Usyk vs Wlad, Vitali, and Lennox?

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

Clinch Usyk lol

 

[r-harper-1]

Tone of your post seems to be that he'd be outclassed. Don't really agree. Pretty even vs the Klits, would give him about 25% vs Lewis.

Nostalgia bias is probably greater than recency bias when it comes to sport, imo.

5% against Lewis

 

[LEWIS540]

5% against Lewis

That's obviously ridiculously low. I'm a big LL fan, but he lost to worse fighters, and had competitive fights with others.

 

[Intermission]

Only Bruno couldn't maintain it and was knocked out. He lost and that's all that matters. I rate the 80s heavyweights but history doesn't. They're regarded as one of the weakest eras ever. One boxing historian recently rated them barely within the Top 10. I disagree but opinions vary. It's impossible to compare eras but we can still look at the 90s. Today we have a cruiserweight that's heavyweight champ but back then we had a blown-up light heavyweight (Moorer) and a cruiserweight champ (Holyfield) at the top of the pile. Oh, and a 45 year old Foreman. Yet, the 90s are considered to be the second strongest heavyweight era in history.

They werent fantastic in the 80s, but aside from the 60s and 70s I don't know which other era is supposedly better... They were pretty bad in the 50s.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

They werent fantastic in the 80s, but aside from the 60s and 70s I don't know which other era is supposedly better... They were pretty bad in the 50s.

The 80s were plagued by drug use and laziness. I still think there was enough talent around for the era to rate higher than it does but I'm in the minority. The 50s generally aren't that well-regarded either though it hasn't stopped historians from rating Marciano highly. He's universally considered a Top 10 ATG. Part of that is because he was the only heavyweight champ in history to retire on top and undefeated.

 

[r-harper-1]

That's obviously ridiculously low. I'm a big LL fan, but he lost to worse fighters, and had competitive fights with others.

The worst fighters he lost to were huge one punch knockout punches , when he wasn’t motivated….. Usyk would have to outpoint Lewis and that’s highly unlikely

 

[LEWIS540]

The worst fighters he lost to were huge one punch knockout punches , when he wasn’t motivated….. Usyk would have to outpoint Lewis and that’s highly unlikely

Ah, the “he only lost because he was unmotivated” excuse.

Either way, pretty ridiculous to think Usyk only would have a 5% chance, imo, and I’d give LL at least 50% against every HW ever.

McCall and Rahman could crack for sure (like almost all HWs) but not sure either are particularly known as “huge one punch knockout punches”???? Maybe I’m wrong.

 

[r-harper-1]

Wlad would've been the easiest match-up of those three. He was always chinny, had already lost to an awkward southpaw in Sanders, and he wouldn't have been able to jab & grab against Usyk. Usyk's mobility & speed alone would've caused Wlad a lot of problems.

Chris Byrd had more success against Vitali

 

[r-harper-1]

It's strange that he holds Usyk's first real heavyweight fight against him (excluding Witherspoon who was a walkover), when he hadn't even acclimated to the weight class yet, while simultaneously ignoring the knockout losses that both Wlad & Lewis suffered against journeymen.

Usyk isn’t anywhere near the class of Lewis

 

[r-harper-1]

The cruiserweight division was at its peak when Usyk ruled it. Heavyweight? I agree I think it's weak but that's debatable. Here's a recently published BoxingScene article that already rates the 2020s Top 5 all-time (#4) and this decade is only halfway through.

Ranking the decades in heavyweight boxing

2020’s heavyweights were and are shit

 

[Blastbeat]

2020’s heavyweights were and are shit

then go win a belt if theyre so bad

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

2020’s heavyweights were and are shit

We're only halfway done with this decade. With talented fighters like Itauma, Jalolov, Bakole, etc coming through this is too premature to say.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

Chris Byrd had more success against Vitali

Ok

Usyk isn’t anywhere near the class of Lewis

Lewis himself rates Usyk highly. So does Holyfield.

 

[djacobox372]

Styles make fights. Besides, all 3 of those guys lost to worse fighters than AJ & Fury.

Not fair to count getting caught against a big puncher, that can happen to anyone.

As for Vitali vs. Byrd.... and to your point that styles make fights... Byrd is a tougher style for Vitali than Usyk. Usyk is more hittable.

 

[treelo]

i am maybe the biggest fanboy of Lewis ever, but calling McCall a "big puncher" is stretching things a little bit

Usyk v Lewis would be close, Lewis struggled against smaller fighters who could box a bit

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

Not fair to count getting caught against a big puncher, that can happen to anyone.

As for Vitali vs. Byrd.... and to your point that styles make fights... Byrd is a tougher style for Vitali than Usyk. Usyk is more hittable.

It's fair considering it happened twice. I wouldn't consider McCall a big puncher. Team Lewis knew about Rahman's right hand going into the fight but he still kept dropping his left hand in the fight. I don't believe that Byrd would've been a tougher fight for Vitali than Usyk. Usyk has never lost as a pro and there was already a blueprint to beat Byrd by the time Vitali fought him. More hittable? At heavyweight Usyk is averaging 20% of his opponents' total punches. That's how good his defense is and this is a guy that actually walks people down.

 

[Intermission]

The 80s were plagued by drug use and laziness. I still think there was enough talent around for the era to rate higher than it does but I'm in the minority.

Not a lot of Charles Martins in the 80s...

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

Not a lot of Charles Martins in the 80s...

Charles Martin was only ever a paper champ. He's never been taken seriously even today. The guy won the vacant IBF title after Glazkov got injured in the ring. It was a freakish leg injury.

 

[Intermission]

Charles Martin was only ever a paper champ. He's never been taken seriously even today. The guy won the vacant IBF title after Glazkov got injured in the ring. It was a freakish leg injury.

Champion or not, nobody televised was even close to that bad.

 

[Intermission]

It's fair considering it happened twice. I wouldn't consider McCall a big puncher. Team Lewis knew about Rahman's right hand going into the fight but he still kept dropping his left hand in the fight. I don't believe that Byrd would've been a tougher fight for Vitali than Usyk. Usyk has never lost as a pro and there was already a blueprint to beat Byrd by the time Vitali fought him. More hittable? At heavyweight Usyk is averaging 20% of his opponents' total punches. That's how good his defense is and this is a guy that actually walks people down.

Usyks main strength is timing. Theres nothing special about anything he does, but I guess thats the mastery, he doesnt telegraph.