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Oleksandr Usyk Stops Marco Huck in First Bout of World Boxing Super Series (WBSS)

By Joshua “City” Brewer

On Saturday, September 9th, Ukrainian standout, and World Boxing Organization (WBO) cruiserweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk, 13-0, 11 KO’s took on Germany’s long-time cruiserweight contender and former champion, Marco Huck, 40-5-1, 27 KO’s. This was the inaugural fight for the historic World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) tournament taking place between the best cruiserweight and super middleweight fighters in the world for the coveted Muhammad Ali trophy. The matchmakers couldn’t have chosen a better pairing to open up the tournament.

Usyk started early on in round one looking very energetic utilizing his jab as he circled huck in the middle of the ring. Huck laid chase the majority of the round as Usyk was in cruise control with his jab and footwork though nothing of significance landed from either fighter. In round two Usyk was able to get his right hook around Huck’s guard scoring shots. Both found themselves landing in separate exchanges towards the end of the round.

Huck tried to gain ground in the third on the offensive front but looked a notch slower than Usyk who continued to show great footwork in evading the majority Huck’s punches. Usyk let of f with a nice multi-punch combination at the end of the round that seemed to stun Huck somewhat. It became clear that Huck’s best chance was going to come from fighting on the inside, in close using his weight to smother Usyk.

Huck fought with more urgency in round four knowing that he was down but took punishment during exchanges as Usyk was the faster and sharper puncher. Usyk continued his offensive prowess in the through the middle rounds though Huck continued to be a game fighter trying his best to get something going. In the eight Usyk landed a heavy barrage of punches and almost dropped Huck before slipping himself and appearing to take a shot at Usyk while he was down. Referee Robert Byrd ultimately took a point from Huck for the offense.

Huck looked spent in the 9th round as he offered lackluster retaliation to Usyk’s now brash offense often getting caught on the ropes with multiple combinations. Usyk showed why he’s champion in round 10 as he continued to press the action and repeatedly caught Huck with clean shots as his back hit the ropes. He eventually unleashed a barrage of unanswered punches that forced referee Robert Byrd to step in and end the fight giving Usyk the first victory of the tournament via technical knockout.

The WBSS is a tournament for the fans though unfortunately, no U.S. provider has picked up the rights to show the fights. I for one believe this is a miss. The cruiserweight division is as stacked as it has been in many years and now is the opportune time to display the talent within this almost at times, forgotten division. One thing evident by the chants in the crowd is that Usyk is a star in the making and also the favorite to win this tournament. Hopefully the big networks realize this sooner rather than later.

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