CHICAGO — Evander Holyfield and Oleksandr Usyk have a lot of similarities. Both won Olympic medals, with Holyfield taking bronze at the 1984 Summer Olympics while Usyk captured gold in 2012. Holyfield and Usyk were undisputed cruiserweight champions, as Holyfield did it under the three-belt era (IBF, WBA, WBC) and Usyk in the four-belt era (IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO). And both fighters have consistently shown throughout their careers a willingness to take on challengers, anytime and anywhere.
But Holyfield is the only person to hold the distinction of being the undisputed cruiserweight and undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
Usyk looks to join Holyfield in his march toward history Saturday night when he makes his heavyweight debut against late replacement Chazz Witherspoon from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, live on DAZN.
As Usyk moves up to the land of the giants, one has to wonder if the native of Ukraine can be Holyfield 2.0?
“What I learned from Holyfield is just not to hear what other people say,” Usyk told DAZN. “If I can remember correctly, he was transferring from cruiserweight to heavyweight. He was working hard to be Mr. Universe and not hear what people were saying. He didn’t pay attention to what the 'experts' were telling him. I think if we were to start listening to what other people were saying then we wouldn’t be good sportsmen.”
When Holyfield entered the heavyweight division in July 1988 against James Tillis, the division was ruled with an iron fist by Mike Tyson. He was told from the outset that he would be too small to compete against the likes of Tyson, Riddick Bowe, Larry Holmes and George Foreman.
Usyk, like Holyfield, is around 6-2. He told DAZN he also planned to be like his idol and come in about 220 pounds for Friday's weigh-in and into the ring Saturday vs. Witherspoon. (Usyk's weigh-in weight ended up being 215.)
But Usyk faces the same problems coming into a division with WBC titlist Deontay Wilder, who is 6-7 with a 83-inch reach. Unified champion Andy Ruiz Jr. fights consistently at around 260 pounds. Lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is 6-9, weighs 255 pounds and possesses an 85-inch reach, while former unified titleholder Anthony Joshua is 6-6, weighs about 250 pounds, and has an 82-inch reach.
How could Usyk overcome those obstacles and achieve the same goal as Holyfield? How could one pack on enough mass and get the power to transfer over against men who would be coming in anywhere from 225-260 pounds, and also have to overcome significant height and reach disadvantages when he steps inside the ring with those guys?
You cannot teach heart, determination and the will to win.
Holyfield checked all of those marks. He beat Foreman and Holmes. By the time Holyfield got to the first bout with Bowe in November 1992, he was told he was too small to face the 6-5 Bowe, who ranged anywhere from 235-246 pounds. Yes, he lost the first and third bouts, but Holyfield won the November 1993 rematch to become a two-time heavyweight champion. He was told he didn’t have a prayer against Tyson in their first bout in November 1996.
Once again, though, Holyfield did exactly what he did against Bowe, Foreman and Holmes. He used his superior boxing skills along with the belief to dethrone to officially put an end to the Tyson era and become three-time heavyweight champion.
Usyk (16-0, 12 KOs) has overcome obstacles of his own. He put himself on the map and in the conscience of boxing fans when he stormed through the World Boxing Super Series by defeating Marco Huck, Mairis Briedis and Murat Gassiev, all in their home countries, to not only win the tournament but also become the first undisputed champion at cruiserweight in the four-belt era.
Usyk then went back into enemy territory and put all four belts on the line in his last fight in November when he went to England to take on former WBC cruiserweight champion and Englishman Tony Bellew. He nearly knocked Tony Bellew through the ring to retain all four championships.
Fury, Wilder, Joshua and Ruiz are talented in their own right. They bring different attributes to the table that will give Usyk problems. Wilder has once-in-a-generation type of power. Joshua has the size and strength to blast through anybody. Fury is a slick boxer with a long reach, a good jab and underrated power.
Usyk possesses more than enough skill to beat all four. In person, he appears physically stronger than someone with his measurements. While not known for his one-punch knockout power, he’s a great boxer who uses his excellent footwork to throw shots from unique angles. He’s a volume puncher, which in a division that is known for knockouts is a rarity that will carry him a long way.
Usyk is taking the most significant risk of his boxing career. He’s putting all the chips on the table in his quest for immortality.
Holyfield defied the odds and made history. We are about to find out if Usyk can do the same.
“Yesterday, I watched Elon Musk,” Usyk said. “Everybody was thinking he was crazy and out of his mind. And look at what happened. Five years later, he went to space.
“I feel I don’t need to prove anything to anybody,” Usyk said. “I just have to prove to myself.”