Anatomy of a Masterclass: Oleksandr Usyk-Murat Gassiev

Photo by Valery Sharifulin\TASS via Getty Images

For more than a quarter of a century, the conversation on the subject of boxing’s greatest ever cruiserweight started and ended with the legendary Evander Holyfield. It took over a generation for the next legitimate all-time great to emerge in a weight class forever obscured and overshadowed by the sport’s heavyweight scene, but during the finest era in the history of the cruiserweight division, the heir to Holyfield’s throne achieved comparable grandeur.

In the long-awaited, much-anticipated final of the inaugural season of the World Boxing Super Series, Oleksandr Usyk sparked a debate, for the first time since Holyfield conquered the division in 1988, regarding cruiserweight’s historical top dog.

Usyk masterfully executed a next-level exhibition of pure boxing in defeating, nay, humiliating a previously undefeated unified world champion, Murat “Iron” Gassiev — in front of the reputable Russian’s home crowd, no less. Given the dominance of Usyk’s display combined with the threat of the world class fighter in the opposite corner, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more impressive performance in a boxing ring since Floyd Mayweather took Canelo Álvarez to school back in 2013. To be frank, if Usyk’s triumph in Moscow isn’t the premier masterclass of the last decade in boxing, it’s certainly in the conversation.

But before looking at the fight itself, in order to fully appreciate the impressiveness of the performance one must be aware of the necessary context, namely the calibre of the opponent.

The Road to Moscow

It’s simple, and become the norm in boxing, to undervalue a fighter’s ability once they’ve been thoroughly dominated, especially when that fighter hasn’t fought since, but Murat Gassiev had stormed to the final of the most stacked WBSS tournament to date. Prior to facing Usyk, many considered Gassiev a top 10-15 fighter in the sport (certainly a top 10 puncher), and one that had already proven himself against first-class competition. In late 2016, at the raw age of 23, Gassiev narrowly outpointed fellow Russian hard-man and the consensus divisional number one, Denis Lebedev, to claim the IBF cruiserweight world title. Frustrated early on by the fortitude and counterpunching of Lebedev, but ultimately undeterred, Gassiev dropped the veteran with a sickening left hook to the body in the fifth round and proceeded to land the harder leather down the stretch.

Here, with Lebedev attempting to circle to Gassiev’s left, the challenger landed a vicious left hook to the body under the champion’s southpaw jab. Lebedev turned into the punch, amplifying the effect. Take a look at Gassiev’s follow-through on the hook — it’s a perfect example of punching through the target.

A tough-fought, deserved split-decision victory over a hardened and highly skilled champion announced Gassiev onto the world stage, but the puncher looked even more formidable in the WBSS. In the quarter final of the competition, nearly a year after toppling Lebedev, the Russian breezed past IBF mandatory challenger and former two-time cruiserweight world champion, Krzysztof Włodarczyk. Gassiev consummately walked down and knocked out the Polish contender in the third round with a brutal body shot, not dissimilar to the blow that floored Lebedev. Against both Lebedev and Włodarczyk, particularly the latter, Gassiev cut off the ring and applied pressure to great effect. Bare that in mind for the Usyk fight.

Here, after cutting off the ring on Włodarczyk, Gassiev doubled up on the lead hand to set up the finish (classic combination punching — see Julio César Chávez for a prime example). The left uppercut to the chin forced Włodarczyk to cover up the head, which exposed the challenger’s lower right side and created a clear path behind the arm for Gassiev’s trademark left hook to the rib cage.

Gassiev’s emphatic stoppage of Włodarczyk set up a mouth-watering contest against WBA cruiserweight world champion, Yuniel Dorticos, in the second semi-final of the competition. Although I consider Denis Lebedev the most accomplished and refined fighter on Gassiev’s résumé, Murat’s finest, most complete career performance to date undoubtedly came in the semi-final clash with Dorticos.

