With a thunderous left hook, Oleksandr Usyk knocked out Daniel Dubois at Wembley. The noise of the deadly shot now reverberates across the boxing world. The victory helped Usyk claim the undisputed championship for a record third time. But in doing so, he seems to have stirred up a fiery debate. The boxing world is brimming with conversations: Is Usyk among the all-time greatest? So before his sympathizers added anything further, Claressa Shields took the opportunity to insert a sharp reminder.

Shields is set to throw down and defend her title against Lani Daniels, and she’s not backing down one bit. When it comes to the undisputed record, she’s already entered the squared circle and snatched her victory. Her response likely won’t surprise the veterans in the ring. The two-time Olympic gold medalist has a bit of a chip on her shoulder regarding her place among the legends of women’s fighting and the sport in general. Any hint of a challenge or even a slight provocation that threatens to shake things up gets an immediate response from the Flint-born champion.

And seemingly that happened when a tweet featured her photo alongside that of Oleksandr Usyk. “Rare company 🐐🐐,” @All the Smoke Boxing’s post read. To be fair, Claressa Shields found nothing wrong with the observation. But she made sure to highlight one key aspect.

She’s a four-time undisputed champion. The only fighter to accomplish the feat – male or female. “I’m 4x Undisputed @atsboxing!” Nonetheless, Shields courteously acknowledged the Ukrainian champion’s latest accomplishment. “But yes, I welcome the only other fighter to do it 3x! Congrats, @usykaa!!!”

Unlike many, Claressa Shields had to battle through some tough obstacles before she could secure her place as the leading figure in women’s boxing. Time and again, she’s shown she won’t back down when anyone steps up to question her legacy as one of the all-time greats.

Shields’ dominance in the ring was beyond question. The buzz surrounding Oleksandr Usyk’s spot in the all-time top ten heavyweights is cranking up, and the boxing Twitter scene is ablaze with chatter.

Oleksandr Usyk and his tryst with all-time greatness

Though he knocked out one of his star fighters, Frank Warren had no qualms in saying, “We witnessed one of the true modern greats. He would be a great in any generation.” Having won an Olympic gold for his country, Usyk, like Evander Holyfield before, cleaned up the cruiserweight division.

Then he moved up a weight class and last year took down Tyson Fury to claim the title of the century’s first undisputed heavyweight champion. The last fighter to hold all four belts in the division was Lennox Lewis, who reigned as the undisputed champion way back in 1999. But Usyk’s joy was short-lived, as he had to hand over the IBF title to Daniel Dubois just days later.

It was absolutely crucial. To reclaim the undisputed title, Usyk’s got to step back into the ring with Dubois and take down that up-and-coming contender. The two had already squared off in a title bout in 2023 that wrapped up in a whirlwind of controversy.

The discussion about Usyk’s place in boxing history is bound to heat up for some time to come. Right out of the gate, trying to measure up to icons like Muhammed Ali or Mike Tyson is a fool’s errand. They threw down in a different era. Their fight card definitely steals the spotlight from anything Usyk has shown so far.

Still, given the circumstances he found himself in, as far as modern boxing history is concerned, Usyk has done enough to be feted as the generation’s best.

What are your thoughts? Do you think Usyk’s latest victory has elevated him to the level where Ali, Frazier, Foreman, and Tyson stand?