Oleksandr Usyk vs Roy Jones Jr. (Cruiserweight)

[EdwardRevolver1993]

Inspired by Jones,' recent interview, that made headlines - where RJ said he'd have beaten Usyk in his prime.

Let's Invision the scenario: Jones maintains the same weight and conditions he had in the Ruiz fight (193lbs), but makes Usyk drain to 199-200lbs (which could be a big thing for Usyk of today, who's now usually 225+lbs).

However, Usyk does the old-school move and agrees to this clause. And they end up fighting literally at cruiserweight.

Is Usyk (handicapped by the weight drain) still gonna be too much for Roy? Or the prime Roy always would have the chance?

[Cent0089]

After some competetive and entertaining rounds, Usyk will catch Jones and stop him IMO.

[keithmoonhangover]

Usyk via close points decision.

[scorpio83]

Usyk by decision in a hard fought battle.

[Seamus]

Close till the championship rounds when Usyk scores a knockout.

[Jeff_lacy_ko]

Roy
Too fast

[EdwardRevolver1993]

Roy
Too fast

Do you think he's significantly faster than Usyk? I don't think so.

[Bobbyptsd]

How drained is Usyk by this? If it's a factor, I could see it being a peck here, a peck there each guy trying to out speed/angle the other in spots, with RJ doing enough to take it.
If Usyk handles the weight issue well, I think he either catches Jones later in the fight and stops him or wins a clear decision when RJ is forced to back off a bit and can't land enough of anything meaningful.

[gilgamesh]

What's Roy's record as a Cruiserweight?

[Bobbyptsd]

Quickly glancing at his record, something like 10-4
The Green fight was above the light heavy limit, but they both weighed like 179
I'm not counting the Ruiz fight there though, Roy essentially being a cw for it.

[Bobbyptsd]

Of course if you just meant in terms of quality, not a whole heck of a lot.

[giacomino]

Not really informative to look at how Jones did as a cruiser weight considering he was well into his rapid decline in his mid-30s (or later) when he fought as a cruiser weight. We tend to remember how chinny and shot he was in the last few years, so yes, Usyk in Jones’ declining years might very well have KO’d him fairly easily. Jones at, say 32, moving up to fight Usyk and I would pick Jones by UD in a good fight. Fighter age differently: Jones was an old 34 when he fought Tarver the first time. Uysk was slapping around Joshua at 34 and I haven’t seen any signs of aging yet. You never know when a good fighter will go to seed

[EdwardRevolver1993]

Not really informative to look at how Jones did as a cruiser weight considering he was well into his rapid decline in his mid-30s (or later) when he fought as a cruiser weight. We tend to remember how chinny and shot he was in the last few years, so yes, Usyk in Jones’ declining years might very well have KO’d him fairly easily. Jones at, say 32, moving up to fight Usyk and I would pick Jones by UD in a good fight. Fighter age differently: Jones was an old 34 when he fought Tarver the first time. Uysk was slapping around Joshua at 34 and I haven’t seen any signs of aging yet. You never know when a good fighter will go to seed

When I was creating a thread, I meant Jones from the Ruiz fight (who was literally a cruiserweight, at 193lbs). I offered the scenario where Usyk is made to drain, in order to make it more competitive and to put the bigger man into a somewhat complicated situation.

However, we can consider a different scenario where we just take cruiserweight version of Usyk (say, from the Gassiev fight) and match him against Jones from the Ruiz fight.

[goose 5]

Usyk dominates Jones for a clear decision.

[Jeff_lacy_ko]

Roy
Too fast

Do you think he's significantly faster than Usyk? I don't think so.

Yes. He is significantly faster than any fighter ive ever seen at these weights

[Jeff_lacy_ko]

Usyk has never been at a speed deficit. Foot speed is roy, hand speed is roy.

Usyk is much better at hw than cw because of his speed advantage . Hunter, bellew, briedis were all competitive with him.

[margaret thatcher]

and how does this one go at heavy? would anything change compared to a cruiser fight between them?

[giacomino]

Not really informative to look at how Jones did as a cruiser weight considering he was well into his rapid decline in his mid-30s (or later) when he fought as a cruiser weight. We tend to remember how chinny and shot he was in the last few years, so yes, Usyk in Jones’ declining years might very well have KO’d him fairly easily. Jones at, say 32, moving up to fight Usyk and I would pick Jones by UD in a good fight. Fighter age differently: Jones was an old 34 when he fought Tarver the first time. Uysk was slapping around Joshua at 34 and I haven’t seen any signs of aging yet. You never know when a good fighter will go to seed

When I was creating a thread, I meant Jones from the Ruiz fight (who was literally a cruiserweight, at 193lbs). I offered the scenario where Usyk is made to drain, in order to make it more competitive and to put the bigger man into a somewhat complicated situation.

However, we can consider a different scenario where we just take cruiserweight version of Usyk (say, from the Gassiev fight) and match him against Jones from the Ruiz fight.

Makes sense,. That was the last good fight Jones fought. I think if they were made to come in at comparable weights it would have been close, probably a close jones win. After that point I would take Usyk likely at any rate

[gilgamesh]

I can't see this fight in my mind as anything other than Roy being a shot version of himself because that's all he ever was as a Cruiserweight.

So we have a Prime Cruiserweight Champion who's soon going to be Undisputed Heavyweight Champion up against a Shot Legend who used to be good in this matchup.

It goes the way you'd think it would. Usyk wins by KO in 3 or 4 one sided rounds.

If we're going under the hypothetical that Roy somehow competed at Cruiserweight before he ever actually did, and is still in fine form. Then he'd give Usyk all the fight he wants, and it'd be a close decision that could go either way.

[Jeff_lacy_ko]

I can't see this fight in my mind as anything other than Roy being a shot version of himself because that's all he ever was as a Cruiserweight.

So we have a Prime Cruiserweight Champion who's soon going to be Undisputed Heavyweight Champion up against a Shot Legend who used to be good in this matchup.

It goes the way you'd think it would. Usyk wins by KO in 3 or 4 one sided rounds.

If we're going under the hypothetical that Roy somehow competed at Cruiserweight before he ever actually did, and is still in fine form. Then he'd give Usyk all the fight he wants, and it'd be a close decision that could go either way.

Roy was a cw when he fought ruiz. Im using that version in my mind

[gilgamesh]

I can't see this fight in my mind as anything other than Roy being a shot version of himself because that's all he ever was as a Cruiserweight.

So we have a Prime Cruiserweight Champion who's soon going to be Undisputed Heavyweight Champion up against a Shot Legend who used to be good in this matchup.

It goes the way you'd think it would. Usyk wins by KO in 3 or 4 one sided rounds.

If we're going under the hypothetical that Roy somehow competed at Cruiserweight before he ever actually did, and is still in fine form. Then he'd give Usyk all the fight he wants, and it'd be a close decision that could go either way.

Roy was a cw when he fought ruiz. Im using that version in my mind

That'd be the only one you could use who would be competitive. I think Usyk would win pretty clearly in that fight. Roy's speed advantage which he's gonna desperately need in this matchup isn't gonna be there for the whole fight at Cruiserweight. It may be there in the early going, but it won't be there as the fight goes on, and they start feeling the pace.

[GordonChen]

Usyk by decision