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Mad Dogs and Englishmen: Why Oleksandr Usyk can cement 'Brit Basher' status to rival Canelo Alvarez
When a fighter steps out of the ring with his hand raised against a British foe, you can always hear the slow rumble of newspaper columnists reaching for their favourite sobriquet.
The term 'Brit Basher', or variations upon it, have existed in one form or another for generations now; a moniker offered by a domestic media to a talent that troubles their stars.
By virtue of a thriving amateur scene, Olympic pedigree and some of the sport's most storied promoters, Great Britain has produced a rich lineage of boxers over the decades.
Step into any division, from the top to the bottom, and the chances are that a fighter that hails from this sceptered isle has either held or challenged for a belt there in recent years.
In modern terms, it is a nickname most readily associated with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, the multi-weight Mexican superstar with five-dozen-plus fights and triumphs to his credit.
Below the sport's true glamour class, he has helped transform the game with a slew of victories and scalps, several of which have come at the expense of British opponents.
Matthew Hatton, Ryan Rhodes, Amir Khan, Liam Smith, Rocky Fielding, Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, John Ryder - his record is a hit list of accomplished, beloved talent.
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But step up a few divisions to the summit, and there is one man who has made short work of several other major names from the United Kingdom, pushing to rival the star.
Unlike Canelo, Oleksandr Usyk is undefeated across his professional career. But like Canelo, he has risen to the peak of his sport by dispatching a slew of British superstars.
To paraphrase Noel Coward, only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun - and if he is the former, the Ukrainian has proven more than willing to meet the latter.
In his past eight bouts, Usyk has fought seven times against British opponents. Since stepping up to the heavyweight division, he has fought all but one bout with them too.
It is a relationship that stretches back to the dying embers of his time as the sport's undisputed cruiserweight world champion, to when he swept all four belts against Tony Bellew.
At that point, the bout arguably marked the highwater mark of Usyk's pro career, a trip deep into partisan territory and a showstopping performance against one of the best.
Yet it ignited a love affair halfway across Europe, ensuring that the star would return time and again, to face stars from across the English channel, often in their own back yard.
A one-off bout with the American Chazz Witherspoon in October 2019 to announce his move into the heavyweight division was the last time Usyk did not face a British fighter.
Since then, it has been Derek Chisora, a double dance with Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois and a two-fight stand with Tyson Fury, all claimed with consummate skill and power.
It has not entirely been one-way traffic - in his second bout with Joshua and first with Fury, Usyk only edged matters on a split-decision knife-edge - but it is still a remarkable run.
Now, this month, he meets Dubois again, and returns to London for the first time since he fought Joshua the first time back in 2021, after a slew of fights held in the Middle East.
In the interim, his stature has only grown, further enhanced by a string of back-to-the-wall performances that have built to the second heavyweight undisputed battle of his career.
It feels alien to remember Usyk was the long-odds outsider to defeat Joshua that night at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but used his guile to exploit the champion on all three cards.
He saw off a resurgent challenge in Jeddah almost a year later by a split decision that arguably did him a disservice, to truly establish himself as the division's premier operator.
On both occasions, his performances not only thrilled his own fans in mainland Europe, then won plenty of admirers from Britain too, especially those keen to see him face Fury.
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Controlled and disciplined, yet capable of bursts of such thrilling complexity, his star almost came unstuck in a nominal homecoming bout across the border in Poland in 2023.
It is strange to think that Dubois - a man whose own raw, youthful talents were clearly respected, but remained tarred with a loss to Joe Joyce - is almost the man that sunk him.
Nobody here needs to rehash the low blow that maybe-never-was, not when both teams will litigate it week in, week out until the pair step into the ring again with higher stakes.
But the fact of the matter is that after recovering from the hit, Usyk delivered his one and only stoppage against a British heavyweight foe, to further underline his credentials.
Many wondered if he would be able to match the sheer verve and never-say-die attitude of Fury when the pair finally met for a historic undisputed title clash in May last year.
Victory for Usyk however effectively confirmed him for many as the pre-eminent superstar of the boxing world, even as Canelo, Naoya Inoue and Claressa Shields clean up too.
A second win the following December - this time on all the cards rather than by split decision - further underscored his credentials, adding another British victory to his collection.
With no disrespect to the men Canelo has faced down the years from the country, all of Usyk's foes have been vintage performers, several near or at the summit of their powers.
Only Chisora has never been a world champion, and even then, 'Del Boy' has challenged himself for the crown before, a bonafide domestic superstar with plenty of affection too.
The jury among the boxing fraternity will be out as to whether Dubois can break Usyk's undefeated career open, if he can back up the flashes of that first fight and deliver here.
Since his loss to the Ukrainian, the Briton has rebuilt, and delivered a stunning riposte to his critics when he dismantled Joshua inside five rounds at Wembley Stadium last year.
Now, he returns with unfinished business at hand to the national stadium, determined to deliver in the biggest fight of his career and write his name into sporting legend too.
If he does so, then the sky is the limit. But if Usyk returns himself all four belts once again, there can be no question he stands among the greatest 'Brit Bashers' of them all.
Watch Usyk vs Dubois 2 exclusively live on DAZN PPV, Saturday, July 19. Buy the PPV now here
