Of course, Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey, Jack Johnson, Rocky Marciano, Lennox Lewis, Muhammad Ali were all one simple thing – heavyweight champion of the world.
They are also some of the greatest athletes in history and the luminaries who dominated the boxing era.
The winner of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk will belong to their company.
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Legendary promoter Bob Arum makes his prediction for Tyson Fury vs. Alexander Usyk and looks back at some of the most memorable moments of his career
Furiusik will unify the WBO, WBA, IBF and WBC heavyweight titles on Saturday. The fight at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh will crown the first four-belt undisputed heavyweight champion and the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
This is important, and a place in history alongside those great names, those true legends, will belong to the victor of this battle.
Legendary promoter Bob Arum, who first fought Muhammad Ali and now represents Fury, believes the fight will continue to this moment.
“I think it’s going to be a very exciting fight,” he told sky sports. “On paper, it’s a great fight. I think it’s going to be a great fight, but again you have to see how it plays out.”
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Actor and director Paddy Considine confident in his prediction for fight between Tyson Fury and Alexander Usyk
The bottom line is – it’s happening. No more cuts, no more delays, Fury vs. Usyk is just one day away.
“The public doesn’t understand the idea of multiple champions. It’s a very good thing for boxing to have one champion who everyone can look to as the King of Boxing, the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world,” Arum said.
“Especially in the heavyweight division, there’s a desperate need for a champion, and we’re starting to see that in the lightweight division, [Naoya] Inoue is undisputed, Canelo is undisputed, and I think the more we can do that, especially at heavyweight, the better the sport of boxing will be.
Arum sees Ali in Fury. “Tyson was as great as Ali, he was not like an ordinary boxer,” he said. “He was a unique man because he was a transcendent man, his personality was extraordinary.
“I don’t think I would have had success in the United States promoting Fury for him unless I promoted Muhammad Ali first. Because after promoting Ali and his personality, I could deal with the fury of Tyson.”
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Tyson Fury reveals why he refuses to fight Usyk in his final press conference ahead of Saturday’s fight
It was an epic moment for British boxing, with Fury, from Morecambe, not only taking part in the fight but a fight many thought he would win.
Frank Warren, who co-promotes Fury with Arum, said: “This is the biggest fight our British boxers have ever had. [If Fury wins] He did something no one else had done. He unified the four belts.
“This is the blue ribbon class, this is the class that everyone is interested in. Ever since I was a kid, long before I was born, the heavyweight champion has been one of the most famous athletes on the planet, if not the most famous athletes.
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Have the mind games begun?Tyson Fury refuses to fight Alexander Usyk ahead of Saturday’s heavyweight title fight
“We’re in such a good place as a sport and there’s such good things happening, you just can’t see it ending because there are so many good battles to be fought.”
Boxing will eventually get that heavyweight championship, as long as there is a winner. The first fight between Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield for the undisputed crown came with an infamous draw.
“I’m talking about a controversial draw that Lennox Lewis won,” Arum said.
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Tyson Fury and Alexander Usyk have final messages for each other ahead of Saturday’s undisputed heavyweight title fight
“People want to know who is the baddest man on the planet and who is the heavyweight champion of the world,” Top Boss continued.
“They don’t want to hear there are two heavyweight champions, three heavyweight champions. They want a heavyweight champion, and if everything goes well on Saturday night, we’re going to have a guy who is the undisputed heavyweight champion.”
He added: “My feeling is that we have two fighters here fighting for supremacy, so I really believe this is going to be one of the greatest fights of our time.”
It’s one of the biggest sporting events in a generation. Tyson Fury and Alexander Usyk Live on Saturday, May 18 for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world sky sports box office. Book a fight now.
