Usyk is brilliant. His accomplishments shouldn’t be downplayed. Everyone devalues his AJ wins, but that version of AJ smashes almost everyone else on the planet outside 3 heavyweights in my opinion. Winning against a guy with that power and such huge physical advantages is comparable to Inoue vs Fulton or Crawford vs Spence for me.
Usyk has stamped himself as a great already. But nothing short of a Fury upset (and Usyk will be a firm underdog if the fight happens) will get him close to the "all time great" category. No one form this era will compare with the top 20 HW in my opinion, but unifying a VERY competitive CW division and then moving up to do the same in the HW division, even in a down era, will at least get Usyk in the conversation.
Being avoided is what happens nowadays to any fighter who looks like a winner on a good roll. There are plenty of examples of that, but the one that comes to my mind is GGG, who was breaking ribs and faces en route to umpteen knockouts in a row. The A-list money fighters wouldn’t even answer his phone calls. But the moment GGG gained some age and started to appear beatable (by not breaking any ribs on Danny Jacobs), suddenly Canelo took the fight, and then EVERYONE wanted in the ring with Golovkin.
Usyk is still in the zone where the money men have no interest. Even the lumbering cave man Tyson Fury is manifestly afraid of him. But wait until Usyk has a bad outing and starts to look like his preternatural stamina has flagged a bit, and even if he wins, the phones will light up and start smoking with promoters and prospects looking for fame by taking on a top-flight fighter who has, as they say, lost a step.
In boxing, as elsewhere, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
Dubious received a lot of criticism for his last performance, but he did come back and win that fight while injured, even the great Mike Tyson never rallied to win a fight he was losing.
You can tell fanboys are ruining the spectator side of the sport. Only an imbecile doesn't get the greatness of Usyk. The Eastern European fighters are in it for their legacy. Not money. They don't talk smack like their American counterparts who are all about the bling. Let's give him the respect he deserves.
I wonder if Usyk can take a HW punch. if Dubois lands a bomb that's his only chance to win. He better land it early. As the fight goes on Usyk will pick him apart.
Dubious received a lot of criticism for his last performance, but he did come back and win that fight while injured, even the great Mike Tyson never rallied to win a fight he was losing.
He was losing every round against Francois Botha until he knocked him out…
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