It was once so clear and powerful. The heavyweight championship of the world used to be the most significant prize in sport and the winner was often as revered or feared as almost any man on the planet. As Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk prepare to face each other in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night, with both men determined to become the first undisputed world heavyweight champion this century, it feels timely to remember those simple yet majestic years in the ring.
For decades in the 20th century only eight men could claim to be a world champion at any given time and such clarity made boxing a compelling business. Variations came and went but, at boxing’s peak, there were just eight weight divisions, with the heavyweight champion occupying an exalted place in sport and society.
