When Oleksandr Usyk debuted in the heavyweight division, it felt like the game had changed. The former undisputed cruiserweight champion was attacking the division in a way not seen in this generation: new angles, new speed, new thought – and when the Russia-Ukraine conflict ignited in 2022, a unique motivation. But on Saturday, the game changed for Usyk himself, and for the first time, he is in a no-win situation.
Usyk’s reputation has always felt untouchable, through a combination of his bewitching boxing, his refreshingly-upstanding personal nature, and that drive to give his beleaguered Ukraine something to celebrate in the face of inconceivable horrors.
