Oleksandr Usyk must now be considered one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time, according to legendary boxing commentator Adam Smith.
y defeating Tyson Fury for a second time, to keep hold of his WBA, WBC and WBO world heavyweight titles and seemingly end this fierce rivalry between two incredible warriors.
The victory could put the 37-year-old on course for another undisputed bout in 2025, against another Brit in the form of Daniel Dubois.
as forced to vacate it five weeks after becoming the undisputed champion, called out Usyk straight after the fight.
But before Usyk fights again, he and the world need to reflect on his incredible achievements.
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An Olympic gold medallist, an undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, beating the very best in each division he has competed in. Usyk does not have any more worlds to conquer and has already secured himself as a generational great.
However, Smith, who was calling the fight for DAZN, now believes there can be no debate as to whether Usyk is an all-time great. He deserves his name to be uttered in the same breath as Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Joe Louis.
"You have to put him up there," Smith exclusively told DAZN News.
"He had already secured his status as the best pound-for-pound fighter of his generation by winning the first fight. Although he only puts himself at 17th place for that - he puts Terence Crawford top of that list.
"By winning this fight, he has cemented his legacy forever in this generation, but now he has got to be seen as one of the great heavyweights of all-time.
"It is always difficult to look and compare against different eras. We love to debate and play that game of 'would a young Mike Tyson beat a young Usyk?'.
"But you have to think Usyk would be able to handle himself in any era, against all of the greats.
"He has beaten Fury and AJ twice, beaten Dubois. He has beaten all the cruiserweights, and that is a tough cruiserweight brigade as well. You have to say he is one of the best of all time.
"Not just that, but it is his standing in the world, in sport and for his country.
"He is a tremendous ambassador. He has been on the front line for his beloved Ukraine. He talks to the soldiers, he is an incredible flagbearer for that country. A wonderful role model.
"I know he wants to continue boxing, because he loves it. But I also know he wants to inspire the next generation and he wants to help out kids in the future in whatever he does."
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