Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) has spent the last 23 months doing everything boxing fans hate.

In October 2021, when he pinned a wobbly Deontay Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) against the ropes and released a vicious overhand right that secured an 11th-round stoppage in the third fight of their rivalry, Fury was on top of the world.

The legendarily hard-punching Wilder had knocked Fury down four times in their trilogy. Each time, Fury rose from the canvas without fail, earning two knockout victories and a draw that most felt he deserved to win. Having beaten long-reigning heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 to earn the lineal title, Fury never let it go.

Due to Fury’s unique blend of an enormous frame and unbelievable evasive skills, analysts gave him an even-or-better chance in practically any mythical matchup, with maybe only a few exceptions. If he were to beat the other top contenders of his day, Fury could potentially become an all-time-great heavyweight. Short of that, he was at least the best big man of the generation. 

Fury had incredible grit to go with his improbable talents, and you couldn’t help but admire his performances – including the fight after his final bout with Wilder, in April 2022, in which he knocked out Dillian Whyte with a beautiful uppercut.

Since then, he has all but imploded. Consider this chain of events, in which Fury:

– Retired from boxing.

– Released a social media rant after the second fight between Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) and Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs), in August 2022, which included: “The both of them were shite.” (They weren’t.) “I would annihilate both of them on the same night.” (He wouldn’t.) And “Get your fucking checkbook out, because the Gypsy King is here to stay forever!” (He isn’t.)

– Unretired from boxing.

– Fought Dereck Chisora (34-13, 23 KOs) in perhaps the most unnecessary trilogy bout in boxing history. Chisora, whom most had wanted to see retire due to the immense punishment he had taken over a long career, absorbed a sickening beating from Fury. It was boxing at its worst, and it left some viewers feeling very uncomfortable.

– Asked Usyk to accept a 30 percent purse split in negotiations for an undisputed heavyweight title fight aimed for April 2023. When Usyk accepted, Fury made further demands, which eventually caused Team Usyk to pull out of the fight rather than deal with him any longer.

– Finally made the Usyk bout, but insisted on first fighting MMA star Francis Ngannou, who had previously never boxed professionally.

– Struggled to a split decision win over Ngannou, during which he suffered a shocking third-round knockdown and was out-landed on power punches. Fury’s performance felt like a black eye for boxing and emboldened the MMA masses into calling the result a robbery.

– Suffered a cut against Ngannou, delaying the scheduling of the Usyk fight until February 17, 2024.

– Watched Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) thoroughly outclass Wilder in a wide decision. Wilder looked listless, likely impacted by age (and possibly ayahuasca), and his performance demanded that Fury’s wins over him be considered with fresh eyes.

– Saw Joshua beat up and stop Otto Wallin (26-2, 14 KOs) inside five rounds. In 2019, Wallin had given Fury hell before losing a decision, slicing open an enormous cut on Fury’s eyelid and hurting the champion in the 12th round. 

– Watched Joshua annihilate Ngannou in two rounds, making Fury’s performance against Ngannou retroactively appear even more abysmal. This has popularized the previously uncommon opinion that Joshua would beat Fury.

– Was cut in sparring, further delaying scheduling of the Usyk fight – now until May 18, 2024. 

– Maintained a stream of monotonous trash talk throughout, calling Usyk a “rabbit,” “pussy” and a “middleweight.”

In this time, Tyson Fury has gone from celebrated champion to caricature without ever losing a fight. His act has gotten old.

Fury has always been deeply flawed. He has said truly reprehensible things about women and the LGBTQ+ community. In 2016, UK Anti-Doping charged him with a positive nandrolone test, for which Fury blamed wild boar consumption. His trash talk is mildly funny at best and intolerable at worst. And despite his incredible physical gifts, Fury has never sought out an all-time-great career with as much zeal as he could have.

Some have disliked him all along but grudgingly praised him due to his excellence in the ring. Now that Fury’s most recent performance is the Ngannou farce, the gloves are off. The Gypsy King is the prime target for boxing fans’ ire.

Still, Fury has had glorious highs that shouldn’t be forgotten – and not just in the ring. His comeback from severe depression and attempted suicide, including working himself back into shape after swelling to more than 400 pounds, should be seen for what it is: among the most inspirational stories in sports. The fighter has admirably advocated for mental health since.

Additionally, Fury’s Ugly List shouldn’t take away from anything he has already accomplished as a fighter.

But here we are: Fury has done plenty to diminish himself, and many would be happy to diminish him further.

Let’s imagine that Usyk decisively beats Fury and wins a rematch – assuming it happens. In five years, Usyk will have stormed the heavyweight division, beating Joshua twice and then Fury to become undisputed champion. Despite having a decade’s head start on Usyk in the division, Fury’s case for being the era’s best heavyweight wilts and dies on the vine along with his undefeated record.

What’s left after that for The Gypsy King?

His trilogy with Wilder will live forever, especially the moment when Fury rose from being knocked momentarily unconscious by Wilder in the 12th round of their first fight. Outside Wilder, though, Fury’s best win is a decision over Klitschko that, although impressive, was the antithesis of an action fight. Few of Fury’s other matchups were especially memorable, with the exceptions of the Wallin struggle; his recovery from a knockdown to beat Steve Cunningham in 2013; and the wonderfully GIF-able moment, against Lee Swaby in 2009, in Fury’s fourth professional fight, when he punched himself in the face. A closer inspection reveals that Fury’s resume just isn’t that deep.

If all that weren’t enough, a Fury loss to Usyk would kill a big-money fight between Fury and Joshua, which would give fans yet another reason to be irritated at Fury.

Largely due to Fury’s recent antics, Usyk has become a slight betting favorite at several sites. But I think the shift has come too late to take the pressure off Fury, who, since 2022, had been thought to be the favorite. A late swing in betting odds can’t immediately override years of expectations. Beating the smaller Usyk is what we long expected a good version of Fury to do. Winning would re-establish Fury as the best heavyweight of his generation, but that’s an honor he has already squandered once. Today, Fury has more to lose than to gain.

Most often, athletes are remembered with increasing fondness after retirement and as the years pass. Unless Fury rebounds in a big way, he could experience the opposite. All the highlights of his career came before this latest chapter, and the ugly phase may be the freshest in most minds.

By leaving nothing on the table in his pursuit of greatness, Usyk has underscored how much more Fury might have done to cement his own legacy. Now it comes down to this: A win over Usyk may be The Gypsy King’s last chance to keep from turning whatever is left of that legacy to fool’s gold.