US boxing promoter Tom Loeffler praised Oleksandr Usyk as the No.1 fighter, pound-for-pound, over other modern-day great boxers Naoya Inoue and Terence Crawford.
“I love Usyk,” he told World Boxing News earlier this month, when recalling what it was like watching him beat Tyson Fury live in the undisputed world heavyweight championship showdown May 18 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “I really think he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter.”
The 6-foot-3 Usyk, a former ruler at cruiserweight, weighed 223.5 pounds the day before the fight and was physically out-sized when compared to the 6-foot-9 Fury, who weighed 262 pounds.
Fury’s 6-inch height and 38.5-pound weight advantage mattered little in the ring as Usyk pulled ahead in the second half of the fight with his boxing mastery, having caused Fury significant problems with his power and accuracy in round nine. The 170 punches Usyk landed by the end of the fight were, according to Compubox data sent to World Boxing News, “the most by a Fury opponent” ever, including Otto Wallin, who landed 127, in their 2019 bout.
Loeffler has known Usyk for years, having worked alongside his representative Aleksander Krassyuk to get Usyk on HBO in the US for fights against Thabiso Mchunu in 2016 and Michael Hunter in 2017, around the same time Loeffler’s boxer at the time Gennadiy Golovkin fought on the platform. Additionally, he started K2 Promotions with the Klitschko brothers, and Krassyuk is running the sister company K2 Ukraine.
Loeffler is still in routine contact with the Klitschko brothers, and was reunited with his friend Wladimir while ringside for the Usyk-Fury show in Riyadh. “He hasn’t been to a boxing event since he retired.
“Naturally, now with the war going on in his country, he doesn’t have the freedom to really come and go like he used to. So when he comes out of Ukraine, it has to be for a particular reason.
“Wladimir was happy to be there and to support him,” the boxing executive added. “It was nice to see Wladimir get the love and affection of the fans. It was a tremendous night to be a part of.”
Usyk is No.1 over Crawford and Inoue, Loeffler said
As undisputed world heavyweight champion, a former undisputed champion at cruiserweight, and a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, Ukraine’s Usyk is one of the most decorated athletes in all of boxing.
But he doesn’t stand alone when it comes to athletes pulling off remarkable generational exploits, as skilled American super welterweight Terence Crawford, and thunderous Japanese puncher Naoya Inoue, join him in one of the sport’s ongoing narrative regarding one simple, yet somehow complicated question — just who is the No.1 in the fight game?
“I have a lot of respect for Terence Crawford,” Loeffler said. “[He] is one of my favorite fighters. And you know we had Inoue on our HBO show — Superfly — making his US debut. So I really am familiar with him, and appreciate him.
“Usyk has a complete body of work, and I just think what he has accomplished is legendary — unifying the cruiserweight division and then going up to heavyweight. A lot of people go up in weight classes but for him to go up and fight guys who are literally 40 pounds heavier than he is — that, to me, is an extraordinary feat that sets him apart from some of the other pound per pound guys who are out there right now.”
World Boxing News regards Usyk as the pound-for-pound No.1, per our top-50 rankings, with Inoue and Crawford second and third, respectively.
Loeffler continued: “The other thing about him moving to heavyweight and fighting these guys so much bigger than him is they’re also in their prime. Joshua was in his prime against Usyk, Fury is in his prime, and Usyk is beating these guys.
“Usyk never had the luxury of picking and choosing when to move up. And he went and ousted Anthony Joshua twice. Usyk knew he wanted to be the heavyweight champion. He beat Joshua, picked up three belts, and then beat him again. Then beat up Fury for the undisputed crown.
“So that’s what sets him apart, in addition to him being an Olympic gold medalist which is huge. You don’t always have a great transition from the amateurs to the pros, and Usyk has a very effective style for the amateurs.
“With Usyk,” Loeffler said, “there really isn’t anything he hasn’t won.”
Fury’s split decision loss was part one in a two-part fight series, and the second Usyk fight is booked for December 21 back in Riyadh.
Alan Dawson is World Boxing News Lead Writer, a 2 x Sports Journalist of the Year finalist, and 5 x BWAA awards winner. Follow Alan @AlanDawsonSport.
