Usyk probably beats everybody except Fury

[Earl-Hickey]

Usyk only started sniffing out HW for an AJ payday

He is a stones throw from retirement.

You won't see him in with Whyte anytime soon...and Whyte is a merely a slightly better younger version of Chisora.

Whyte/Parker/Ruiz/Joyce then he gets the nod of approval.

This.

He's in the same camp with Wilder of nearing the end. Neither of those guys are going to be effective at 38,39,40 years of age, their styles are youthful styles. Both of them looked on the slide in their last fights.

[Eff Pandas]

Believe a year or so ago I was saying the same thing. Feeling less like that now with his uninspiring HW fights, but I'm not sure who I'd consider a favorite over him besides Fury although I think there are some 50/50ish fights out there for him. I do see a HW belt in Usyk's future regardless of who he beats or doesn't beat at HW. Worse case if he's unsuccessful at HW he could become a great bridgerweight champ.

[billeau2]

I see it that way, but he still must prove it.

He is too smart for Joyce and he can actually move the head ( Dubois couldn`t).

Usyk is also very bad matchup for Wilder, Whyte. I can also see him beating Joshua, why not.

I hardly believe he beats Fury, but nothing is impossible. To be honest, I believe Usyk is the second best heavyweight right now.

Usyk is a world class fighter, 95% of heavywieghts aren`t. I am thinking that way, if Ukrainian avoids these big punches, he can beat anybody.

I don't know how you get to where you think Usyk can beat any top tier heavyweight. You give some general attributes but they are not descriptive, certainly not prescriptive in a manner that makes one think Usyk is a man with a plan... For example, "yeah that brain of Usyk... it will make Joyce the loser."

Here are some specific reasons why I disagree with you Jake:

1) Usyk struggled with Bellew, an excellent fighter indeed, but by struggling it made one initially question if Usyk really cleaned house before attempting to claim heavyweight low hanging fruit.
2) He almost got slept a few times against an out of whack and slow Chisora. He looked horrid in that fight.
3) Usyk has some really bad habits that will get him iced IMO. he moves straight back, ad keeps his head held high. Slow Chisora caught him going back twice. When someone like Joyce catches him? and follows up?
4) Usyk does not have the power to threaten and keep a heavyweight off of him. When Spinks fought Tyson he could not punch Mike hard enough so Mike walked through him. This is what Wilder, or Whyte would do.
5) I like Usyk and he seems a reasonably intelligent sort...good sense of humor as well. But as a fighter, he does not fight smart. He wins with a real Ammy toolbox. No head movement, punch accumulation is his main weapon, he has no angling skills, goes straight in and out, has two gears: starts slow then gets fast.

I think he is an excellent light heavy and could perhaps beat smaller heavyweights who were lacking. But his defensive skills, his positioning skills, and his power all look to me like he gets smashed when he fights a decent heavyweight.