jamesmcdonnell wrote: ↑20 May 2024, 08:16
Just saw the video of Usyk talking about his father - not afraid to cry - a real man, hard as nails, but able to display emotion without shame.
It's so hard not to like Usyk, he seems to be a genuinely good guy.
Indeed. Funny, self effacing, modest, wise, no apparent PED murkiness and utterly badass.
Usyk is a boxing great. Even by giving away huge physical advantages he has managed to win.
It's been said for quite a few years that past heavyweights, especially those prior to Lennox Lewis, wouldn't be big enough to beat today's giant heavyweights .. Usyk has proved that to be untrue by beating the biggest of the lot.
Lennox Lewis consistently favoured Fury to win, citing the adage 'a good big one always beats a good little one's. But didn't seem to consider a different outcome when a good big one fights a great little one.
i'd say fury was the closest, but there were a lot of similarities with fury and the aj rematch. in the same realm of competiveness
id rate them as tougher than breidis because usyk had bigger issues to overcome middle/mid-late into those fights. vs breidis, he was pushed throughout, but had a bit more breathing room and control over things when MB put up his big last round challenge. i thought usyk won more comfortably than the cards in that too, that seems to be a common thing in his fights - fury, aj 2, breidis, chisora
margaret thatcher wrote: ↑20 May 2024, 15:41
i'd say fury was the closest, but there were a lot of similarities with fury and the aj rematch. in the same realm of competiveness
id rate them as tougher than breidis because usyk had bigger issues to overcome middle/mid-late into those fights. vs breidis, he was pushed throughout, but had a bit more breathing room and control over things when MB put up his big last round challenge. i thought usyk won more comfortably than the cards in that too, that seems to be a common thing in his fights - fury, aj 2, breidis, chisora
He's always the away fighter and he rarely completely dominates rounds so he often leaks rounds on the judges cards.
What makes me appreciate him a little more is how well he dealt with all the bias against him.
In the media it was always the Fury and AJ show. They didn't notice that there was an olympic medalist in the backdrop with a meticulous plan to beat both of them.
In the Chisora fight, the ring size was tiny to give Chisora the advantage. Supposedly Usyk said that he planned to beat Chisora but in not a too dominant fashion to draw the Joshua fight. So imagine having to fight a massive heavyweight in a tiny ring, but having to be careful not to beat him up too much.
Little glossed over fact as well is he also beat Joye Joyce in 2013 in a fight without headgear. Not on their records but its on youtube.
Fury knew he was a problem and hoped one of the other lions (Joshua, Dubious) would take him out.
Remarkable career. He's faced a truly unique set of challenges to get to where he is. At cruiserweight he just straight-up out classed everyone. But moving to heavyweight it wasn't as simple; for Usyk it was the land of the giants and every fight he's been at a serious disadvantage in many physical aspects such as weight, height, reach & punching power. But he's navigated those incredibly dangerous waters as a smaller man plying a more technical trade. It's great for boxing, to see a supreme pugilist take the HW crown.
Ricky wrote: ↑20 May 2024, 17:10
Remarkable career. He's faced a truly unique set of challenges to get to where he is. At cruiserweight he just straight-up out classed everyone. But moving to heavyweight it wasn't as simple; for Usyk it was the land of the giants and every fight he's been at a serious disadvantage in many physical aspects such as weight, height, reach & punching power. But he's navigated those incredibly dangerous waters as a smaller man plying a more technical trade. It's great for boxing, to see a supreme pugilist take the HW crown.
jamesmcdonnell wrote: ↑20 May 2024, 17:19
I have to say, witnessing the fight this last weekend, has really reignited my faith in the greatness of boxing.
I was a really classic fight, and I feel priviledged to have been around to witness Usyk's ascention into the pantheon.
Even if he loses a rematch - his legacy is set.
makes you feel old doesn't it,watching Mike Tyson from day one and 20 plus years past his prime we watch Usyk coming towards the end of his career too
jamesmcdonnell wrote: ↑20 May 2024, 17:19
I have to say, witnessing the fight this last weekend, has really reignited my faith in the greatness of boxing.
I was a really classic fight, and I feel priviledged to have been around to witness Usyk's ascention into the pantheon.
for me, the greatest fighter in the game. his brilliance was clear for a very long time, to beat the Polish world title holder in Poland despite having few pro fights; winning the cruiserweight tournament in a stacked division (very good fight vs Breidis, masterclass vs Gassiev); constantly beating world class fighters in their backyards; then to adapt his style and physique to heavyweight, and deliver twice against a much bigger man , Joshua. This, around the same time the heralded Lomachenko was going up in weight and struggling against people a little taller than him.
Usyk is genuine and his achievements are not blighted by corporate matchmaking or A side demands.
Usyk just won't allow anything to come between himself and his goal. And, after we've seen so many good cruiserweights fail as heavyweights, to become the best thing since Evander Holyfield.
I guess the one thing we haven't quite seen yet with Usyk is a great rivalry. Maybe if a Fury rematch delivers or exceeds the first fight, he'll have that as well.