British heavyweight Dillian Whyte believes Oleksandr Usyk is close to cementing his legacy as the greatest fighter of the last two decades — but insists the Ukrainian still has one more challenge to overcome before that status is secured.
Usyk, already a two-division undisputed world champion, has achieved near-universal recognition as one of the finest boxers of his generation. The 2012 Olympic gold medallist became the undisputed cruiserweight champion in 2018, then moved up to heavyweight and repeated the feat, defeating Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Daniel Dubois along the way.
Despite those accomplishments, Whyte — himself a longtime contender in the division — believes Usyk’s journey isn’t quite complete. Speaking to The Ring, Whyte praised Usyk’s remarkable achievements but suggested he should face unbeaten British prospect Fabio Wardley, whom Whyte manages, to truly prove his dominance.
“Usyk’s faced all the best fighters, doesn’t seem to run away from any challenge. If you look at the last 10 fights Oleksandr has had, it’s the best fighter at cruiserweight, the best in the world, the same at heavyweight – no reason why he shouldn’t fight Fabio.
“You never know, a big fight might come out of left field for Usyk, but as a fan and as the kind of person I think he is, I don’t think he’ll vacate. I think he’ll fight Fabio and if he beats him, on top of the list of all the people he’s beaten, that puts him definitely as the greatest fighter of the last 20 years.”
Whyte’s comments come as Usyk continues to weigh his next move following his historic win over Tyson Fury, which made him the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
While many in the boxing world already consider Usyk a once-in-a-lifetime talent, Whyte’s remarks highlight the ongoing debate about legacy, longevity, and whether the Ukrainian’s dominance can extend into boxing’s next wave of challengers.
