Usyk's journey to the top of the heavyweight division has been impressive. He started by winning gold at the 2012 Olympics in London. After turning pro, he quickly made his mark, becoming the undisputed cruiserweight champion by 2018. He then moved up to heavyweight, where he beat Anthony Joshua not once, but twice.
The crowning achievement came in May 2024 when Usyk defeated Tyson Fury to become the undisputed heavyweight champion. He proved it wasn't a fluke by winning their rematch in December of the same year.
Now, as the king of the heavyweights, Usyk faces a line of hungry contenders eager to take his crown. One of those is Agit Kabayel, the WBC Interim Champion. Kabayel made a big statement on February 22 when he knocked out Zhilei Zhang.
Usyk is well aware of the danger Kabayel poses. In an interview, he said:
"Listen, I yesterday I said Kabayel, he is very dangerous to the body. This morning at maybe 10, 11, I told Zhilei 'hey please, be careful to the body.'"
Kabayel's recent run of form has been impressive. He's stopped Arslanbek Makhmudov, Frank Sanchez, and now Zhang. There's talk of him facing Joseph Parker or Anthony Joshua next.
Another potential challenger is Daniel Dubois, who holds the IBF title. Usyk has already beaten Dubois, but the British fighter did manage to put Usyk down with a body shot in their fight.
People often say Usyk is vulnerable to body shots, and both Kabayel and Dubois have shown they can exploit that weakness. But Usyk's not one to back down from a challenge. He's motivated to keep his status as the undisputed champion and add to his already impressive legacy.
As the fights unfold, we'll see if Usyk can continue his dominance or if one of these hungry contenders will dethrone the Ukrainian great. One thing's for sure – the heavyweight division is as exciting as ever.