BoxRec

"Heavyweight danger Oleksandr Usyk beefs up further ahead of title shot"



Ukrainian superstar Oleksandr Usyk has settled into life as a heavyweight two and a half years after the former undisputed champion moved up in weight.

Usyk, 34, looks far beefier than he did even a few months ago as the one-time World Boxing Super Series winner prepares for a world title shot.

The number one contender and mandatory challenger with the World Boxing Organization, Usyk is ready for his opportunity. He’s also rated highly with the other sanctioning bodies.

But it’s the WBO where Usyk is pinning all his hopes at the moment. President Paco Valcarcel has promised the former 200-pound ruler his chance.

The only situation stopping Usyk from facing Anthony Joshua is the Tyson Fury fight. As WBN has reported on many occasions in the past, an undisputed fight overrules a mandatory.

Therefore, Usyk has to wait until Fury and Joshua settle their differences, although he is irked because the pair of Brits want a two-fight saga.

This turn of events means Mr. ‘I am Feel’ will be forced to hang around until 2022.

So, what are Usyk’s options at present? – Well, the obvious one would be a clash for the interim WBO heavyweight championship against Joe Joyce.

Joyce is the next in line after his win over Daniel Dubois. The only problem is that the WBO rarely sanctions an interim title fight unless completely necessary.

In this case, it seems that Usyk vs. Joyce would warrant that scenario, so the winner stays on course to possibly defend the belt before tackling Fury or Joshua.

However, no matter what happens, Usyk is ready, judging by his latest social media post. His body is becoming more tuned into the heavyweight ranks the more time that passes.

There’s no doubt he has the skills. It’s just whether the champions are too big and powerful for Usyk when it comes to the crunch.

Unlike the past, when David Haye, Evander Holyfield, and Roy Jones Jr. were all able to move up in weight and compete with the big boys, the top division’s best are more like super-heavyweights these days.

They weigh 250 pounds plus in many cases. Usyk scaled 217 pounds despite beating the much bigger Derek Chisora last time out.

If he can pack more muscle on to deal with the sheer strength of Fury and Joshua, Usyk has a chance against anyone.

He’s that good. He has more time due to the Fury vs. Joshua situation to see through the Joyce fight. Who knows, a defense against Deontay Wilder could follow.

Thoughts?

People might disagree with me, but if Usyk really has gained weight (since photos can be misleading), it’ll adversely affect some of his strengths, such as movement and work rate.

And packing on muscle onto a naturally smaller physique, generally slows fighters down and also causes them to gas out earlier.

I can’t recall an occasion whereby a small guy fighting “BIG” has resulted in said fighter punching harder. I don’t think it’s ever happened. (unless your name is Manny Pacquiao – who frequently refused to undergo random unannounced PED testing, but I digress).

Anyway, as marvellous as Usyk is, the US-based Ukraine does lose rounds on the scorecards (i.e. 5 to Breidis, 4 to Hunter, 4 to Bellew and 4 to Chisora).

So as you can clearly see, the margin between success and failure (in certain cases) is relatively slim.

And Usyk only needs a slight dip in his performance levels, perhaps caused by needlessly carrying excess weight, to struggle to overcome borderline fringe contenders.

An ever so slightly slower less-busy iteration of Usyk, due to being a little bit bulkier, would very likely suffer defeats against today’s top-five heavyweights.

Adding excessive bulk probably ain't a good idea for Usyk, but as long as he stays under 230 pounds I don't think it'll adversely affect him too severely.

how would bulking up impact his sexiness rating compared to billy joe saunders and andy ruiz?

