Usyk triumphs over Fury: Who's next?

The “fight of the century” in Riyadh, Arabia, was a complete triumph for the Ukrainian champion. While in the first fight, which took place in May, the judges gave him a split decision, this time Usyk's superiority over Fury was recognized unanimously. All three board members gave the same score - 116-112 - in favor of the Ukrainian.

Before Usyk could rejoice in his success and thank the fans for their support, the British fighter Daniel Dubois jumped into the ring. The fighter, who had already been beaten by Usyk, challenged the hero of the evening to a fight as the owner of the IBF belt actually presented to him by the Ukrainian.

Usyk vs. Dubois NEXT#Usyk2Fury #RiyadhSeason @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/shVblX0tiS

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 21, 2024

The Ukrainian accepted the challenge. Without leaving the ring, he addressed the head of the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority, Turki Al Al-Sheikh:

“Make me a fight with Daniel Dubois. Thank you so much”.

Indeed, a confrontation with Dubois is the most logical step for Usyk right now. And the most attractive option for fans. The Briton is the only boxer who can offer the Ukrainian something - his championship belt. Usyk has already fought Dubois, knocking him out in the ninth round in August 2023. The 27-year-old Briton considers that defeat unfair.

If the rivals meet in the ring, the winner of the confrontation will become the absolute world champion. For Usyk, this “absolute” could be the second in his heavyweight career and the third in his career. He reigned supreme in the heavyweight division after his first fight with Fury. Before that, he unified all the cruiserweight belts.

Parker factor

When he challenged Usyk to a fight, Dubois seemed to forget that he had already scheduled his first defense of the IBF belt. The date was set even earlier - February 22, 2025. And just before the mega-show in Riyadh, the opponent was determined - New Zealander Joseph Parker.

Perhaps Dubois considers this meeting a formality, convinced that his opponent has no chance. Indeed, he is the undisputed favorite of the upcoming confrontation. But Parker is also a difficult fighter and very uncomfortable for favorites.

The New Zealander beat the British Derek Chisora twice, defeated the American Deontay Wilder and the Chinese Zhang Zhilei. And in all these fights, he was considered an underdog. So, if Dubois treats him with disdain, he could join the list of victims.

Parker's hypothetical victory is not very favorable for Usyk either. The New Zealander is a surprise fighter, unlike the truly star Dubois. The fight with him will not have much excitement. But with the championship belt, Parker will become a figure that will be hard to ignore.

Are there other options?

Apart from Dubois and Parker, it's hard to name a fighter whose rivalry with Usyk would be really interesting, and most importantly, would make sense. The once stars Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua have become losers. The latter, moreover, has already fought Usyk twice and proved nothing.

Who else? Among the top rankings of boxing organizations are the names of 43-year-old Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev and 40-year-old German representative Manuel Charr, who once lost to the Klitschko brothers. Martin Bakole, 31, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, is the leader in two ranking lists (WBA and IBF), but he hasn't had any really top opponents in his career. The same we can say about the WBC number one, 32-year-old Agit Kabayel from Germany.

Zhang Zhilei is at the top of the WBO list. The 41-year-old Chinese made people talk about him after a brilliant victory with a killer knockout over Wilder. But he is clearly not up to Usyk's level.

So, there is simply no other option than Dubois now.

Daniel Dubois (photo: Getty Images)

Watch also video of the best moments of the Usyk-Fury 2 superfight.