Initially, it appeared Gassiev — predominantly a pressure fighter — couldn’t operate to the same level off the back foot, with Dorticos looking the stronger, more assertive fighter in the opening stanza. It became increasingly apparent, however, that the Russian had adopted a smart strategy, taking over the fight by the fifth round and outboxing the dangerous Cuban until the finish. Throughout the fight, Gassiev patiently lulled Dorticos into a false sense of security with slow, rhythmic upper-body movement on the back foot, before sporadically bursting into a powerful, compact combination. Often unreasonably labelled one-dimensional due to Usyk making him look that way, Gassiev showed the ability to fight in more than one way against Dorticos, demonstrating a varied punch arsenal and an expert ability to counter in combination off the back foot. Murat’s looping right hand over the jab staggered Dorticos more than once, and the Russian power-puncher’s body work — notably the short right hook under Dorticos’ lead elbow and the left hook set up by the uppercut (akin to the Wlod KO) — emptied the WBA champion’s gas tank by the latter quarter. Dorticos showed immense durability and resolve to survive until the final round, but the IBF champion closed the show in destructive style in Sochi, Russia, dropping Dorticos thrice in the twelfth before the referee waved off the fight. Gassiev looked to be maturing with each passing fight, and the win over Dorticos made him a unified world champion at just 24.

Dorticos struggled to read Gassiev’s punching rhythm due to the Russian’s slow, deceiving movement on the back foot — swaying from side to side to set up an explosive, precise attack. Here, having slowed the pace of the fight down to a lull, Gassiev stepped in with a lead left hook around the guard, then exposed Dorticos’ earmuff defense with a left uppercut straight up the middle. Evidently, Gassiev once again enjoyed success doubling up on the lead hand to expose an opening. Moreover, in the second sequence above, Gassiev’s upper-body movement allowed him to craftily manipulate distance and jab within range. The Russian’s jab obstructed Dorticos’ vision and the accompanying step-in put Gassiev in an ideal position to land an accurate right hand around the Cuban’s tight guard.

The beginning of the end for Dorticos: the exhausted Cuban threw a lazy 1-2 and paid the price for it. Gassiev slipped outside of Dorticos’ right hand and came over the top with a shattering left hook to the jaw. Gassiev’s slip allowed the power-puncher to load up by shifting weight onto the left hip, thereby generating more power on the hook. Dorticos — no longer defensively responsible enough to catch nor ride the shot — folded to the canvas and never recovered. It’s worth noting that Dorticos hasn’t been stopped by anyone bar Gassiev in a professional fight, and managed to withstand a brutal onslaught from the Russian for almost the entirety of the fight — durability may be the Cuban’s most underrated asset.

In contrast, going into the final against Gassiev, Oleksandr Usyk had endured a scintillating battle of attrition against undefeated WBC cruiserweight world champion, Mairis Briedis. It wasn’t Usyk’s most disciplined display — far from it — but the Ukrainian champion still managed to overcome adversity to clearly defeat a strong, experienced and multi-faceted opponent in hostile Latvian territory. Usyk’s dominant stoppage victory over a faded Marco Huck in the tournament’s first round might have made the WBO champion overconfident going in against Briedis, or maybe the electric atmosphere enticed Usyk into obliging the crowd. Whatever the reason for Usyk’s comparatively lacklustre performance, it made for a more enthralling and closely fought fight than originally anticipated.

On the one hand, Usyk looked uncharacteristically scrappy and frequently intent on trading with Briedis rather than sticking to a regimented game plan, convincing many to believe Gassiev — a devastating combination puncher — could build upon the Latvian’s success and catch Usyk exchanging. On the other hand, a faster, craftier cruiserweight than Gassiev delivered potentially a career-best performance, had the backing of the home crowd, and wasn’t capable of handling the Ukrainian. It can be said that Usyk’s otherworldly conditioning and punch output played a part in him taking over such a fiercely high-volume affair, but Oleksandr’s superior footwork may have been a more pivotal factor. All through the fight, Usyk’s feet would allow him to concurrently create an angle for offense and thwart Briedis’ more stationary counter-punching approach. Hence, the Ukrainian dictated the length of each exchange and, for the most part, the range at which the action took place. In addition, Usyk’s dynamic lead hand and body work proved instrumental in guiding him to victory. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend checking out Usyk’s victory over Briedis: a contender for 2018 Fight of the Year. Usyk claimed Briedis’ WBC world title and secured a place in the first WBSS final via a 12-round majority decision, although most, including myself, believe it should have been unanimous.

Despite Gassiev arguably looking more impressive in the tournament up until the final, Usyk had already established himself atop the cruiserweight division prior to the WBSS. Through winning the WBO belt in a boxing clinic against Krzysztof Głowacki in Poland, before emphatically beating Thabiso Mchunu and Michael Hunter in the United States, Usyk entered the tournament with a formidable reputation. Against Gassiev, that reputation skyrocketed.

