Hasim Rahman Calls Usyk One of the Greatest Boxers of All Time

Former heavyweight world champion Hasim Rahman has explained why he considers WBC, WBO, WBA, and IBO champion Oleksandr Usyk one of the greatest boxers in history.

— You predicted Usyk would beat Fury in their rematch. What are your thoughts on the fight?

— Usyk has flawless technique. I’ve always said he’s a great boxer, and he has enough power in his punches to hurt Tyson. So he did exactly what I expected—he won the fight.

I wouldn’t call it a landslide victory—I scored it 8-4. But Usyk did what he always does—he won cleanly and proved why he’s one of the best heavyweights in history. I put him in the category of the all-time greats.

— Do you really believe Usyk is one of the greatest heavyweights ever? A top-5 all-time fighter?

— If you look at his record and what he’s accomplished, I don’t see anyone who compares to him.

— What about the argument that it’s just the era? Some say he benefited from a weak generation of heavyweights—that he wouldn’t have been dominant in the 2000s, the late ‘90s, or especially in the era of Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, and George Foreman. Do you think he would’ve held his own in a different time?

— Look, Joe Frazier is a legend, no doubt. But let’s imagine Muhammad Ali had never been sent to prison and never lost his titles—would Frazier have ever even become a champion?

People like to credit some fighters while dismissing others—that’s all just hypothetical talk. The facts speak for themselves: Usyk won Olympic gold, became the only man to unify all four belts at cruiserweight, then moved up to heavyweight and did it again. Nobody else has ever done that.

He can’t turn back time and fight a young Ali or a young Tyson. All he can do is beat the best of his era. And that’s exactly what he’s done—at every level. What Usyk has accomplished is unique, yet people still don’t give him the respect he deserves. He absolutely belongs in the conversation of the greatest fighters of all time, Rahman stated.