Degrees of Separation: Linking Oleksandr Usyk to first Ukrainian champ, a lightweight
Six degrees of separation is a theory that everyone in the world is separated by no more than six social connections.
In other words, you know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows Queen Elizabeth. Or so the concept goes.
We’re borrowing the six degrees concept – well, sort of loosely – to connect fighters from the past to their more contemporary counterparts in our new occasional feature, “Degrees of Separation.”
Example: Let’s connect Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Super easy; we did it in two steps. Senior fought Grover Wiley, who fought Junior.
In this installment of the Boxing Junkie feature, we decided to try to link our No. 3 fighter pound for pound, Oleksandr Usyk, with the first Ukrainian-born boxer to win a world title, Hall of Famer and featherweight champ Louis “Kid” Kaplan.
It was no easy task. First, Kaplan last fought in 1933 — 87 years ago. And, second, Kaplan was a lightweight.
How could we possibly link a 135-pounder from a century ago to an active heavyweight champion? Turned out we were able to do it in only 11 steps, which isn’t a lot given the time that has passed.
Check it out:
Louis Kaplan fought …
Cocoa Kid, who fought …
O’Neill Bell, who fought …
Bob Murphy, who fought …
Jake LaMotta, who fought …
Joey Maxim, who fought …
Eddie Machen, who fought …
Joe Frazier, who fought …
George Foreman, who fought …
Axel Shulz, who fought …
Wladimir Klitschko, who fought …
Anthony Joshua, who fought …
Oleksandr Usyk
Could you do it in fewer steps? Let us know via Twitter or Facebook. Or you can contact me on Twitter. And please follow us!
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