Comments Thread For: Promoter: If Ali Can Beat The Best at That Size - So Can Usyk!

[-Kev-]

This promoter might just only be a businessman. I am not sure how you can know about boxing’s history and say that.

First, Ali was among the tallest HW’s of his time. Secondly, almost in every championship fight, Ali was the heavier man. Foreman was just slightly heavier. Guys like Foreman and Norton were among the bigger top guys Ali faced and they MATCHED his height and weight.

Ali debuted in a HW era where HW’s were still Cruiserweights. He introduced boxing to the “big man who is good”. Before Ali, big HW’s ****** ass. He showed boxing what a big man who is athletic can do. He literally had the physical advantages in most fights.

This promoter is clueless. Just trying to use keywords to get media attention which is okay. He is a promoter. Promoters lie and exaggerate to sell fights. But Ali was not a small man at HW. Ali outweighed damn near everyone on his resume and at 6’3” was a “giant” of his time.

Usyk is Ali’s height and weight, it’s true. But he is fighting at HW at a time where the top 3 are 6’7”-6’9” and a good amount heavier than him but still retain athleticism.

[alexjust]

Holyfield was an undisputed champ at heavyweight despite coming up from cruiserweight. So it has been done before, just gotta see if Usyck got it as well.

True, but Holyfield did not compete against 2m tall, heavy guys who are actually very good either, so I wouldn't draw that parallel either. Lennox is probably the only exception in his career. David Haye fought Valuev, who is more of a circus freak than a boxer, then he fought Klitschko, but his toe has let him down, so really there aren't many precedents in the HW division. Plus, they are pointless anyway. I pick AJ by decision for several reasons: 1. Usyk isn't a very heavy puncher and AJ has become weary of being KO'd, so his defense will be on the level. 2. Usyk's defense is also solid, plus he will naturally be well aware of AJ's punching power. 3. It means it is likely to go to scorecards and because AJ is a good boxer there will be many close rounds and no way Usyk will shut AJ out the way he did Gassiev, for example. And this means that decision will go to the mega star of British boxing. Obviously.

[low blows]

If you watch old fights from even the early 90's you routinely saw two fringe contenders that were 6'1" and 6'2" fighting each other and both guys would weigh in at around 220 pounds. Now this would be a small man, in Ali's era these were huge heavyweights.

It's apples to orange comparing the various eras because of the size of the contenders in this era.

[OldTerry]

Ya but Ali had something way more than 90% of boxers have today and that's heart . to fight the best of the best in their prime is something most of these boxers are not wiling to do .

He also had something else. the quickest jab of any heavyweight ever and almost anyone else at any other weight as well.

[REDEEMER]

He also had something else. the quickest jab of any heavyweight ever and almost anyone else at any other weight as well.

Usyk is a better and more technical boxer then Ali was ,who’s better is anyone’s guess . Sure Ali had a great career and Usyk probably won’t but fighting AJ is going to misconstrue how good Usyk is when he takes that loss .

[Stuart Chandler]

Let’s all hope that in this fight AJ doesn’t go to the extreme of the fighting style he used in Ruiz 2. That style is incredibly not fan friendly. It is effective, but we had to live through one Wlad and we don’t want another.

Ali did that his entire career he’s the greatest.

[NEETzschean]

when Ali was a heavyweight he was comparable to the other fighters in his division .....usyk manager is trying to compare his fighter to what Ali did but that’s wrong he has not e
ven faced a dangerous top 10 heavyweight yet.....I never said today’s heavyweights we’re not super heavyweight I said about Ali era....as for usyk he has not shown himself to be accustomed to the heavyweight division , we all know chisora is just a gate keeper now in the lower half of top 20 rankings......yeah he has the skill to give AJ problems for sure he has pedigree but on the other hand if Joshua lands on usyk I don’t see it turning out to well for usyk........if chisora and Witherspoon can make it hard for usyk then Joshua will be a night mare for him

Ali wasn't comparable to most, he was a lot bigger than most overall: taller, rangier, heavier. So was Joe Louis for that matter. There has always been a strong correlation between size and quality at HW (up to a point ofc: Carnera and Valuev had greater size but vastly inferior skills and athleticism).

In Ali's day most of Usyk's best cruiser opponents would have been big HW's: the vast majority were 6'-6'3 and over 200 lbs. Chisora is a gatekeeper but an older and more worn version was robbed against Parker and Parker is one of AJ's best wins. Chisora is also stylistically all wrong for Usyk and had a year to prepare: the fighter who gave Usyk the most problems in the WSB was not Joe Joyce or Majidov but the short, fat pressure fighter Mihai Nistor. Witherspoon lost every round clearly with Usyk in 2nd gear and Usyk beat Chisora (who is teak-tough, more durable than AJ) comfortably, only really lost the first 2 rounds. AJ has more ways to win considering they are fighting in Britain but I won't be suprised if Usyk pulls the u[pset and stops him.

[NEETzschean]

Ya but Ali had something way more than 90% of boxers have today and that's heart . to fight the best of the best in their prime is something most of these boxers are not wiling to do .

Ali had heart no question but Usyk has incredible heart: fights every undefeated champion and top contender in their backyards and becomes undisputed in the cruiser division, steps up to heavy and fights prime world HW champion AJ in Britain at almost 35 while being a light puncher, giving up 3 inches of height, 4 inches of reach and 20 lbs.

[NEETzschean]

He also had something else. the quickest jab of any heavyweight ever and almost anyone else at any other weight as well.

Ali also had one of the softest jabs of any heavyweight ever and almost anyone else at any other weight as well. Bowe ended the reign of the HW manlets for good.

[Rapscallion]

I'll give you Ernie Terrell. Chuck Wepner was tall and sch-itty. He won about 60% of his fights. Buster Mathis was 256lbs because he was fat.

And in June of 2019, fatty-fat-fat Andy Ruiz stopped Joshua.