You ever think you underrated somebody?
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Bellew got badly KTFO by Stevenson and as a result was not really unfairly underrated.A lot of people underestimated Bellew at CW. They judged him by his performances at 168 and didn't understand what a massive difference the extra 25lb made to his overall game.
I used to watch Dwyer's videos regularly, because he seemed to be such a thoughtful and insightful analyst. But after Bellew got stopped by Usyk, Dwyer compared that outcome to Bellew vs Stevenson, and said that, based on what he saw in those 2 fights, Stevenson would be a real threat to Usyk if he ever moved up to 200lb. I stopped watching the video as soon as he said that and I've never gone back to Dwyer's channel since.
Usyk is a fighter I massively underrated before he entered the WBSS. Based on what I saw of him during the London Olympics, and his early pro fights, I actually thought he was a semi retard with great reflexes and natural athletic ability, lol.
Besides that, he gave Usyk very little trouble and really only beat a long past it David Haye.Comment
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I was talking about Bellew at 200lbs, not 175.
Do you think Bellew vs Stevenson at 200 would have been been the same fight that it was at 175?Last edited by kafkod; 04-14-2020, 09:14 AM.Comment
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Bellew was a very decent fighter
In his first loss v Cleverly he was probably a bit green and some felt he may have won. He was awfully drained vs Stevenson and then lost to Usyk in his last fight after coming back down from HW.
Of course, you can make excuses for any loss and he would’ve lost to Usyk and Stevenson at that point anyway but under better circumstances he might’ve done better
He certainly wasn’t an elite fighter, but he was a solid world level fighter on his night, at Cruiserweight anyway.Comment
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Cleverly beat a solid who's who, Karo Murat, Iron Djib, Karpency, Braehmer and Krasniqi along with Bellew of course. I don't even think Cleverly is his best win. That'd probably be Makabu. Masternak isn't far off both either. He's not elite but he was a very good fighter and worthy champ.Comment
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That was a mistake on my part, Bellew never fought at 168. I meant 175, which is the weight he fought Stevenson at.
I probably made that mistake because I still remember Stevenson as a top contender at 168, demanding his mandatory shot at Carl Froch and sending offers to Andre Ward.
I also still remember Bellew as a 3 time British amateur HW champion, nicknamed "The Bomber" because he won most of his fights by KO.
And that right there is a clue as to why Stevenson vs Bellew at 200lb would have been a totally different fight than the one we saw at 175.
Stevenson was a big SMW who moved up to 175. Bellew was a naturally bigger man than Stevenson, and never fought below 175 in his life, amateur or pro. He was at CW for his first 12 pro fights before moving down to 175 to fight for the vacant Commonwealth title. He stayed at 175 because winning that title opened up opportunities for more big fights, and ended up draining himself too badly to make the most of the opportunities he was given.Last edited by kafkod; 04-14-2020, 11:18 AM.Comment
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