stay focused, disciplined and full of desire on the brink of failure is what separates him from everyone. When you get to the highest level, everyone’s good. Everyone’s fast. Everyone hits hard. Everyone has a world of experience, a plethora of abilities. The end-all, be-all at the top is psychology. And Oleksandr Usyk has the strongest psychology I’ve seen at heavyweight in a very long time.”
USYK’S LEGACY MAY already be set, but time catches up to just about everyone in combat sports. It’s rare for any fighter to go out on top, and the end comes when too many bites at the apple eventually cost them. And, almost always, it happens when everyone, including the fighter, least expects it.
“[Getting old] always happens in the ring. It doesn’t happen in the gym,” reported Algieri. “In the gym, you look great, everyone’s cheerleading you and you are whipping on these young guys. And then you find out [how old you are] on fight night.”
Roy Jones Jr.’s career came crashing down in a heap in his second fight with Antonio Tarver at the age of 36. A 38-year-old Muhammad Ali was a shell of himself against Larry Holmes and then a year later against Trevor Berbick. Sugar Ray Robinson’s last notable fight was in 1958 against Carmen Basilio, but he continued fighting through the 1960s. And Joe Louis had no business sharing a ring with Rocky Marciano in 1951 at 37 — his 69th professional fight. All the fighters had an opportunity to retire on a high but, for several reasons that range from ego to finances, damaged their legacies by continuing to fight.
“Usyk has spent a lifetime chiseling his belief that there is nothing he cannot do and no one he cannot beat, but now we are asking him to put that will to bed and give in to a different opponent: retirement,” reported legendary boxing trainer and analyst Teddy Atlas. “I don’t want to see him go down a similar path as Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali did at the end of their careers, because I want him to be remembered at his greatest. Unfortunately, it’s not up to us to tell someone like Usyk to retire before it’s too late. That’s his decision.”
Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, left, faces kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in front of the Giza pyramids on Saturday. Mark Robinson/Matchroom BoxingUsyk could retire on a high note should he get past Verhoeven on Saturday, considering all that he has done. But, according to Usyk, retirement may not be in his plans as he still feels like he has more to give to the sport.”I have a date when I will say thank you and goodbye to boxing. It’s not now, but I have a date,” Usyk reported. “Right now, I think only about this fight. After this, we will sit down, look, speak with the team, with my body, with God — and we will understand what is next.”Flores believes that Usyk has settled in as one of the top two greatest pure boxers of all time alongside Mayweather, while Algieri has him as one of the top five greatest heavyweights of all time if his career ends after Saturday. But one thing is for sure: There are no more mountains to climb for Usyk, only challengers to turn back.Should he continue to fight after this weekend, a showdown with 21-year-old knockout machine Itauma is arguably the most tantalizing option. But even that fight may not boost his legacy as one of the all-time greats any further.”That win would only pan out as history unfolds because if he beats him and Itauma gets exposed and then never does anything, it will be that he got him young,” Algieri reported. “But if he beats him, retires and then Itauma becomes the king of the heavyweight division, we’re going to look back on Usyk’s career and say not only did he beat his generation, but he also beat the next generation as well.”In boxing, there will always be another fighter coming down the pipeline. At 39, Usyk may have a more difficult fight with his body than he will with any other opponent. But he’s unconcerned with adding or taking away from his legacy and will fight on his terms, no matter the cost.”I already did a lot, but I don’t sit and say, ‘I am the greatest,'” Usyk reported. “I don’t put myself on a pedestal. I let the people decide. I just do my job: I train, I fight, I do everything I can to win.”The longer Usyk fights, the more he tempts fate as age and time are unkind to athletes of his ilk. Far too many times, we have seen boxers go one fight too long and disrupt everything they spent their lives building. Will we see that happen to Usyk, or can he pick up the rare victory against time?”He has a chance to do what only Rocky Marciano has done and retire as the undefeated heavyweight champion,” Atlas reported. “He has spent his entire pro career successfully pushing the devil away from his door, but how many times can he do it before it’s too late and it comes inside?”
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