Boxing is a sport that waits for no man and this weekend will see British viewers tuning into see one of the hottest properties in the fight game.
Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine has grown into one of the most exciting and powerful fighters in the world over the past two years, but the chances are that most fans will never have seen him throw a punch live
The 31-year-old is no spring chicken in age terms but he remains lightly raced as a pro with just 15 fights to his name so far, which makes him a relative novice without the head guard. A brilliant winner of the WBSS at cruiserweight and a 2012 Olympic Champion at heavyweight, Usyk arrives in the UK for a fight with Tony Bellew for what is likely to be his swansong in the division, with bigger and better things on his mind...
Anthony Joshua has already been mentioned by Usyk himself as a future opponent as he looks to step up to the big boys and a recent promotional deal with Matchroom and Eddie Hearn ensure those claims are certainly realistic from a TV point of view at least.
Bellew might well prove to be a tough test himself this weekend in what could be his final fight but the betting for the bout certainly favours the away fighter, who remains something of a mystery in terms of style.
A quick look at his record though does tell us plenty, with a blemish free career to his name up to this point, and 11 of 15 successes coming by way of KO. A close friend of pound-for-pound king Vasyl Lomachenko, the Kiev native comes into the Bellew fight as the undisputed champion at 200lbs and he certainly packs a punch as some of his past opponents will no doubt testify...
