BoxRec

I was wondering this ever since Usyk said he was moving up to heavyweight. is he able to put on more muscle, get into that 230/240lb+ group? he's 6ft3, which isn't short. Or is his body just naturally smaller/narrower than the big, big guys? Would he lose his balance and speed if he did get bigger ? I've seen people get big over a year or so, but i guess not boxers so much.

He won the Chisora fight but the first few rounds he looked like someone from the crowd thrown into the ring, trying to run away. Can't help but think he won't be taking body shots well from the top, top big guys.

So many questions

And I see his amateur fight against Joyce years ago

Let's look at the biggest step up success story, Holyfield.
Holyfield was unbeatable as a Cruiser and while he did
great things at heavy he also lost 10 times & drew twice.
Usyk in my opinion is good but he ain't no Holyfield.
Does this mean Usyk couldn't pick up a belt that somebody
leaves laying around. Sure.
But the odds of him gaining 30 lbs and being dominant
are really long.
More likely he'll do about as good as Haye.

Can he? Yes

Should he? No

Of course, he can, but he shouldn't do it, because he has a fitting shape for his anthropometrics.

His style wouldn't suit carrying much more weight. He's also already injury prone, so I fear if he packs the muscle mass on, his joints and tendons wouldn't be able to keep up and he'd turn into David Haye MK2.

golden_balls wrote: ↑19 Jan 2021, 17:02 I was wondering this ever since Usyk said he was moving up to heavyweight. is he able to put on more muscle, get into that 230/240lb+ group? he's 6ft3, which isn't short. Or is his body just naturally smaller/narrower than the big, big guys? Would he lose his balance and speed if he did get bigger ? I've seen people get big over a year or so, but i guess not boxers so much.

A 6' 3" boxer doesn't need to be anywhere near 240lb, unless they happen to be naturally build like that.

how do we know who is naturally built like that with the invisible elephant that is performance-enhancing drugs?

His legs and stamina are his biggest advantages vs the monsters. He should stay light.

DrDuke wrote: ↑20 Jan 2021, 02:56 Of course, he can, but he shouldn't do it, because he has a fitting shape for his anthropometrics.

Absolutely. Some have the kind of build you can comfortably pack weight onto (e.g. Holyfield, Hearns), others are basically exactly what they should be. Usyk is the latter.

emallini wrote: ↑20 Jan 2021, 17:14 His legs and stamina are his biggest advantages vs the monsters. He should stay light.

Agreed.