It will slow him down, it will probably affect his workfare and stamina, however, it may add a little more punching power and punch resistance, which were probably two things that he struggled with the most against Chisora. It's finding the right balance against the right opponent I guess. He'll probably need to fluctuate his weight quite a bit depending on his game plan going forward.

i dont know how naturaly big usyk is but bulking is tough on the body i lift weights so you bulk in the winter put on weight once a year when i was 28 younger than ruiz i did a mass bulk 12st 7 80kg to 14 st 9pounds 94kg 3 months 5500 cal a day . i got shin splints from running body felt slow and sluggish walking upstairs was work and iam fit wasnt enjoying food body felt heavy , but i felt strong powerfull plus side , maybe he should get advice from fighters like haye

Disagree with EO completely. It’s absolutely imperative that Usyk bulk up and add some muscle mass AND strength. If he’s struggling against Chisora then his chances vs the elite aren’t very good. I’d say nil. 7- 10 lbs of muscle could very well lead him to the promised land and not hinder his speed, movement, volume or endurance. If you don’t think adding muscle mass increases pop and punch resistance then you’ve missed the past 35 yrs of the sport. Pac is the ONLY fighter you can name that punched harder once he bulked up? How bout the guy that flattened him in JMM or this guy named Canelo? Or the names mentioned in the 1st post of the thread....Haye, Holy, RJ, along with Michael Spinks, Toney, Arce, Vinnie Pazienza, Liam Williams, Oscar Valdez, Estrada, Countless others but that’s what I came up with on short notice Most if not all, are suspected of using less than legal means to enhance their physicality but none would have been as successful at higher weights without the weight training regiments they all went through. Despite the long held myth, punching power, and punch resistance can and is often improved with proper strength training.

Romi wrote: ↑23 Apr 2021, 04:47 Disagree with EO completely. It’s absolutely imperative that Usyk bulk up and add some muscle mass AND strength. If he’s struggling against Chisora then his chances vs the elite aren’t very good. I’d say nil. 7- 10 lbs of muscle could very well lead him to the promised land and not hinder his speed, movement, volume or endurance. If you don’t think adding muscle mass increases pop and punch resistance then you’ve missed the past 35 yrs of the sport. Pac is the ONLY fighter you can name that punched harder once he bulked up? How bout the guy that flattened him in JMM or this guy named Canelo? Or the names mentioned in the 1st post of the thread....Haye, Holy, RJ, along with Michael Spinks, Toney, Arce, Vinnie Pazienza, Liam Williams, Oscar Valdez, Estrada, Countless others but that’s what I came up with on short notice Most if not all, are suspected of using less than legal means to enhance their physicality but none would have been as successful at higher weights without the weight training regiments they all went through. Despite the long held myth, punching power, and punch resistance can and is often improved with proper strength training.

Males tend to continue “growing” (not necessarily in height) until they’re in their mid-to-late twenties.

So it’s inevitable that a really young fighter will initially compete in a lower weight class than what will eventually become their natural habitat (when they've fully-matured).

However, that’s unrelated to the point I previously conveyed.

I actually said that packing on muscle onto a naturally smaller physique, generally slows fighters down and also causes them to gas out earlier (especially if you’re approaching 34½ years of age like Usyk).

And I also said that I couldn’t recall the name of any small-framed fighter, other than Pacquiao, becoming a bigger puncher due to them fighting “BIG”.

So it’s clear my comments were specifically targeted towards fighters operating outside their physical comfort zone.

All the names you’ve listed have a lower knockout ratio whilst competing in weight classes above their natural physical habitat. It’s statistical reality.

For instance, you mentioned Roy Jones Jr. He only KO’d five opponents before the scheduled halfway mark of bouts, during the course of all 26 of his light heavyweight fights (or 4 of 16 bouts, if you only wanted to consider his resume prior to the first Tarver loss).

In stark contrast, Jones Jr. stopped 23 opponents in six rounds or less (during 32 bouts), when he weighed between 157lbs and 168lbs.

Even if you wanted to move the proverbial “goalposts” of the analysis, by limiting the scope to Roy’s world title fights, it’ll still result in the same statistical outcome.

The same principle applies to every single person you’ve named. Pacquiao really is the anomaly. And even if you could provide the names of couple of other fighters, no one should pretend rare exceptions undermine the general rule.

