Former world champion Hasim Rahman believes that, in any era of heavyweight boxing, one man would solidify himself at the top of the tree.

‘The Rock’ is best known for his monumental upset victory over Lennox Lewis in 2001when a stunning fifth-round finish saw him claim the WBC and IBF titles.

Before their heavyweight encounter, many had questioned the logic behind Lewis’ training camp in Las Vegas, given that he was to defend his titles in South Africa.

Not only that, but ‘The Lion’ afforded himself little time to adjust to the African nation’s high altitude, with his performance ultimately reflecting a lack of preparation.

Lewis did, however, manage to produce a much improved display in their immediate rematch, reclaiming his titles with a ruthless fourth-round stoppage.

As a result, Rahman has since named his former foe as the greatest heavyweight of all time, above the likes of Muhammad AliJack Dempsey and Rocky Marciano.

Unlike those three all-time greats, Rahman told BBC Radio 5 Livethat Lewis not only possessed impeccable ring intelligence but could also utilise his physical attributes to a much greater extent than others.

“I’m finding it hard to put somebody ahead of him. In any era … I just really don’t know who could beat him.

“[Ali, Dempsey, Marciano…] Those guys were too small. I mean, Ali was too small for George Foreman back then, when he was a smaller version of Big George, so how could he deal with someone like Lennox – who is huge and can move, and can use his distance well?

“I think it’s really unfair to compare eras, but I just don’t know who could deal with that man.”

Lewis was a three-time world heavyweight champion, and up until Oleksandr Usyk repeated the feat in 2024, was the last undisputed heavyweight champion following his win over Evander Holyfield in 1999.

After defeating Rahman, Lewis also scored an eighth-round finish over Mike Tyson and ended his illustrious career by stopping Vitali Klitschko in six rounds.

Dmitry Bivol has been linked to a number of opponents since defeating Michael Eifert, but it seems as though there is only one man whom the Russian intends to face – avoiding a fight with a former world champion in the process.

Bivol claimed the undisputed light-heavyweight crown when he avenged his solitary career defeat to Artur Beterbiev with a majority-decision triumph in February 2025, until a 15-month period of inactivity saw him forego his WBC world title.

Upon his return, in May, Bivol shook off the ring rust by fulfilling his IBF mandatory and defending his three remaining world titles against Eifert in Russia, before rumours that the 35-year-old would swerve a trilogy against Beterbiev emerged.

However, in an interview with FightHypepromoter Eddie Hearn denied those suggestions and revealed that it is the Beterbiev fight which Bivol wants most.

“There’s a lot of people saying, ‘Bivol doesn’t want to fight Beterbiev.’ That’s not true at all.”

“Dmitry wants the trilogy. That’s the fight he wants. We’ll start those conversations and see what happens.”

It had been understood that Bivol would instead take on former WBA super-middleweight world champion and current WBO 175lb mandatory challenger Callum Smith – once the Russian had recovered from an elbow surgery which is set to take place later this month.

Yet, Hearn went on to explain that he now expects Smith to rematch Joshua Buatsi in a clash for the vacant WBO light-heavyweight world title, after Bivol has relinquished the belt.

“I think Callum Smith will probably end up boxing Joshua Buatsi for the vacant world title if that’s the route it goes.

“We’ll see how everything plays out, but Dmitry wants the Beterbiev fight.”

As a result, it seems as though Bivol-Beterbiev III could be back on the cards for later this year, with the WBA and IBF light-heavyweight marbles at stake.

Meanwhile, Smith-Buatsi II could headline a mooted ‘Matchroom vs. Queensberry 2’ bill in either October or November, nearly two years on from their first battle which was won by Smith after a Fight of the Year contender.

Oleksandr Usyk is set to fight on one more occasion before hanging up the gloves, promising to have a ‘last dance’ as he calls time on an astounding career. Now, the Ukrainian has revealed that there are only two current candidates under consideration to be his final opponent.

Usyk claimed the undisputed crown at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, with a historic win over Tyson Fury seeing the southpaw technician become the first to simultaneously hold all of the recognised heavyweight world titles in the four-belt era.

An underwhelming performance against Rico Verhoeven last time out though appears to have convinced the 39-year-old that his powers are fading and that it is time to walk away from the sport.

Speaking with Daily Mail BoxingUsyk announced that his ‘last dance’ will take place against a ‘big name’ in the United States.

“‘Last Dance’ is [going to be in the] U.S.A. maybe in New York, [in a] stadium. It’s [going to be against] a big name.”

The veteran was then asked to define whom he believes to be ‘big names’ amongst his heavyweight rivals, with Fury and Deontay Wilder being the only two he’s interested in fighting next.

“[Big names are] ‘Greedy Belly’ [Tyson Fury] and Deontay Wilder. We work about this.”

Recent reports suggest that Usyk and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ could collide in a clash for the Zuffa Boxing heavyweight world title. Usyk did not confirm or deny this, admitting that his mind is currently focused on boxing training rather than boxing.

“I cannot say about this [whether I will fight under the Zuffa banner] because now my team work about my next fight. It’s Zuffa, [then it’s] not Zuffa.

“Now, I [do] not think about boxing. I think about training for boxing; cardio? Of course. Cross-fight? Of course. Swimming pool? No. Sauna? Yes. Rest, time with my family, with my child.”

Usyk also went on to state that his career finale will not take place until December at the earliest, with Fury expected to take on Anthony Joshua the month prior – thus making Wilder the likely candidate.