6. Oleksandr Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs)
Usyk was born on January 17th 1987, in Simferopol, Crimea and is renowned for his exceptional skills and tactical prowess. He started boxing at 15, transitioning from football, and rapidly ascended the amateur ranks. Usyk clinched the heavyweight gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, marking a significant milestone in his early career.
After turning professional in 2013, Usyk embarked on an impressive trajectory, becoming the undisputed cruiserweight champion in July of 2018 by unifying the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and WBO titles with a victory over Murat Gassiev. His dominance in the cruiserweight division set the stage for a move to heavyweight, where he continued to showcase his exceptional talent.
In the heavyweight division, Usyk defeated Chazz Witherspoon and Derek Chisora before winning the unified titles against Anthony Joshua in September of 2021. They had a rematch in August of 2022, and Usyk scored a split decision win over Joshua to keep those titles.
Usyk’s next bout was on August 26th 2023 against Daniel Dubois where he won by knockout despite dealing with a punch that was ruled a low blow by referee Luis Pabon. This set the stage for the bout on May 18th 2024 against Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship. Usyk was down on the cards before scoring a knockdown in the 9th round, which proved to be the difference in one scorecard. Seven months after that classic bout, Usyk defeated Fury again to defend the undisputed titles.
Usyk defeated Daniel Dubois by knockout on July 19th at Wembley Stadium to become undisputed champion once again. Given his wins over Joshua, Fury, and Dubois he is unquestionably the best heavyweight of this era and could be in the discussion for being one of the top ten heavyweights ever.
Usyk is scheduled to face Rico Verhoeven on May 23rd 2026 in Egypt, and will decide if he will defend his titles later in the year or consider retirement.