For sure, if we’re getting technical, a person that naturally weighs 140lbs will likely gain lower scores if their blows were measured using an arcade punching machine, than if they were 14lbs heavier.

But the overall effectiveness of their punches would be proportionately and gradually weaker (when thrown at other human beings) as they artificially gained weight, whilst also fighting progressively bigger opponents.

And by the way, I’m not suggesting that small fighters can’t be successful against larger men, since there’s more to boxing than size or punching power.

Usyk will not face Joyce as he is not confident. He wants the big payday against AJ or Fury.

Holy smoke and mirrors Batman. EO, The Master Of illusion, resides in the Kingdom Of Splitting Hairs. I began to read your epic novel of a response but quite frankly, by the 1486th sentence, I got winded and a little weak in the knees. I simply didn’t have the strength to continue on. I suppose the only way I can prove my stance (with you) is to go on an intense multi week conditioning regiment to bulk up and build my strength, then come back, finish your novel and offer a proper response in the meantime, Godspeed to Usyk in his endeavor to compete with the cream of the crop

He took his T shirt off and he weighs over 200 lbs.
He won't beat Joshua or Fury though.

220 usyk is perfect. Hope he isn’t over that.

margaret thatcher wrote: ↑22 Apr 2021, 06:47 how would bulking up impact his sexiness rating compared to billy joe saunders and andy ruiz?

Better yet how do they all stack up with efe?

- Resident Enfrightened Sweetheart throbbing over what, 5lbs concentrated on the Usyk belly? Rather shamelessly unseemly yet again

It has been interesting seeing how the teachings of Poppa Loma transition into the HW division.
It does rely on fluid movement.
Add to that is Usyk being a slow starter, and coming on after 3-5 rounds.
So any weight gain that slows movement or affects stamina probably doesn't do Uysk any favours. Also adding weight in your 30's ain't the best time to do it.

Regarding EO's post, most fighters who move up will lose KO efficiencies merely because they are fighting bigger men. (Que long winded response.)

Romi wrote: ↑23 Apr 2021, 12:29 Holy smoke and mirrors Batman. EO, The Master Of illusion, resides in the Kingdom Of Splitting Hairs. I began to read your epic novel of a response but quite frankly, by the 1486th sentence, I got winded and a little weak in the knees. I simply didn’t have the strength to continue on. I suppose the only way I can prove my stance (with you) is to go on an intense multi week conditioning regiment to bulk up and build my strength, then come back, finish your novel and offer a proper response in the meantime, Godspeed to Usyk in his endeavor to compete with the cream of the crop

In my expert opinion the extra mass has made him much stronger. You can see clearly on the photos that he can now lift both arms up.

My T Sharp wrote: ↑25 Apr 2021, 17:25 In my expert opinion the extra mass has made him much stronger. You can see clearly on the photos that he can now lift both arms up.

agree, look at his face in the first picture too....obviously in misery and very unhappy just having to lift one arm

Enlightened-One wrote: ↑22 Apr 2021, 05:37 People might disagree with me, but if Usyk really has gained weight (since photos can be misleading), it’ll adversely affect some of his strengths, such as movement and work rate.

And packing on muscle onto a naturally smaller physique, generally slows fighters down and also causes them to gas out earlier.

I can’t recall an occasion whereby a small guy fighting “BIG” has resulted in said fighter punching harder. I don’t think it’s ever happened. (unless your name is Manny Pacquiao – who frequently refused to undergo random unannounced PED testing, but I digress).

Anyway, as marvellous as Usyk is, the US-based Ukraine does lose rounds on the scorecards (i.e. 5 to Breidis, 4 to Hunter, 4 to Bellew and 4 to Chisora).

So as you can clearly see, the margin between success and failure (in certain cases) is relatively slim.

And Usyk only needs a slight dip in his performance levels, perhaps caused by needlessly carrying excess weight, to struggle to overcome borderline fringe contenders.

An ever so slightly slower less-busy iteration of Usyk, due to being a little bit bulkier, would very likely suffer defeats against today’s top-five heavyweights.