Originally pitted for May 2018, an injury to Usyk’s elbow delayed the WBSS final to July, and consequently, the fight changed from a neutral venue to Moscow, Russia. For the third time, Usyk had to fight a reigning, undefeated world champion on away turf. Usyk’s injury, coupled with Gassiev’s outstanding performance against Dorticos and the fight being in Russia, meant the Russian came into the fight with plenty of reason to be self-confident. Going in, the fight looked to be a legitimate 50/50, pick’em championship contest, destined to be close and competitive whichever way it went, but that’s not how it unfolded in the ring. Without further ado, here’s my round-by-round breakdown of the fight that made Oleksandr Usyk an indisputable modern-day great.

Round 1

From the opening bell, the dynamic of the fight appeared clear. Usyk, contrary to the majority of the Briedis fight, boxed in a tight circle on the back foot, whilst Gassiev, contrary to the Dorticos fight, looked to apply pressure and push the pace. If you’re wondering why Gassiev didn’t stick to what worked effectively against Dorticos — counter-punching off the back foot — Usyk’s high-output style, varied punch tempo and constant pressure would have prevented the Russian from settling into a rhythm and forced him to shell up behind the high guard. Unalike Dorticos, Usyk isn’t a linear pressure fighter, and crucially, will set a pace he can maintain. In the Lebedev fight, Gassiev showed he could have success against a skilful, durable southpaw on the front foot, but Usyk’s combination of ring IQ, mobility and output presented a far greater challenge.

Habitually a slow starter, Usyk couldn’t afford to give anything away against a puncher of Gassiev’s quality, and had come supremely well-prepared with a strong read on how to neutralise the Russian’s pressure game. Neither fighter landed much of note in the opening round, but Usyk seized immediate control of the action with the most important punch in any out-fighter’s arsenal: the jab.

First and foremost, Usyk utilised the lead hand to great effect throughout the fight. Usyk feinted the jab in order to gauge distance, and leaned into the jab for the purpose of maintaining distance. Usyk’s sharper jab didn’t just deter the Russian, but the establishment of a threat made Gassiev more receptive to the Ukrainian’s round-the-clock feinting. Usyk’s jab therefore commanded the range and potently kept the puncher honest.

By pivoting to the right — head off centre line and lead foot positioned on the outside of Gassiev’s — Usyk eluded the Russian’s jab and prevented the prolific, hard-hitting combination puncher from lining up a target to land effective fire. Further to that, by repeatedly changing the angle, Usyk kept Gassiev off-balance and turning to readjust, thereby forestalling Gassiev’s rhythm. Unlike against Włodarczyk, Gassiev struggled to cut off the ring and limit Usyk’s movement.

Usyk’s active lead hand, constantly feinting up and down, served to offset Gassiev’s rhythm and timing. In addition, it nullified Gassiev’s jab whilst clearing the path for Usyk’s own. Usyk feinting with the front foot halted Gassiev’s pressure by causing the Russian to back up, allowing the Ukrainian control of the ring.

Usyk landed the most significant power punch of the round in the form of a counter uppercut. Here, Usyk parried Gassiev’s double jab and manoeuvred the Russian’s lead hand out of position, both compromising Gassiev’s balance and opening the gate for the left hand through the middle. Gassiev ended up closer to Usyk’s rear hand by taking the inside angle, whilst Usyk secured outside foot position, and attempting to jab the body left him susceptible to the southpaw uppercut.

Round 2

Gassiev began having a little more success, namely to the body, in the second round. Gassiev looked set on breaking Usyk down with pressure and bodywork. Typically, body punching will impair an opponent’s mobility and have a compounding effect on their stamina down the stretch. Additionally, Usyk’s evasive head movement meant Gassiev found working the body — a more stationary target — easier than the head. Meanwhile, Usyk picked up where he left off at the end of the first, offsetting the Russian at every turn and brilliantly employing the jab to remain in control of the action.

Here, Usyk attempted to pivot to the right, but the southpaw’s more square stance meant he had further to swing the rear leg, therefore mistiming the pivot and presenting Gassiev with a rare opportunity to tag him on the way out. Gassiev’s left hook-right hook combination around Usyk’s high guard impeded the pivot and caused the Ukrainian’s guard to narrow, resulting in a hard left to the body.

