Teddy Atlas has picked Oleksandr Usyk as the Fighter of the Year for 2024. The respected boxing analyst made his choice based on Usyk's two wins over Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship.
Atlas, who learned under Cus D'Amato and led Michael Moorer to become the first southpaw heavyweight world champion, shared his thoughts on his podcast, The Fight.
"To me, there's no contest … That would be Oleksandr Usyk. He beats Tyson Fury twice. First time for the undisputed heavyweight championship, first time in 25 years since Lennox Lewis and Holyfield did it. He does it. And then, just to show it wasn't a fluke, he goes and does it again. I don't know how you top that."
The first bout between Usyk and Fury was an epic fight. Fury started strong and hurt Usyk in the sixth round. Usyk made a comeback and almost knocked out Fury. The fight ended in a split decision for Usyk. In the second bout, Usyk won more clearly with a unanimous decision.
Usyk's career has been full of big moments. He was the undisputed cruiserweight champion before moving up to heavyweight. He beat Anthony Joshua for the unified heavyweight titles and defended them in a rematch. He also stopped Daniel Dubois. Usyk has now become a four-belt champion in two weight classes.
Many people think Usyk should retire now that he's 'completed' the sport. But Usyk has hinted he wants to keep fighting. He might fight Daniel Dubois again to become undisputed champion once more if Dubois beats Joseph Parker in February.
Atlas thinks Dubois is the second-best fighter of the year. It looks like 2025 could be another big year for heavyweight boxing.
