WHO IS THE finest boxer on the earth? The query isn’t straightforward to reply, not least as a result of there are 17 totally different weight courses. For his or her sheer dimension and brute energy, although, heavyweights, who tip the scales at something above 91kg (201lb), are typically essentially the most acclaimed. But even figuring out the most effective of the large males is tough. Boxing is a splintered sport by which an alphabet soup of governing our bodies—the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF—award titles. Nobody since Lennox Lewis in 1999 has held all 4 within the heavyweight division.

That can change on Might 18th when Tyson Fury fights Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital. Mr Fury, a 2.06m (six-foot eight-inch) Briton, holds the WBC title and is the favorite, partly because of his peak benefit. Mr Usyk, a Ukrainian who holds the remaining three belts, stands at a mere 1.91m. It isn’t simply the prospect of anointing an undisputed champion that makes the bout tantalising. The pair are excellent pugilists, who dominate the load division. Each have but to lose. Mr Fury’s file is 34 wins, 24 by knockouts; Mr Usyk has 21 wins, with 14 knockouts. Many followers lament that the competition is going on when their powers are fading. Mr Fury is 35, Mr Usyk 37. Each have been on the prime for years—however they’ve by no means fought one another. That displays a lot that’s mistaken with boxing.