Usyk vs Dubois 2: Oleksandr Usyk & 'Ivan' - the untouchable duo who can't be beaten?

Oleksandr Usyk introduced Daniel Dubois and the satellite to his person 'Ivan' astatine Wembley connected Saturday.

The Ukrainian southpaw landed a flush near hook to seal a fifth-round knockout triumph and go undisputed heavyweight champion for a 2nd time.

Usyk arrived for his post-fight quality league an hr aft extending his undefeated grounds to 24, and aft a swift night's enactment was blessed to entertain the packed room.

"My near hook is called Ivan," Usyk said.

"Ivan is simply a Ukrainian name. Ivan is simply a large feline who lives successful a colony and works for his family. It's a hard punch, Ivan.

"The archetypal clip 2018 [I named it] was successful the USA arsenic a cruiserweight."

Dubois had already climbed disconnected the canvas moments earlier pursuing a close hook to the temple, but it was the series that followed with Usyk's favoured near that proved decisive.

It was different vintage show from a maestro of the craft.

A 90,000-strong assemblage had been forced to contend with dense rainfall astatine Wembley Stadium earlier successful the night, but it was worthy persevering to ticker the spectacle unfold.

Usyk excelled successful each areas - escaping Dubois' attacks with slick footwork, returning with crisp shots connected the antagonistic and displaying axenic heavyweight power.

The triumph has propelled Usyk into a precise elite class - helium joins Muhammad Ali arsenic the lone men to reign undisputed successful the heavyweight part connected 2 occasions.

If it wasn't already wide past it surely is now. Usyk is the standout heavyweight of his generation.

Usyk has not conscionable cleaned retired his biggest rivals - Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Dubois - but helium has gone each the mode circular the artifact and defeated each of them twice.

He dethroned Joshua successful conscionable his 3rd combat arsenic a heavyweight to go a unified champion and it has been an upward trajectory ever since.

The casual way is not 1 Usyk likes to explore.

After becoming the archetypal undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt epoch by beating Fury successful 2024, Usyk had the enactment to support that presumption by accepting a mandatory defence of his IBF strap against Dubois.

However, helium elected to vacate that rubric successful bid to prosecute a rematch with Fury and grounds a 2nd successive victory, earlier circling backmost to reclaim the IBF rubric from Dubois astatine Wembley.

"What helium achieved today, it was designated by him a small spot much than a twelvemonth ago," Egis Klimas, Usyk's manager, said.

"His determination was to vacate the rubric and fto Dubois bushed someone, and past to combat for a 3rd clip for undisputed. That was his program a twelvemonth ago. He is not conscionable a bully boxer but helium is bully mentally."

Usyk is caput and shoulders supra immoderate progressive heavyweight, with Fury offering his top test, portion Joshua and Dubois are respective rungs down the ladder.

Many predicting a triumph for Dubois connected Saturday did truthful connected the ground that Usyk, 11 years the elder of the Briton, indispensable beryllium acceptable to decline.

That evidently isn't the case.

But wherever does this triumph - his 15th knockout - permission him successful the all-time heavyweight rankings?

Usyk has 8 heavyweight fights nether his loop and six of those person been for satellite titles.

There's an statement that the existent epoch lacks large extent successful the heavyweight part erstwhile comparing it to the erstwhile century.

Through the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's the likes of Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman dazzled the masses.

Going backmost further, Joe Louis made 25 palmy defences betwixt 1937 and 1948.

A spot successful the apical 3 mightiness beryllium thing to see erstwhile we person a completed assemblage of enactment to measure erstwhile Usyk, who could inactive person a mates of fights left, yet decides to bent up the gloves.

But arsenic an Olympic golden medallist, an undisputed cruiserweight champion and two-time undisputed heavyweight champion, a top-five all-time spot feels close already.

"I deliberation he's [Oleksandr Usyk] a legend," erstwhile satellite champion Carl Frampton said connected Dazn.

"He tin vie successful immoderate era. He's beaten everyone and 3 of the apical guys twice."

The database of superior contenders for Usyk is short.

Queensberry's Frank Warren has seen 2 of his unchangeable - Fury and Dubois - already spell down against Usyk, but helium has a 3rd campaigner waiting successful the wings.

Joseph Parker is the interim WBO champion and kept a adjacent oculus connected Usyk done combat week and connected combat night.

The New Zealander is connected a six-fight triumph streak and has antecedently held a satellite title.

At the different extremity of the standard is agleam young Briton Moses Itauma.

The 20-year-old is unbeaten successful 12 fights arsenic a nonrecreational and has been hailed arsenic the aboriginal of the division.

Itauma has lone gone beyond 2 rounds successful 2 of his bouts, has 10 knockouts connected his CV and has been hailed arsenic the aboriginal of the division.

But it feels premature to suggest helium is acceptable for the top of this era.

No 1 is yet to formulate a blueprint to adjacent get adjacent to defeating Usyk.

Finding a existent heavyweight that tin lucifer his all-round crippled has proved intolerable and it shows nary signs of changing.