Oleksandr Usyk has an opportunity to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion against Daniel Dubois in the rematch.
After the IBF stripped Usyk of his title, interim champion Dubois won the full title with a fifth-round knockout win over Anthony Joshua.
The bout is the chance of a lifetime for ‘Dynamite’, but the Ukrainian will bank on his experience and previous knockout win to ensure he beats him.
Since transitioning from football to boxing at age 15, he has given 23 years to the sport.
As former opponent Tyson Fury retired following their second encounter, conversation has turned to the undefeated heavyweight’s next move.
Why Oleksandr Usyk should retire after Daniel Dubois rematch
If he can overcome the British challenger, it will certainly be the right time for the 38-year-old to hang up the gloves.
A week removed from his countryman Vasily Lomachenko calling time on his professional career, he should follow in his footsteps.
Not many people can say they have been amateur and professional champion, let alone to the extent of ‘The Great’.
An Olympic Gold medallist, undisputed at cruiserweight and heavyweight; you cannot get more complete than that.
The accolades don’t tell half the story; it’s about who he has won those titles against and how.
His cruiserweight run is the stuff of legend, defeating Murat Gassiev, Mairis Briedis and more in the World Boxing Super Series.
To then move to heavyweight, beating the de facto top two in Joshua and Fury twice, cemented him as one of the best ever.
And that is why, after DDD, there is nothing else for him to do.
A mandatory fight against Joseph Parker would have to be next, but there is no point in wasting time in a bout which adds little to the legacy.
Aside from Parker, there are no other credible heavyweights available whom he hasn’t already faced or who are on his level.
Finishing his career after the rematch, if he is victorious, would mean he retires undefeated, which only a select few can say.
Is Oleksandr Usyk an all-time great?
His name is already being mentioned with the all-time greats of the sport for the reasons just outlined.
Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Henry Armstrong, and others are the names he is in and amongst.
While he may not rank over such iconic boxers, he is definitely in the top ten when it is all said and done.
No doubt, he is already solidified as the best of his generation, but his achievements beat some of those who have boxed in the past.
A loss would take him a step or two down on these lists, but whatever happens, this boxing maestro is one of the best to lace up the gloves.