Oleksandr Usyk: Unbeaten, Without Belts, and One Fight Left to Price

Record: every heavyweight fight

Usyk unified the cruiserweight division first, beating Murat Gassiev in Moscow in July 2018 to hold all four major belts, and stopped Tony Bellew in his last fight at that weight. Since moving up he has had nine heavyweight fights.

Five of those nine went the distance, and two were split decisions: the second Joshua fight and the first Fury fight, which turned after Usyk dropped Fury in the ninth. Against the biggest names, the Usyk record says points more often than stoppage.

The Verhoeven fight deserves a note. Verhoeven, a long-time kickboxing champion with one previous pro boxing bout, was level or ahead on the cards when the referee stopped it at 2:59 of the eleventh, after the bell had rung. Two judges had it 95–95 and the third 96–94 for Verhoeven. Usyk had just knocked him down. A win is a win in the settlement rules, but the scores are a warning about how close a 39-year-old can let a fight get.

What is known about Oleksandr Usyk

He is a southpaw who leads with his right hand despite being right-handed, and his game is footwork, pace and volume. Wikipedia's summary of his style stresses his ability to control the tempo and keep his output high late, and the conditioning that lets him throw in round twelve as he did in round one.

The Daniel Dubois rematch showed the other side. Usyk landed 57 of 153 punches to Dubois's 35 of 179, dropped him with a right hook in the fifth and finished it with a left hook moments later. He was 38 and fighting at a career-high 227.3 lb.

The weaknesses are smaller but real. He gives away size to almost every heavyweight he meets. Fury outworked him for spells of their first fight, and the second meeting was a points contest throughout. Against Verhoeven he was behind on one card after ten rounds.

The last dance: chances and why

Usyk said in July that his final fight would be in the United States, possibly at a New York stadium, against a big name, and not before December. He named two candidates: Tyson Fury and Wilder. On 1 September his team director Serhiy Lapin said the plan was Wilder in March 2027, with negotiations still open. Fury is booked to fight Anthony Joshua in Cardiff on 11 December, which leaves Wilder as the likelier option.

Our estimates, not bookmaker prices, and only if the fight is made:

Why Usyk odds would be short against Wilder:

• Footwork against a one-punch puncher. Wilder has 43 knockouts in 45 wins, but Usyk's whole game is keeping the other man from setting his feet.
• Twelve-round fitness. If it goes long, the record says Usyk wins it on the cards.

Why not shorter:

• Age and the Verhoeven scores. He would be 40 in March 2027, and his last fight was close on the cards when it was stopped.
• One shot. Against Wilder, any lapse ends the fight, and the market will price that tail.

The odds calculator converts the fair prices above into fractional or American odds and shows how much margin a quoted price carries.

How to bet on Usyk

The basics of each market are in our boxing betting guide. Until a fight is signed, the useful questions are about rules rather than prices.

• Specials on the next opponent. If a site lists one, read how it settles if the fight is never made or the date moves.
• Moneyline once it is signed. The first quoted Usyk odds will move with news on venue and weight.
• Method of victory. Five of his nine heavyweight fights went to the cards, so in our view Usyk on points is his likeliest single method against most opponents. Against Wilder, who has been stopped before, we would rate Usyk inside the distance closer to the points outcome than usual.
• Total rounds. Usyk fights tend to run late. His two early finishes at heavyweight both came against Dubois, in rounds five and nine.

Where to watch

No broadcaster can be named until the fight is signed, and the rights for a farewell bout in the United States will be split country by country. A few betting sites show live boxing inside the account, though it is usually smaller cards rather than a farewell fight like this. We picked sites that do carry it, and the line-up changes from week to week.

Usyk is one of three men to be undisputed in two weight classes in the four-belt era. The others are Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue. The man he beat twice in Riyadh has his own page on Tyson Fury, and our main comparison of betting sites with no verification step is on the home page.

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