Without Usyk, Is The UK Really The Center Of The Heavyweight Boxing World?

Promoter Frank Warren says if you take Oleksandr Usyk out of the equation, the UK is now the center of world heavyweight boxing. The problem with that is that Usyk is the only heavyweight that has any talent.

One can argue that Daniel Dubois is the only good UK-born heavyweight right now, and he’s proven to be fragile when put under pressure. Moses Itauma is still an improved prospect, and the chances are he’ll get exposed like his brother, Karol when matched against someone with talent.

The Old Guard

If you remove Usyk, you’re stuck with domestic-level UK heavyweights, many of them old & washed and getting nice paydays feasting on beatable opposition.

UK Heavyweights

Daniel Dubois: Vulnerable
Anthony Joshua: 35
Tyson Fury: *36 and retired
Moses Itauma: Unproven prospect
Fabio Wardley: Domestic level
Lawrence Okolie: Unproven
Derek Chisora: 41
Dillian Whyte: 36
Joe Joyce: 39

“Take out Usyk, and we’re the center of world heavyweight boxing,” said promoter Frank Warren to Sky Sports when told, ‘It’s a tremendous time to be a domestic [British] heavyweight.’ “All our guys come through. When I started out in the sport when I look back then, some really good fighters.

“You go back to Henry Cooper, Joe Bugners, all those big, big names. The legendary names at the time, but none of them won a world title. It was all Americans. Look at it now. It’s all Brits, and whoever Usyk fights, it’s invariably going to be a Brit. 95% of them are Brits, all the top heavyweights of the world. and we’re blessed with them. We’ve got a great card here, which is going to deliver some spectacular fights,” said Warren.

None of the current British heavyweights are good enough to stay on top when matched against guys with ability. Joshua and Fury are well past it. Without them, there’s no one good enough to hold a world title for any length of time. Dubois has good offensive skills, but he folds under pressure. He’s quit twice in fights, and he’s not cut out for fighting at a high level.

Martin Bakole, Jared Anderson, and Bakhodir Jalalov are better than 99% of the British heavyweights. You can’t count Bakole as one of the Brits because he was born in the Congo.