Usyk upped the volume after the first round, punching lightly to occupy and probe the Russian’s guard. He would irregularly mix a body shot into a combination to manipulate the high guard and remain unpredictable.

Round 3

If you’re under the impression, having watched the fight before, that Gassiev lacked effort in defeat, watch the third round and pay attention to the following. In truth, for everything Gassiev tried, Usyk had more than one answer.

Having been outjabbed from the first round, Gassiev made a nifty adjustment in the third. Gassiev couldn’t jab with Usyk due to the Ukrainian’s superior understanding of positioning and outside footwork. Instead, Gassiev began to counter Usyk’s jab with the left hook, both to the body — an open target under the lead hand — and the head — a potential blind spot over the southpaw’s lead shoulder. It wasn’t a fight-changing adjustment, but it presented a problem for Usyk and forced him to counter-adjust. Gassiev wasn’t tactically inept, Usyk simply outmatched him in that regard.

In the same round, Usyk began anticipating Gassiev’s counter left hook. He would proactively duck under it and pivot out, primarily when Gassiev dipped to load up and immediately after landing the rear hand.

On top of working excellently off the lead, Usyk neutralised Gassiev’s rear hand through expert counterpunching. Oleksandr would feint the jab in order to draw Gassiev into throwing, before taking a step back — causing Gassiev to fall short and lose balance —- and countering with the southpaw backhand. Whilst throwing the backhand, Usyk would pivot inside to change the angle and prevent Gassiev from following up.

Round 4

In possibly Gassiev’s best round of the fight, Usyk once again demonstrated a superhuman ability to almost immediately solve any problem presented by the Russian.

With Usyk constantly pivoting off to Gassiev’s left, Murat started finding success timing Usyk with the left hook to the body on the Ukrainian’s exit. Usyk still controlled the round with the jab, but he did not want to be taking heavy leather to the body every time he pivoted to change the angle: he had to adjust.

Later in the round, Usyk negated Gassiev’s left hook to the body by dipping with the outside pivot, sending the shot off target. Moreover, Usyk’s quick, well-timed movement made it difficult for Gassiev to maximise leverage on the hook due to being forced to punch on the turn, and the Ukrainian champion’s tight high guard gave him a better chance of catching the body hook on the elbow.

Here, just like at the end of the third round, Usyk drew out Gassiev’s rear hand before taking a step back and countering. Gassiev’s punch arsenal may seem limited against Usyk, but the Dorticos fight demonstrated otherwise. Usyk systematically disarmed Gassiev, essentially restricting the power puncher’s toolbox to one punch. Every time Gassiev threw the right hand, Usyk would pivot inside and come back with the southpaw backhand.

Well, not every time. Gassiev’s best punch of the night came at the end of the fourth in the form of a counter right hand.

“Usyk feinted the jab in order to gauge distance, and leaned into the jab for the purpose of maintaining distance.”

In the case he did not do either, Usyk would typically use the jab to probe Gassiev’s guard and build an attack. Here, anticipating Usyk to follow the jab up with a rear hand, Gassiev proactively dipped under Usyk’s left (dropping the shoulder) and came over the top with a right hand to the chin. Usyk managed to take the sting out of the punch by turning away at the last second, and held to prevent a follow-up attack.

Round 5

Up until around the fifth round, Usyk had been winning a competitive high-level chess match. Gassiev forced him to adjust more than once, had been pot-shotting well up to that point, and could have conceivably won the fourth round. However, Gassiev’s success dropped off once Usyk counter-adjusted and began turning up the heat.

“Every time Gassiev threw the right hand, Usyk would pivot inside and come back with the southpaw backhand.”

Here’s another example, where Usyk drew out Gassiev’s rear by probing with the jab.

In the first part of the above clip, Usyk broke into a square stance to incorporate lateral movement (side-stepping) more effectively, then threw a weightless rear hand lead to occupy Gassiev whilst adjusting back into a side stance. In the second sequence, Usyk landed the rear hand lead — head off centre line and weight shifted over the front foot — to throw Gassiev off and further offset the ever-pressing Russian.

