Comments Thread For: Oleksandr Usyk To Return in Mid-May In U.S. As A Heavyweight

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

The Oleksandr Usyk tour is returning to the United States. Following a 2018 campaign which saw the Ukrainian southpaw become undisputed cruiserweight king while winning three fights in three separate countries, the reigning Fighter of the Year is ready to test the heavyweight waters in the year ahead.
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[KTFOKING]

Nice!!!! I think you can eliminate Povetkin as a potential opponent if the fight is happening in the states. Doubt it will be Miller as Hearn doesn't want a potential AJ opponent to suffer a loss. Both need to keep winning.

What is a decent opponent for his HW debut?

[Boxing Logic]

Usyk is 31 or 32 years old but not fighting first 6 months of the year, basically, when his name was just hottest. These promoters seem to underrate both momentum, and the importance of age. Usyk probably has 2 to 4 good years left and they are only fighting him after 6-7 months instead of after 4, which is wasting 2-3 months for nothing. These promoters seem to take for granted that their fighter will be able to maintain prime form until age 35+ like Floyd did, then when their fighter can't do it like most 90% of fighters primes dont last until 35, they are left holding the bag while the career falls apart because the fights they should have made while their fighter was still elite they did not make until he was 35 years old, and by that point it's too late for him to perform at the level needed to have success in those fights and push his career to superstardom like would have happened had he gotten those wins in his prime.

[Boxing Logic]

Nice!!!! I think you can eliminate Povetkin as a potential opponent if the fight is happening in the states. Doubt it will be Miller as Hearn doesn't want a potential AJ opponent to suffer a loss. Both need to keep winning.

What is a decent opponent for his HW debut?

Sounds like the news story about Ortiz and Povetkin offers was fake, although there is a separate rumor that Povetkin was indeed offered the fight and turned it down. I have no idea who it will be. Maybe it will just be a test the waters fight to see if Usyk is big enough to fight Joshua. Maybe Usyk's team realizes, beating Ortiz or Povetkin wont really mean **** to Usyk's legacy, because it's still going to be determined, at heavyweight, but fights vs champions and really nothing else. IF he can beat Joshua, then he could maybe add a cherry on top of the legacy by fighting Povektin after, or whoever, for way more money than he would make now, but really it's all going to depend on the outcomes of the fights vs the true top guys anyway.

It would suck though if we didn't get any interesting Usyk fight until late 2019. But if it's Joshua, if Usyk is really going to be big enough by then, then that's still a good year.

[Deus]

Usyk is 31 or 32 years old but not fighting first 6 months of the year, basically, when his name was just hottest. These promoters seem to underrate both momentum, and the importance of age. Usyk probably has 2 to 4 good years left and they are only fighting him after 6-7 months instead of after 4, which is wasting 2-3 months for nothing. These promoters seem to take for granted that their fighter will be able to maintain prime form until age 35+ like Floyd did, then when their fighter can't do it like most 90% of fighters primes dont last until 35, they are left holding the bag while the career falls apart because the fights they should have made while their fighter was still elite they did not make until he was 35 years old, and by that point it's too late for him to perform at the level needed to have success in those fights and push his career to superstardom like would have happened had he gotten those wins in his prime.

Although you have a point with Usyk moving up in weight it's probably worth allowing him more time to adjust to carrying the additional muscle mass in fights.

[Roberto Vasquez]

Uysk made Belew lose 35lbs and still didn't look amazing. He won't be taking on any top-rated heavyweights, that's for sure.

[Andrij]

Oscar Rivas, Povetkin or Parker are the opponents. One of them.

[Andrij]

Nice!!!! I think you can eliminate Povetkin as a potential opponent if the fight is happening in the states. Doubt it will be Miller as Hearn doesn't want a potential AJ opponent to suffer a loss. Both need to keep winning.

What is a decent opponent for his HW debut?

Oscar Rivas or Parker.

[Andrij]

Uysk made Belew lose 35lbs and still didn't look amazing. He won't be taking on any top-rated heavyweights, that's for sure.

WTF Man. Usyk himself told before the Bellew fight that he was very tired going into the training camp. He had 2 hard fights before in the same year and only 1 month break between the Gassiev fight and Bellew training camp. Go watch better your Latino midgets.

[KTFOKING]

Oscar Rivas or Parker.

Rivas would make sense but I think he's an ESPN fighter now.

Not sure if Parker will take that fight. Probably wants to build himself with another win or two and then challenge for a title. A loss to Usyk here would be a killer for him.