Fury, Joshua, Bellew: Oleksandr Usyk's toughest British foes ranked

Oleksandr Usyk looks set for another massive 2026, as the Ukrainian plots the latest defence of his unified heavyweight titles.

The star, a double-weight world champion considered among the sport's modern pound-for-pound greats, is teasing his next move.

But it will not be against fellow heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley , after Usyk vacated the WBO strap rather than face him.

It made for an eyebrow-raising move from the veteran fighter, albeit not entirely unexpected, having done so only a year before.

Nevertheless, it means that Usyk will be waiting for another chance to cross swords with a British foe, having met five in the ring .

Across eight bouts and two divisions, he has come out on top in every encounter thus far, though not without some scars to show.

As he arrives at a crucial year in the twilight stage of his career, DAZN News profiles Usyk's British foes and which was toughest.

5. Daniel Dubois

A place for 'Dynamite' at the bottom of the pecking order is no reflection upon the star's achievements across his career thus far.

But as one of only two British foes who failed to reach the final bell with Usyk, he finds himself at the wrong end of the record books.

The pair first met when Dubois sought the Ukrainian's unified titles in Poland back in 2023, when he seemingly dropped the star.

Leigh Dawney/Queensberry

A low-blow ruling from the officials gave Usyk time to recover, though, and he ultimately stopped the Briton in the ninth round.

Dubois fared worse in their rematch last summer, too, and was knocked out inside five to lose his IBF title at Wembley Stadium.

4. Tony Bellew

The lone Briton that Usyk faced during his days as a cruiserweight, 'Bomber' was the former WBC champion when they faced off.

The Ukrainian was riding high after securing the division's undisputed crown by decision against Murat Gassiev in July 2018.

He entertained the challenge of Bellew, one of the division's most popular fighters, and challenged to Manchester that November.

After a cagey opening, the Merseyside fighter landed better across the first few rounds, but Usyk began to unload by the fifth.

A sharp stoppage in the eighth sent Bellew, then up on two scorecards, down onto the ropes. The star retired from the sport afterwards.

3. Derek Chisora

Usyk had only fought once at heavyweight when he came across the former WBC heavyweight title challenger at Wembley Arena.

In the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pair were forced to postpone from a May 2020 date to November of the same year.

When the bout came, Chisora remained a key home favourite, fighting out of his own turf in London - but Usyk had the class to show.

'War' put out a superb work rate to start, before his opponent rallied to control the pace with cleaner blows across the middle of the bout.

Though Chisora pushed again late on, the judges handed Usyk a convincing unanimous decision, with plenty of respect between both men.

2. Anthony Joshua

There was plenty of intrigue about how Usyk would fare against 'AJ' as he sought to become a heavyweight world champion back in 2021.

Save for his shock loss to Andy Ruiz Jr., Joshua's stock as a modern heavyweight great was still firmly intact, even if there were fissures.

Usyk poured into them and exploited them ruthlessly, taking a unanimous decision at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a career-best turn.

He was forced to battle harder in the rematch, though. Joshua improved and did himself plenty of credit in a split-decision in Saudi Arabia.

Since then, the two men have struck up a friendly rivalry, with Usyk helping the Briton train for his comeback fight with Jake Paul last year.

Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

1. Tyson Fury

The only man besides Joshua to take Usyk all the way twice, 'The Gypsy King' firmly believes he took both fights in their duology, too.

It's easy to understand his conviction. Held in May and December 2024 in Riyadh, the pair's heavyweight title tussles were box-office gold.

In the first, a back-and-forth contest, Fury seemed to hold Usyk under the pump until he was staggered in the eighth and ninth rounds.

A split-decision for the Ukrainian ensured an inevitable rematch, with the Briton attempting to use his larger frame to impose his will.

Once again, Usyk outsmarted him with sharper footwork, taking a majority decision - but few men have pushed him quite so hard indeed.

Sign up to DAZN Ultimate Tier to get PPV's included in your subscription 

Subscribe to DAZN's new Ultimate Tier to get a minimum of 12 PPV events included per year, on top of another 185 fight nights. Plus Serie A football, watch on multiple devices, and many more extra benefits.

Sign up for £22.99 in the UK / $44.99 in the U.S. More details here .