Usyk retains his class in and out of ring in beating Fury
The Guardian|December 23, 2024
Boxing is full of unsavoury people but it also produces extraordinary men such as the heavyweight champion
Donald McRae
Usyk retains his class in and out of ring in beating Fury

s Oleksandr Usyk walked towards us just after three in the morning, resplendent in his purple tracksuit while carrying Eeyore under his arm, his promoter let slip a gentle cry: "Here he comes, the best man in boxing..."

Alex Krassyuk is not a traditional boxing promoter, being a much more understated man than most of his contemporaries in this riotous old business. But his pride was understandable in the immediate aftermath of Usyk's decisive second successive defeat of Tyson Fury.

Lighter by more than 50lb, and with Fury having promised to take him into the darkest "hurt locker" where he would do "some serious damage", Usyk yet again used an irresistible combination of grit and dazzle to seal a comprehensive and thrilling victory as he retained his three world heavyweight titles in the early hours of yesterday in Riyadh.

Fury had dismissed and ridiculed him for years - as a "gappy-toothed middleweight", the "midget", the "bum", the "dosser" and the "sausage" - but Usyk is the undefeated and former undisputed world cruiserweight champion. He stands 6ft 3in tall and he weighed in at 226lb for this rematch with Fury. So he is a pretty mighty "midget" and a real banger of a "sausage".

Usyk is still fighting a division above his natural home - where cruiserweights are only allowed to scale a maximum of 200lb.

So the imperious way in which he stood up to Fury before outthinking and outfighting him once more provides compelling evidence for anyone trying to build a case that Usyk should be regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. But, as he spoke with humility and wit, it was even easier to savour his simple human qualities as an ordinary man, as a son, a husband and a father.

Boxing is full of unsavoury and highly suspect people. But it also produces extraordinary men such as Usyk.

This story is from the December 23, 2024 edition of The Guardian.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 23, 2024 edition of The Guardian.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE GUARDIANView All
Maresca 'happy' but Chelsea streak ends
The Guardian

Maresca 'happy' but Chelsea streak ends

The immediate aim of the Friedkin Group is to restore stability to Everton after their takeover on Thursday. In some ways, Sean Dyche has beaten his new employers to it. High-flying Chelsea became the latest team to run into a royal blue wall and out of ideas as they lost valuable ground in the title race.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 23, 2024
The Sphinx's plot Will new Royal Mail owner sell off valuable properties?
The Guardian

The Sphinx's plot Will new Royal Mail owner sell off valuable properties?

Will new Royal Mail owner sell off valuable properties?

time-read
4 mins  |
December 23, 2024
Political football
The Guardian

Political football

Sport has shown me success is not about quick wins but collective effort

time-read
4 mins  |
December 23, 2024
Usyk retains his class in and out of ring in beating Fury
The Guardian

Usyk retains his class in and out of ring in beating Fury

Boxing is full of unsavoury people but it also produces extraordinary men such as the heavyweight champion

time-read
5 mins  |
December 23, 2024
Time for the cackling disrupter to make his exit but there is no shame in losing to a true great
The Guardian

Time for the cackling disrupter to make his exit but there is no shame in losing to a true great

In the end everyone runs out of road. It was probably necessary for Tyson Fury to say he was robbed in the Kingdom Arena on Saturday night.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 23, 2024
Theory of nothing earns Saints and Rusk worthy draw
The Guardian

Theory of nothing earns Saints and Rusk worthy draw

It turns out it wasn't so hard after all. Southampton stopped giving the ball away in their own half, adopted an approach rooted in expediency and kept their second clean sheet of the campaign.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 23, 2024
Semenyo shatters United to leave Amorim facing squall
The Guardian

Semenyo shatters United to leave Amorim facing squall

After mid-morning wind and rain that might have caused Noah a problem, the skies cleared and Bournemouth took apart a Manchester United team as amateurish as any of the iterations of the past decade or so.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 23, 2024
Burke helps Saracens show title ambitions
The Guardian

Burke helps Saracens show title ambitions

It was a cold, bleak midwinter afternoon in north London but the race to be crowned as England's top club side in 2025 is hotting up.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 23, 2024
Pereira's Wolves reign gets off to flying start
The Guardian

Pereira's Wolves reign gets off to flying start

It took less than 45 minutes of Vítor Pereira's Wolves tenure for the fans to sing his name as he witnessed his new side thrash Leicester.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 23, 2024
Díaz and Salah double up in leaders' statement win
The Guardian

Díaz and Salah double up in leaders' statement win

Liverpool stretched their lead at the top of the Premier League to four points, having played one game fewer than second-placed Chelsea, with the latest illustration of their remorseless cut and thrust under Arne Slot.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 23, 2024