• Xenforo Cloud has scheduled an upgrade to XenForo version 2.2.16. This will take place on or shortly after the following date and time: Jul 05, 2024 at 05:00 PM (PT) There shouldn't be any downtime, as it's just a maintenance release. More info here

Where would you rate Usyk in the top 10 of all time Heavyweight boxers.

No, Usyk doesn't rate in the heavyweight Top 10 all-time on my list. He has a shortage of fights at heavyweight. A half-dozen wins isn't a large enough body of work even if he did beat the two biggest marquee names of the current heavyweight era. There's no catching up at this point. He's too old and inactive fighting only once per year.
 
Wlad & Vitali Klitschko also don't rate in the all-time heavyweight Top 10. The former made a lot of title defenses and had good longevity but lacked signature wins. On some lists, like The Ring's, Holyfield & Lennox Lewis don't even rate in the Top 10. On others they do. It depends on the criteria and who is rating them. Historians, media members and fans can all have wildly different lists.
 
As a HW he doesnt compare to them because half his career was in the amateurs and even in his pro career half of it was at cruiserweight. But as an overall boxer I'm not sure you could rate many HWs above him. Ali, Holifield, and ... thats it?
 
BusterKeaton said:
I wont make my own list quite yet but I'm sure this was already discussed anyone want to take a stab. does he crack the top 10?
Click to expand...

He's not "the" most accomplished HW ever. (He's 37 already...he's never going to defend his titles as many times as Holmes, Klitschko or Joe Louis)

However, he should be part of boxing's P4P best ever list. (In other words, with the likes of Pacquiao, Mayweather, Ali, Cesar Chavez, Duran, Roy Jones Jr etc...)

I don't think it would be an exageration.

Let's see:
- Undisputed HW + Cruiser (like Holyfield)

- X2 Lineal champion (HW + Cruiser)

- X3 Gold champion.
( world + euro + Olympic gold medalist)

- Won X2 Ring Magazine (for heavy + Cruiser)

- Won the Muhammad Ali Trophy.
(there have been 5 boxers who have won the Muhammad Ali Trophy in the World Boxing Super Series tournament so far. Inoue, Briedis, Taylor, Smith, Usyk).

- He's a "road warrior" (having not fought in Ukraine since his ninth professional fight. Usyk has never fought for a world title in his home country.)

- won the undisputed cruiserweight championship in just his 15th professional fight..

- Usyk is also the first male boxer to win World and Olympic titles as an amateur and then go on to become an undisputed champion in a weight class as a professional.
 
Doctor Grudge said:
P4P, I don't think there are 10 heavyweights better than Usyk, but strictly HW, I doubt he has done enough to make the top ten.
Click to expand...

It's his combined resume at HW and CW that makes him an all time great. He's by no means an all time great heavyweight, but an all time great boxer? Very possibly. His wins over Briedis, Gassiev, Glowacki and Bellew were really solid. And how you want to rate his weird win over Joe Joyce in the world league. But regardless, his record is a little thin in terms of actually competing since he didn't go pro until what, 26? And he hasn't been that active fighting 4 times in the last 4 years. Realistically he beats Fury a 2nd time and just retires, he has an argument to be in like top 20-30 all time lists after that but it really depends on how you look at it, still not a top 10 HW.

Question is what else can he even do? If Hrgovic vs Joshua actually happens and Hrgovic wins, does he fight him? Does he face the winner of Zhang vs Wilder? None of these feel like huge fights. If Usyk had the 5+ years of extra pro time, who knows.
 
totoro mick b said:
He's not "the" most accomplished HW ever. (He's 37 already...he's never going to defend his titles as many times as Holmes, Klitschko or Joe Louis)

However, he should be part of boxing's P4P best ever list. (In other words, with the likes of Pacquiao, Mayweather, Ali, Cesar Chavez, Duran, Roy Jones Jr etc...)

I don't think it would be an exageration.

Let's see:
- Undisputed HW + Cruiser (like Holyfield)

- X2 Lineal champion (HW + Cruiser)

- X3 Gold champion.
( world + euro + Olympic gold medalist)

- Won X2 Ring Magazine (for heavy + Cruiser)

- Won the Muhammad Ali Trophy.
(there have been 5 boxers who have won the Muhammad Ali Trophy in the World Boxing Super Series tournament so far. Inoue, Briedis, Taylor, Smith, Usyk).

- He's a "road warrior" (having not fought in Ukraine since his ninth professional fight. Usyk has never fought for a world title in his home country.)

- won the undisputed cruiserweight championship in just his 15th professional fight..

- Usyk is also the first male boxer to win World and Olympic titles as an amateur and then go on to become an undisputed champion in a weight class as a professional.
Click to expand...

A Generational fighter and one of the best to have ever laced up a pair of gloves
 
Honorable mention.

He has cemented himself as the best of his generation, unified in 2 weight classes, unblemished pro record.

But his quality> quantity approach leaves him a bit short of the type of statistical accomplishments generally expected of top 10 of all time HW status.
 
Last edited:
totoro mick b said:
He's not "the" most accomplished HW ever. (He's 37 already...he's never going to defend his titles as many times as Holmes, Klitschko or Joe Louis)

However, he should be part of boxing's P4P best ever list. (In other words, with the likes of Pacquiao, Mayweather, Ali, Cesar Chavez, Duran, Roy Jones Jr etc...)

I don't think it would be an exageration.

Let's see:
- Undisputed HW + Cruiser (like Holyfield)

- X2 Lineal champion (HW + Cruiser)

- X3 Gold champion.
( world + euro + Olympic gold medalist)

- Won X2 Ring Magazine (for heavy + Cruiser)

- Won the Muhammad Ali Trophy.
(there have been 5 boxers who have won the Muhammad Ali Trophy in the World Boxing Super Series tournament so far. Inoue, Briedis, Taylor, Smith, Usyk).

- He's a "road warrior" (having not fought in Ukraine since his ninth professional fight. Usyk has never fought for a world title in his home country.)

- won the undisputed cruiserweight championship in just his 15th professional fight..

- Usyk is also the first male boxer to win World and Olympic titles as an amateur and then go on to become an undisputed champion in a weight class as a professional.
Click to expand...
He's not one of the best ever.
Just doesnt have enough fights to say that.
 
jeff7b9 said:
Honorable mention.

He has cemented himself as the best of his generation, unified in 2 weight classes, unblemished pro record.

But his quality> quantity approach leaves him a bit short of the type of statistical accomplishments generally expected of top 10 of all time HW status.
Click to expand...
I think you can argue, if he wins the rematch against Fury, that he was the best HW post Klitschko.
 
Doctor Grudge said:
P4P, I don't think there are 10 heavyweights better than Usyk, but strictly HW, I doubt he has done enough to make the top ten.
Click to expand...
P4P is different. Usyk would make that Top 10 all-time list quite easily. In that context there was Roy Jones Jr. who won a heavyweight title (John Ruiz or not), Holyfield, Haye, Bob Fitzsimmons, Mike Tyson (formerly rated P4P #1 by The Ring), Michael Spinks, and so on. A couple of those guys started at middleweight and won heavyweight world titles.
 
Mujeriego said:
He's not one of the best ever.
Just doesnt have enough fights to say that.
Click to expand...
At cruiserweight he is and in the P4P sense. He established himself as arguably the top cruiser of all-time in less than 20 pro fights. If he retired today he'd be a 1st ballot HOFer and only the second heavyweight in history to retire as undefeated heavyweight champ. Inoue only has 5 more pro fights than he does but a lot more world title fights.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,240,568
Messages
55,703,396
Members
174,904
Latest member
romanych

Share this page

Back
Top