How good is Usyk after his Round 5 KO of Dubois, and what next?

LONDON -- With his magnificent Round 5 demolition of Daniel Dubois connected Saturday, Oleksandr Usyk provided much convincing grounds wherefore helium should beryllium considered the champion heavyweight since Lennox Lewis.

The near hook that near Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs) successful a crumpled heap successful beforehand of 90,000 astatine Wembley Stadium was a happening of beauty, which fittingly sealed Usyk's 2nd reign arsenic undisputed satellite heavyweight champion. Usyk besides dropped Dubois to the canvas earlier successful Round 5 with a close manus successful an utterly imperious show from the Ukrainian.

As agelong arsenic Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) does not suffer a imaginable trilogy combat with Tyson Fury successful April 2026, oregon different rubric defence aboriginal this twelvemonth astir apt against erstwhile WBO titleholder Joseph Parker, the undisputed heavyweight king volition spell down successful past arsenic the champion heavyweight for the past 2 decades. Not lone that, Usyk tin besides beryllium considered the champion cruiserweight for 3 decades since the likes of Dwight Muhammad Qawi and Evander Holyfield ruled successful the mid-1980s.

Usyk was the archetypal undisputed cruiserweight champion and reigned the part from 2016 to 2018, earlier stepping up to heavyweight. He has present made 5 heavyweight rubric defences against apical level opponents -- erstwhile champions and existent champions.

Usyk's achievements astatine heavyweight person surpassed what helium managed astatine cruiserweight, and helium has beaten the champion of his epoch (Fury, Dubois and Anthony Joshua) -- doubly -- to enactment immoderate arguments beyond uncertainty arsenic to who is the best. Dubois argued helium scored a morganatic assemblage punch successful their archetypal brushwood 2 years ago, but it was (rightly) ruled a debased blow. Usyk overwhelmed the big-punching, spirited Briton the remainder of the combat for a ninth-round TKO, and successful the rematch produced an adjacent much emphatic conclusion.

Parker (36-3, 24 KOs), 33, volition bushed his person Fury to Usyk it seems, arsenic WBO mandatory challenger.

"The WBO accidental helium has to combat Joseph Parker next, truthful that volition beryllium the fight," Queensberry Promotions promoter Frank Warren said.

It is hard to envisage however a resurgent Parker, who is successful the champion signifier of his life, volition endanger Usyk's legacy.

Parker won the WBO loop with a points determination implicit Andy Ruiz successful 2016, past mislaid it successful a 3rd defence and rubric unification combat versus Anthony Joshua successful March 2018. Impressive wins implicit Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang and Martin Bakole successful the past 2 years person resurrected Parker's career, but Usyk's ringing IQ, question and sublime skills are connected a antithetic level to Parker and the others.

Fury and Joshua, some two-time satellite champions, had bully wins implicit Wladimir Klitschko, and Fury besides stopped the unsafe puncher Wilder doubly successful satellite rubric fights.

But Usyk's unblemished record, with a full 13 satellite rubric combat victories arsenic good arsenic a 2012 Olympic golden medal, stacks up better. Usyk's chap countrymen Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, with their superior scope and tallness could good person made things hard for Usyk.

Wladimir's jab-and-grab strategy was impregnable astatine times during his nine-and-a-half twelvemonth reign, and it whitethorn person frustrated Usyk to the constituent of defeat. Vitali and Wladimir ruled the heavyweight part betwixt them, holding each the belts astatine 1 time, from 2004 erstwhile Vitali became champion pursuing his nonaccomplishment connected cuts to Lewis successful 2003, to erstwhile Fury boxed the ears disconnected Wladimir successful 2015.

Wladimir made a staggering 18 rubric defences successful a 2nd reign arsenic unified satellite champion (2006-2015), with his champion wins implicit David Haye, Alexander Povetkin and Jean Marc Mormeck. Vitali (45-2, 41 KOs) made 2 defences of the WBO belt, earlier 10 defences implicit 2 reigns arsenic WBC champion, which were interrupted by injury, with destructive wins implicit Samuel Peter, Danny Williams and Herbie Hide.

- Usyk knocks retired Dubois to go undisputed heavyweight champion
- In campy with Oleksandr Usyk: Behind the scenes with a heavyweight champion
- Fight results: Usyk stops Dubois, regains undisputed championship

The Klitschko brothers' numbers are greater than those truthful acold compiled by Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs), who has made 5 heavyweight rubric defences and six cruiserweight rubric defences. But Usyk has amended names connected his record, and is simply a three-time undisputed satellite champion.

Usyk became the archetypal recognised undisputed satellite heavyweight champion since Lewis (41-2, 32 KOs), who bushed specified fighters arsenic all-time greats Holyfield, Mike Tyson and Klitschko implicit 3 reigns arsenic champion, with 17 wins, 2 losses, and 1 gully successful satellite heavyweight rubric fights.

Like Vitali, Wladimir and Lewis, Usyk launched his nonrecreational vocation disconnected the backmost of an Olympic golden medal triumph and arsenic helium closes successful connected the extremity of his career, whether it is aboriginal this twelvemonth against Parker oregon adjacent twelvemonth against Fury, his bequest looks the strongest of immoderate heavyweight since Lewis.