The heavyweight class, boxing’s premier division, is currently in excellent shape because of some real talent at the top. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk controlled all the major championships as boxing’s heavyweight division entered a key phase. Importantly, these men are eager to confront one another. When the best compete, there is still no better spectacle. The coming weeks will see some significant battles. Who knows, maybe before 2022 ends, we’ll finally see Fury vs. Anthony Joshua.

After that outstanding performance to defeat Dillian Whyte in six lopsided rounds at Wembley Stadium on April 23, Fury (32-0-1) is not only still undefeated but is also definitely unrivaled at the top of our rankings. Then, late in Round 6, he finished the show with a picture-perfect uppercut that put “The Body Snatcher” on his back. In the moments following the bout, Fury mentioned retiring, but we’ve heard all that before. However, a battle against the winner of the Usyk vs. Joshua contest is a possibility.

Getty Images/ Anadolu Agency/ Tom Hogan

Joshua (24-2) ascended the heavyweight mountain twice and must now attempt the third ascent. But this time is different because, after A.J.’s defeat against Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019, there was a sense of shock and the idea that it was a fluke. The Ukrainian master Oleksandr Usyk completely outboxed and outfought Joshua this time. The Ukrainian easily won a unanimous decision by punching his way to victory because he was too quick, too skilled, and too powerful for A.J. But for him to get revenge, a fundamentally different strategy and frame of mind are required.

Usyk, a boxing maestro from Ukraine, dethroned Joshua in London, realizing his aim of winning the world championships at cruiserweight and heavyweight. Usyk (19-0) showed off his great ringcraft and footwork, but he also showed his willingness to stand in the pocket and make a trade when the situation called for it. Even though Deontay Wilder (42-2-1) lost to Tyson Fury in their eagerly anticipated trilogy bout, he still left the ring with a stronger reputation. When he put Tyson on the canvas twice in the fourth, “The Bronze Bomber” nearly attained the atonement he desperately sought.