Tyson Fury being labeled an all-time heavyweight great caused considerable questioning in the sport this week. This topic is mainly down to “The Gypsy King” not being the number one in the division.
Looking at the World Boxing News Pound for Pound Top 50 list, Fury is second-best at 200-pounds plus.
This scenario occurs due to Oleksandr Usyk having the better achievements over the past few years.
When Fury was beating Sefer, Seferi, Francesco Pianeta, Tom Schwarz, and Otto Wallin on either side of almost getting knocked into oblivion by Deontay Wilder, Usyk was in the process of becoming undisputed at cruiserweight.
USYK
After claiming all four belts, Usyk then dethroned Anthony Joshua of three title belts when stepping up to heavyweight.
Within three years, seven world titles in two weight classes tell their own story. It’s a big reason why Usyk is the second-best fighter behind King Canelo Alvarez.
Therefore, any talk of Fury being a GOAT or any other language that places him above Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, or Joe Louis must stop now. At least until Fury takes on a beats the other generational great in his division.
Fury vs. Usyk for all the marbles is a must in the sport, despite what British fans and promoters will say about the AJ fight.
Should Usyk defeat Joshua again, which is highly likely to happen, facing Fury for all the belts is the most significant event out there.
The event could break the record recently obtained by Fury at Wembley Stadium. Undoubtedly 100,000 would clamor for tickets to pack out the National Stadium.
A debate over where Fury stands in the sport after beating an also-ran like Dillian Whyte is sheer hysteria at this point. Yes, it was a good knockout. However, rival Joshua did similar to Whyte in 2015. Alexander Povetkin also copped him with the same shot.
HEAVYWEIGHT SKILLS
Giving Fury the credit he deserves is simple. He’s the most skillful heavyweight of his generation, possibly in the same bracket as Ali, Marciano, and Lewis in ring generalship and commanding the squared circle.
His movement is probably second-to-none. But his resume and achievements come into question time and time again. Until he faces and beats Usyk, he’ll always be the second-best in terms of P4P achievements at heavyweight.
It might not be his fault that he never defended his titles the first time around or because he spent years out of the ring. But that’s what counts when it comes to how you get remembered.
Floyd Mayweather said it himself recently that how many world champions you beat makes a massive difference. It’s a big part of what ranks you on the all-time list.
So far, Fury has defeated three, one of which was a cruiserweight. Usyk, in just nineteen fights, has already beaten seven.
Please prove me wrong.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN us on Twitter @WorldBoxingNews.
