No one could match Oleksandr Usyk for Fighter of the Year contention in 2024. The 37-year-old Ukrainian entered the year as arguably the best fighter in the world, a lock for the Hall of Fame and a boxing legend. He exits 2024 with his legacy in even better shape.
Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) was scheduled to defend his IBF, WBA, WBO, and Ring Magazine championships against division number one and WBC counterpart Tyson Fury on February 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, just days away from the fight, “The Gypsy King” sustained a terrible cut in sparring and the most eagerly anticipated heavyweight title fight in decades was postponed.
As the boxing world convalesced, a new date of May 18 was soon made official and the hype machine got underway. Usyk, a southpaw, had used superlative ring IQ, speed, and skill to bedevil Anthony Joshua twice. Meanwhile, Fury had scored a pair of convincing knockout wins over feared American power puncher Deontay Wilder to prevail in an epic trilogy. Fury vs. Usyk was a matchup between the two best heavyweights in the world.