Here, Usyk manipulated Gassiev’s high guard with the rear hand — preventing the Russian from covering up — to force an opening and line up the right hook. Usyk’s compatriot, Vasiliy Lomachenko, can often be seen forcing an opening in an opponent’s guard with one hand before exposing it with the other, and interestingly, Mairis Briedis had success stripping Usyk’s own high guard up close.

Round 6

By the sixth round, Gassiev’s offense had been almost entirely muted by the masterful Ukrainian, and if not for the Russian’s incredible durability and stamina, he would not have lasted much longer. Usyk’s dominance had been fully established and the gulf in class between the two became increasingly apparent.

Whenever Usyk offset Gassiev’s rhythm, he would then prevent the Russian from resetting by instantaneously presenting something to defend. Here, Usyk forced Gassiev out of position by simultaneously feinting with the front foot and threatening the backhand, before going on the offensive — lead foot positioned on the outside of Gassiev’s — without giving Gassiev the opportunity to reposition.

Here’s another example of Usyk going on the offensive in the sixth. By taking the dominant outside angle once again, Usyk eliminated Gassiev’s rear hand and could attack unimpeded. Gassiev would have had to punch across himself to land with the rear, rendering the punch ineffective. On top of that, Usyk’s constant occupation of Gassiev’s guard with volume did not allow Murat any breathing space to set up a counter.

When pivoting to the outside, Usyk would spring into a jab immediately after touching down with the rear foot, making Gassiev increasingly cautious when turning to follow.

Round 7

Usyk’s punch output increased exponentially in the second half of the fight, and Gassiev’s diminished. Crazily, Gassiev landed just one singular jab after the sixth round; Usyk landed 53. With Gassiev shelling up behind the high guard, Usyk could open up with combination punching.

Again, immediately after touching down with the rear foot, Usyk threw the jab to catch Gassiev on the turn and disrupt the Russian’s line of attack. Additionally, in the seventh, the jab served to set up an offensive burst. Usyk didn’t give Gassiev any time to think after turning before having to defend a quick-fire combination.

On top of dissuading Gassiev’s pressure and preventing the puncher from finding a rhythm, Usyk‘s volume allowed him to probe Gassiev’s defense for an opening without over-committing.

Usyk would occupy the Russian’s guard before altering the tempo and power of an attack to expose an opening. Here, for example, Usyk occupied the high guard with a soft 1-1-2 combination, then came around the guard with a hard right hook before changing the angle.

Round 8

Usyk’s high-volume success of the seventh round continued into the eighth, aiming to discourage the Russian from throwing caution to the wind late on.

The Ukrainian’s beautiful combination punching on full display in the eighth round. Here, Usyk took a half-step back to avoid Gassiev’s rear, then disguised the left cross behind a vision-obscuring jab. Usyk punched down on Gassiev’s left glove with the initial cross, setting up the right uppercut and straight left through the middle. When Usyk fired in combination, each punch would muffle Gassiev’s vision behind the high guard, which made it incredibly difficult for the Russian to get off. Gassiev’s reluctance to roll the dice and punch with Usyk showed he had respect for the Ukrainian’s often criticised power.

Akin to what I mentioned earlier in the fight, Usyk nullified Gassiev’s counter-left hook here by turning and dipping with the shot, catching it on the shoulder.

Gassiev got through with a hard right hand in the eighth, piercing Usyk’s guard and knocking him off-balance. Usyk prevented a follow-up attack by pivoting out to change the angle, manoeuvring with the lead hand to distract Gassiev and prevent the Russian from throwing whilst he exited. For much of the fight, Gassiev failed to land anything of note, but even when he did, Usyk limited him to one-shot success through well-timed, regimented movement. Simply put, Usyk would never be in one position long enough for Gassiev to get any consistent offense going.

Round 9

By the last quarter, Gassiev needed a knockout to turn the fight around, and pressured with a little more urgency in the ninth. However, the Russian had been demoralized and resorted to following Usyk rather than attempting to cut off the ring.

Here’s another instance of Usyk manoeuvring with the lead hand to distract Gassiev and prevent the Russian from throwing whilst he pivoted out. Furthermore, Usyk’s lead hand served to drag down Gassiev’s guard for the follow-up jab, which Usyk continued to pop the Russian with after landing the outside pivot.

