Oleksandr Usyk splashes into heavyweight division with a TKO win

Oleksandr Usyk debuted as a heavyweight against Chazz Witherspoon. He looked comfortable in his new division as he won via TKO.

On Saturday, Oct. 12, in front of thousands of adoring fans, Oleksandr Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) made his heavyweight debut against Chazz Witherspoon (38-4, 29 KOs) at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena on DAZN. Witherspoon was a last-minute replacement and gave it his all, but he was overmatched.

In round 1, Witherspoon came out aggressively with the jab and had Usyk circling on the outside. Usyk stayed calm but did land a straight left that was the best punch of the round. The crowd chanted Usyk’s name to try to get him throwing more punches, but he didn’t oblige them.

Usyk hit Witherspoon with a straight left to kick off round 2. He jabbed to Witherspoon’s soft middle and danced around the ring. Usyk warmed up and looked loose and relaxed. Witherspoon held his own, but he was a step behind Usyk.

Usyk’s left hand sent Witherspoon’s head jutting back on multiple occasions in round 3. Witherspoon fought back, but Usyk caught his punches. Midway through the round, Usyk hurt Witherspoon with a left hand. Witherspoon backpedaled and stopped punching. He recovered a bit and made it to the bell.

Usyk was animated in round 4. He bounced on his toes and feinted as he looked for an opening on Witherspoon. He briefly trapped Witherspoon on the ropes and landed a combination, but Witherspoon escaped. It was a technically sound round for Usyk.

Usyk’s jab mashed Witherspoon in the mouth to begin round 5. He piled up the points with combinations, and Witherspoon’s head was the prime target. Witherspoon breathed heavily out of his mouth and was running out of gas.

In the sixth round, Usyk exploded with a left hook to Witherspoon’s body that started a four-punch combination. He fought in spurts, but Witherspoon fought on. Usyk began to break Witherspoon down with jabs and combinations to the body. Witherspoon looked weary as he made his way back to the corner after the round.

In round 7, Usyk toyed with Witherspoon. He pawed at him with his jab and scored when he found openings. He turned on the heat in the final 40 seconds and punished Witherspoon on the ropes. Somehow, Witherspoon withstood the beating, or so it seemed.

After the round, the referee visited both corners, and Usyk threw his hand up in victory. Witherspoon’s corner stopped the fight. It was a smart move. He was taking too many punches and wasn’t competitive. To his credit, Witherspoon lasted longer than most expected.

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Usyk has his first victory as a heavyweight under his belt. He recently told Behind the Gloves that he thinks Tyson Fury would be a tough opponent and that Deontay Wilder would be an easier fight. We’ll see who Usyk gets a crack at next. It doesn’t matter to Usyk. He believes that he’s ready for anyone in the division.

“I am ready, I am ready to fight whoever,” said Usyk after the bout. “If they give me the mandatory then, of course, I am ready to take it.”