There is only one move for Tyson Fury now – and one for Oleksandr Usyk

Years were spent debating who would look arsenic this generation’s top heavyweight. Tyson Fury? Anthony Joshua? Deontay Wilder? All of that, conscionable for a cruiserweight to participate their territory, cock a leg, and relieve himself.

Oleksandr Usyk waltzed up to heavyweight and took the division’s undisputed titles – to end a 24-year hold for specified a champion – by outthinking, outmanoeuvring and outboxing Fury and Joshua doubly each.

With his first triumph complete Joshua, successful 2021, Usyk took the Briton’s unified titles; pinch his second, successful 2022, he retained them. This year, he secured 2 much determination wins complete a Briton: Fury, this time, taking the “Gypsy King”’s WBC loop to go undisputed successful May, earlier giving up the IBF title but retaining the remaining golden successful Saturday’s rematch.

In betwixt those bouts, location was a stoppage triumph complete Daniel Dubois, who now holds the IBF strap, and earlier them, location were victories against Derek Chisora and Chazz Witherspoon. Time and again since 2019, the Ukrainian has shared the ringing pinch overmuch bigger men. On Saturday, Fury outweighed him by 55lb.

Yet, successful a manner, Usyk has bullied these heavyweights, and successful doing truthful he has established himself arsenic the top heavyweight of this generation. Not truthful overmuch a deity among men, arsenic a ruler among gods.

Add to this his anterior achievements: undisputed position astatine cruiserweight, an Olympic golden medal, an unbeaten record. His bequest is simply a uncommon one: a cleanable one. So, location is 1 clear move for the Ukrainian.

In an perfect world, Usyk would retire. He is 38 successful January, and the sunset of his profession is successful view. No 1 would begrudge him for sailing into it, a soft grin replacing his usual, toothy grin. Get out, Oleksandr, while you tin – arsenic a champion, pinch a cleanable grounds and an unblemished legacy.

The issue, of course, is this is nary cleanable world. It is simply a world successful which Usyk’s homeland is still astatine warfare pinch Russia, a warfare into which Usyk stepped successful 2022, aiding his countrymen.

Usyk whitethorn good consciousness he should instrumentality astir for different multi-million payday, earning important money to thief his state and his family, particularly fixed his adjacent conflict could travel against Dubois – a man he has already beaten. The fear, of course, is that moreover a combatant arsenic awesome arsenic Usyk (not that location person been many) could instrumentality astir for 1 conflict excessively many, successful a section wherever 1 punch tin alteration your legacy, aliases your health.

Dubois has improved since he gave Usyk a decent conflict successful 2022, is successful good form, and is almost a decade younger than the southpaw. Usyk would beryllium the favourite successful a rematch, if Dubois thumps Joseph Parker successful February, but it would beryllium a stern test. Yet while Usyk has ne'er had to woody pinch defeat, 1 assumes he would person a healthier narration pinch it than his rivals – Joshua threw Usyk’s belts retired the ringing aft their 2nd fight; Fury argues he has beaten the “middleweight” twice. So, possibly Usyk sees the reward of 1 last, eyewatering payday arsenic much important than the consequence of defeat.

Still, he has thing to prove. There are nary names successful the section that fans are clamouring to spot Usyk conflict – a uncommon business successful boxing. This idealist would for illustration to spot Usyk front retired connected top.

Fury, connected the different hand, does person thing to prove, and location is simply a sanction that fans still clamour to spot him fight. In that sense, the Briton’s adjacent move is possibly clearer than Usyk’s.

Fury vs Joshua has been a boomerang of a fight. At times, it has felt truthful adjacent that it was fundamentally successful fans’ grasp; astatine others, it has felt truthful acold distant that it mightiness ne'er return. But present it is, disposable again, and the champion prime for each fighter.

No, it does not person the lustre it erstwhile had, erstwhile each boxer was successful his prime, nor tin it moreover crown the unequivocal champion heavyweight successful Britain; Dubois would person thing to opportunity astir that. But it is simply a conflict that must return spot earlier either man retires, a conflict that would still waste retired Wembley Stadium successful seconds. Greed has costs america this long-craved conflict excessively galore times.

Let’s look astatine Joshua’s contiguous options. He could hold for the victor of Dubois vs Parker, eyeing revenge complete Dubois – who devastated him successful September – aliases a double complete Parker, whom he outpointed successful 2018. But Usyk would person privilege successful facing that victor, and these are vulnerable opponents for “AJ” who would not bring the aforesaid upside arsenic Fury.

And what of Fury himself? He could beryllium paired pinch a high-ranked heavyweight – for example, the victor of Zhilei Zhang vs Agit Kabayel. But that would transportation the aforesaid move arsenic for Joshua successful the script above: tons of danger, small reward.

Joshua is 35, Fury is 36. It is now aliases never. These erstwhile world champions do not request titles anymore. They request each other.