However, he avenged that loss less than a year later on his march back towards a world title shot.
Beating Wallin will put him in a great position, but his hopes could be brought crashing down if the winner of Fury vs Wilder arranges to unify all world heavyweight titles against Usyk within 30 days.
Whether either fighter would be up for it remains to be seen after Usyk put on a clinic to claim a unanimous decision victory over AJ in September.
Ultimately, the WBC’s decision makes the heavyweight landscape even more complicated, particularly for mega-fights like Fury vs Joshua which many have spent years calling for.
That particular fight now looks to be getting further away, although the general picture in the division should become clearer after October’s high-profile contests.