Fury vs Usyk - Historic Impact??

[Rockin']

So it's the white Europeans taking over, why is that?

Loma, still the most amazing fighter that I have ever seen. ..................Rockin'

[Dr. Z]

IF the fight happens AND the result is clean ( no BS judging or fouling ) then it will be the most singaficant heavyweight fight in a while. But Usyk is already 36. Fury is a fraud. He likes to fight fat / non ranked or much older men that are frankly over rated. Usyk is neither. He can fight and box well.

[Willow The Wisp]

The point being that it's hard to say Wilder ducked AJ to instead fight a trilogy with the best heavyweight in the world when AJ just passed on fighting Wilder to in fact fight a lesser fighter. There are always reasons, some good, some not so good why fights don't get made right away. But to call these guys dockers and other derogatory names while their careers are still in progress....I don't know, I just think it's in bad taste. We'll see where all three of their careers are shortly as all 3, in my opinion, are winding down.

Right on. I'd add that in many instances we may never know what actually happened during negotiations, because both sides of the negotiation will misrepresent the truth, and journalists, to say nothing of non-journalist bloggers who these days pen 75% of what you're reading in combat sports reporting, will take any tidbit and run with it to beat their submission deadline. I for one don't give all that ducking nonsense alot of credence. On this well worn topic, there were once three kings, and both Wilder and Fury put it all on the line, stepped up and battled to an historic standstill, and didn't quit until they had fought out a tremendous trilogy that would make Ali & Frazier proud. Meanwhile poor Joshua, the 3rd king, got caught up in a cycle of losing to underdogs and chasing the rematch, until his well earned reputation was fairly dismantled.

But for all of them, it's not over yet. Not quite yet.

[Willow The Wisp]

IF the fight happens AND the result is clean ( no BS judging or fouling ) then it will be the most singaficant heavyweight fight in a while. But Usyk is already 36. Fury is a fraud. He likes to fight fat / non ranked or much older men that are frankly over rated. Usyk is neither. He can fight and box well.

.....We shall see.

[_Rexy_]

Even if Usyk loses to Fury he should be ranked ahead of Joshua lmfao

[Willie Pep 229]

Even if Usyk loses to Fury he should be ranked ahead of Joshua lmfao

Yea he beat him twice, close. But the problem with a Fury easy win over Usyk leaves us without anticipation for the next big fight.

That's why I believe Josuha has to fight and beat Wilder so we can convince ourselves a Fury-AJ fight is worth the PPV price.

[Willow The Wisp]

- - I see Deyonce and Blubber as what they are, ie Deyonce and Blubber.

AJ made the fights paying good $$$ that unified the titles and electrified the UK, putting yet another stake into the soiled US heavy division. Fat Andy the only fighter willing to step up to AJ in his American Debut, and though Fat Andy was born in America, he identifies more as Mexican. The other fainting goats were holding out to fight the weakest link in the division, Deyonce.

AJ is indeed all of those things that you claim. But where is his historic trilogy with another of his era's Heavyweight title claimants? Two losses to a Cruiserweight?

It will take a performance against Franklin as emphatic as Wilder's 1 round slaying of the world's most fearsome living viking in order to rescue Joshua's career, and considerably more winning efforts beyond this to reignite any thoughts among boxing's intelligensia that the thrice exposed Anthony Joshua belongs in the same accomplishment class as Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.....certainly certain.

[Willow The Wisp]

Yea he beat him twice, close. But the problem with a Fury easy win over Usyk leaves us without anticipation for the next big fight.

That's why I believe Josuha has to fight and beat Wilder so we can convince ourselves a Fury-AJ fight is worth the PPV price.

I don't think an all UK showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua would need anything to help sell it except for Joshua to start beating good fighters again like he used to. It might be the silk sheets that got him, but if he can impose his gifts again and regain some stature, he can still make plenty of PPV consumers beleive that he can be the one to topple Tyson Fury.

He isn't going through Deontay Wilder to get there. IMO Wilder is custom built to decapitate Anthony Joshua in 5 rounds or less. Probably less. I like Joshua's chances against Fury far more than I like his chances against Wilder. I also like Joshua's chances against Fury better than I like Usyk's. That's me. I appreciate that you aren't high on Wilder and his body of work, but that won't have any say between now and when all the dust of this era settles. And my prognostication won't either.

[Willie Pep 229]

I don't think an all UK showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua would need anything to help sell it except for Joshua to start beating good fighters again like he used to. It might be the silk sheet that got him, but if can impose his gifts again and regain some stature, he can still make plenty of PPV consumers beleive that he can be the one to topple Tyson Fury.

He isn't going through Deontay Wilder to get there. IMO Wilder is custom built to decapitate Anthony Joshua in 5 rounds or less. Probably less. I like Joshua's chances against Fury far more than I like his chances against Wilder. I also like Joshua's chances against Fury better than I like Usyk's. That's me. I appreciate that you aren't high on Wilder and his body of work, but that won't have any say between now and when all the dust of this era settles. And my prognostication won't either.

Classic examples of how 'styles makes fights' -- I agree with your assessment.

I forgot that AJ-Fury was a British thing. I agree the fight would probably sell there even now, but the 50 million $ paydays they want depends more on just British buys.

Right now I don't think you can sell, in America, any Fury fight, as the 'big fight' unless it's Usyk.

IMO it depends on how Fury-Usyk plays out that decides the 'fan's opinion' of Joshua.

If Fury blows out Uysk, Josuha's stock nose dives. He could regain his status with victories over lower ranked fighters, as you suggest, but that would necessitate multiple fights/victories.

One win over Wilder replaces those multiple fights; but I am not really sure any of the big four: Fury/Wilder/Usyk/Josuha have multiple years left.

Don't think there is enough time left for Josuha to reclimb the ladder; I suspect Fury is gone after one or two more fights.

IMO AJ needs an 'Usyk win over Fury.' That gets Josuha a rematch with Usyk. If Fury makes Usyk look bad I'm not sure what happens next for any of them.

P.S. To repeat, I also agree, Wilder is a bad match-up for AJ, but it may be the only way to get to Fury in time; me thinks Fury's going to quit sooner than later.

[Slugfester]

Joshua is a first or second round KO for Wilder to soar his spirits again.The smartest thing $ Josh's handlers can do is keep him away from Wilder. I don't need to see Fury/Joshua, don't even want to. But since he will be such easy cement for Fury's legacy, he might as well ruin him for good before Wilder does.

I know those are strong opinions and nothing more. Still what I believe.