What a moron. This anti Pac nonsense is nothing more than a witchhunt.

...comparing both photos, I for one don't see any difference, except that he's shorter in 2021..must be also part of his team strategy ..

Usyk urgently needs some special Mexican beef or the same 'training regime' that his great predecessor Evander Holyfield embarked upon on his road to heavyweight glory.

Boxing is a tough sport and you don't often see fighters defeating opponents who don't seem to be able to feel their punches.

It simply doesn't happen at heavyweight, and not very often anywhere else either.

Not unless your name is Sugar Ray Leonard and you happen to be the 'a side' against Marvin Hagler in Vegas.

H8Usernames wrote: ↑25 Apr 2021, 17:49

Enlightened-One wrote: ↑22 Apr 2021, 05:37I can’t recall an occasion whereby a small guy fighting “BIG” has resulted in said fighter punching harder. I don’t think it’s ever happened. (unless your name is Manny Pacquiao – who frequently refused to undergo random unannounced PED testing, but I digress).

What a moron. This anti Pac nonsense is nothing more than a witchhunt.

To be fair, Pacquiao's frequent refusal to undergo random unannounced blood-based drug testing is highly documented.

There are even videos of him explaining his reluctance/flat-refusal to undergo testing.

If he really is a clean athlete, then it's his own fault for creating the atmosphere of uncertainty.

Technically-speaking, he's innocent until proven guilty.

But it's also technically-accurate for me to claim that Pacquiao is reluctant to be PED tested (based on historical conduct/interviews).

It’s impossible to prove guilt without taking the test... or only being testing according to a schedule and protocols specified by Pacquiao himself.

GBP & Top Rank had agreed the terms of a March 12th 2010 fight-date between Mayweather and Pacquiao (purse, venue etc., everything was in place except for the PED testing)

However, Manny rejected a (then) career best payday to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. because he didn’t want to under-go Olympic style drug testing administered by USADA that adhered to the WADA code.

There are videos of him claiming he couldn't accept the terms because he would feel weakened by being tested.

This is based on historical fact that you can very easily verify.

And if you still disagree with me, there's an overwhelming amount of evidence to support my original claim, which was that "Manny Pacquiao – frequently refused to undergo random unannounced PED testing"

He doesn't look particularly much bigger. Just a bit softer.

David Haye and Tomasz Adamek are examples of good cruiserweights (I know Adamek started at LHW too)of recent years that I can think of that put on size and then handled some of the lesser heavyweights reasonably well, then were beaten fairly easily when they met the Klitschko brothers, who were just too big.

Haye relied on head movement, and was decent at slipping punches from bigger guys, and his power carried up: but his footwork let him down and he struggled with getting into the range he needed to land on the giants. The Haye/Booth/Groves style was low hands, head movement, feints, speed and, above all else, explosiveness. I think that's what ended Haye so early: Not just the fights but sparring big guys and constantly having to remain elusive and fast with the extra size on his frame. When Usyk first moved up and almost immediately injured that was a red flag.

Adamek I recall beat Chris Arreola but looked like he was being knocked all over the show by the bigger Arreola's punches even when he blocked them, somewhat reminiscent of Usyk's performance against Chisora where a blocked shot bounced him into the ropes early on.

Age and hard camps are catching up with the Ukranian, I think. He's not going to be fighting AJ or Fury any time soon, and he seems to have made it clear Joe Joyce doesn't interest him. He can't fight Ruiz, who's fighting Arreola and will sit on that win for a while after; he can't fight AJ or Fury; he can't fight Joseph Parker. Who's he going to fight? Dillian Whyte? Dillian will sit on his shot, too.

he could fight someone like joe parker (if he doesnt lose to chizz) , unless he is just in a mode where he's gonna sit on his shot and not fight anyone who would be even a slight risk. parker with matchroom too isnt he? makes sense

that would be a good matchup for him. facing a guy who actually has a shorter reach, who isnt particularly physical, and who he could outbox without just being overwhelmed by size