Usyk vs Fury: Meet six former undisputed heavyweight boxing champions

Britain’s Tyson Fury (L) and Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk (R) challenge each other during a press conference in London on November 16, 2023, ahead of their undisputed heavyweight world championship contest scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. – While the rest of the boxing world is drooling in anticipation of a genuine heavyweight world title fight that will unify the division for the first time in over 20 years, Tyson Fury insists the May 18, 2024, match-up with Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh is all about the money. (Photo by Daniel LEAL / AFP)

Victory for either Oleksandr Usyk or Tyson Fury on Saturday will create the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world in 24 years.

The ever-bubbling alphabet soup of boxing sanctioning bodies — a winner in Riyadh would become the first four-belt heavyweight champion — means that becoming, and remaining, undisputed champion requires not just skill and toughness in the ring, but acumen outside it.

A winner will join a select group. Here AFP Sport picks six of the undisputed best.

Jack Dempsey (Undisputed champion from Jan 1921 to Sept 1926, 3 defences)

Picture taken in the 30s of World heavyweight champion boxer Jack Dempsey. During his career Jack Dempsey, who began on the ring as ‘Kid Blackie’ in 1914, defeated Jess Willard in 1919 to win the world heavyweight title, which he lost to Gene Tunney in 1926. After several years fighting exhibitions, Dempsey retired from the ring in 1940. (Photo by OFF / AFP)

The hard-hitting and aggressive Jack Dempsey became the first official world champion at the start of 1921 when the American National Boxing Association and the powerful New York State Athletic Commission agreed to recognise a world champion. The “Manassa Mauler”, with a