After Gassiev had dropped the shoulder for an overhand, but fallen short, Usyk took advantage of the Russian’s lowered head by lifting it with a rear uppercut, which set up the subsequent right hook and ensuing combination.

At the end of the ninth, with Gassiev looking more and more desperate, Usyk’s pawing jab kept the advancing pressure fighter at bay whilst lining up the rear uppercut. Gassiev’s earmuff defense and tendency to dip before throwing (looking to load up at the hip) left him vulnerable to Usyk’s uppercut.

Round 10

In spite of Gassiev’s competitive start, the fight became a showcase of Usyk’s ability down the stretch. 

More excellent combination punching from Usyk, using the double jab to obscure Gassiev’s vision and keep him contained whilst lining up the left uppercut, which in turn set up the right hook.

In the tenth round, Gassiev landed a left hook in the midst of Usyk’s outside pivot. Immediately after landing the pivot, Usyk answered with an authoritative combination to suppress Gassiev from surging late. Usyk refused to let anything go, and would often finish a combination with the jab to re-establish distance and reset.

Round 11

Usyk’s punch output exceeded 100 in both the eleventh and twelfth. Through fighting relaxed and rarely loading up, on top of being insanely well-conditioned and pacing himself intelligently from the off, Usyk can throw in volume for the duration of a championship contest.

Although a very good body puncher, which he showed against Briedis, Hunter and Bellew, Usyk smartly didn’t commit to the body against Gassiev. In a similar vein to Gennadiy Golovkin against Canelo Álvarez, Usyk refrained from a consistent body attack because of the threat of Gassiev’s formidable counter-uppercut. Usyk’s positioning and shot selection therefore neutralised a key punch in Gassiev’s arsenal. Once the Ukrainian had Gassiev disarmed and disheartened, he began throwing to the body with greater regularity to slow the Russian down. In the second part of the above clip, you'll notice the counter-left hand I mentioned earlier in the fight (making Gassiev’s right hand miss the target with a half-step back and inside pivot), although Usyk threw it more like a hook here.

Late in the fight, Usyk began throwing the check hook to meet the advancing Gassiev whilst pivoting away.

In a fight between a pressure fighter and a back-foot boxer, the latter will often get accused of ‘running’, but Usyk landed combination after combination within Gassiev’s punching range and initiated most of the action. He didn’t just win the jab battle at distance, but outfought Gassiev at mid-range, too. Here’s an example of Usyk getting the better of Gassiev in an exchange, where Gassiev frustratedly fired back, but Usyk diverted the shot before stamping authority with a jab to finish the exchange.

Round 12

Usyk finished like a champion in the final round, out-landing Gassiev 47-7 (statistically, Usyk’s best round of the fight). For anyone questioning Gassiev’s heart, the Russian gutted it out until the very end despite getting romped. Usyk put a bad beating on Murat in the twelfth — one not many would have endured and still pressed forward.

Usyk’s rat-a-tat volume punching suffocated Gassiev throughout the fight, but with the puncher’s threat mostly subdued, Usyk threw with more potency in the twelfth. Here, Usyk landed a standard double jab-cross-hook combination, but instead of merely halting Gassiev’s pressure, it pushed the Russian back.

I mentioned earlier in the fight that Gassiev resorted to following Usyk rather than attempting to cut off the ring, but Usyk’s footwork allowed him to control center ring and avoid getting backed up. Usyk clearly drilled supremely well for dealing with pressure, pivoting out whenever he got near the perimeter of the ring.

My favourite sequence of the fight: Usyk, fighting in away territory on the biggest stage in boxing, simply toying with an undefeated two-belt champion.

After the final bell sounded to spare Gassiev any further humiliation, Usyk got the unanimous decision in Moscow, with one judge scoring it a whitewash and the other two only giving Gassiev a single round. In victory, the Ukrainian phenom became the undisputed cruiserweight world champion (the first of the four-belt era) and the maiden winner of the prestigious Muhammad Ali Trophy. On top of that, Usyk’s conquest of the division, accompanied with the manner in which he conquered, elevated him to the top bracket of boxing’s mythical pound-for-pound list.

Many picked Usyk to win, some even predicted an emphatic win, but just about nobody in the sport could have predicted the sheer flawlessness of Usyk’s performance. Usyk made a very good, if not elite, fighter look comparatively ordinary in every aspect, and not many in history can claim that.