Comments Thread For: Usyk Will Not Step Aside From Joshua Title Shot, Says Hearn

[Vinnykin]

It's not like Usyk has been avoided by Joshua! Usyk has not fought a legit HW yet! How about Joshua unifies with Fury/Wilder winner, then that winner fights Usyk, somewhere down the line?

Usyk will be fighting before Joshua and Fury..... and enforcing his rightful shot to a mandatory right after.

Joshua and Fury agreed to a two-fight deal and an equal split. That is unfair to Usyk to have to wait between fights, especially if one of them suffers and injury in the first fight.

I don't get you guys at all. Boxing has been down and out this year. It will take at least two fights for each to get people interest again and get them back in the public eye..... and I certainly don't want to watch Fury/Joshua with hardly any fans.

[_Rexy_]

All of Hearn's comments on this are pointless. The WBO has consistently allowed for unification to supercede a mandatory so Usyk will prob fight the winner of Povetkin vs Whyte 2, if he gets past Chisora, while Joshua vs likely Fury plays out.

The WBO allows that unless they call a mandatory first, which they’ve already done. Usyk would need to be paid step aside money. Usyk would be ****** to take step aside money, since he’s got a far better chance of beating Joshua than he does Fury.

[Bronx2245]

Put a fighter with a belt and the same fighter w/o a belt and ask the contenders who they would rather fight for the same $$$.


As devalued as they have become, belts still have a (marketing) place.

Canelo, GGG , Loma Manny Pac did not have to beat someone "relevant" to become relevant. They charted their own course over time.

Any fighter with talent and dedication can chart their own course.

Fighters do think belts are more important, but I don't think they are as relevant, especially for their legacy. For example, I think Danny Garcia had a better career at 140 than Terence Crawford! Crawford was undisputed at 140, but Danny beat the better opponents! It's not Crawford's fault, but it is what it is!

[Bronx2245]

Usyk will be fighting before Joshua and Fury..... and enforcing his rightful shot to a mandatory right after.

Joshua and Fury agreed to a two-fight deal and an equal split. That is unfair to Usyk to have to wait between fights, especially if one of them suffers and injury in the first fight.

I don't get you guys at all. Boxing has been down and out this year. It will take at least two fights for each to get people interest again and get them back in the public eye..... and I certainly don't want to watch Fury/Joshua with hardly any fans.

I would rather watch Fury vs. Joshua without fans, than Joshua vs. Usyk with fans! I think Usyk has potential, but he hasn't done anything at HW, that would make me want to delay Fury (or Wilder) vs. Joshua! Let Usyk fight the Povetkin vs. Whyte winner! That's an in-house fight, should be easy to make!

[Vinnykin]

I would rather watch Fury vs. Joshua without fans, than Joshua vs. Usyk with fans! I think Usyk has potential, but he hasn't done anything at HW, that would make me want to delay Fury (or Wilder) vs. Joshua! Let Usyk fight the Povetkin vs. Whyte winner! That's an in-house fight, should be easy to make!

No way Fury and Joshua are fighting without fans..... no way in hell, so it's irrelevant....... I'm trying to be logical here so everyone wins.

Lets wait and see how Usyk looks against Chisora..... that fight can do 3 things - 1.Usyk gets beat and it frees up Joshua from the mandatory 2. Usyk wins convincingly and stops Chisora in good fashion, building an AJ fight to the British public and enforcing his mando , and 3. Usyk labours to a close decision and gets hurt in the fight, making a Joshua/Usyk fight non-appealing to the public.

1 happens and Fury/Joshua next ....... 2 - I will want to see AJ/Usyk (great fight I think) 3 - I will agree I'd prefer to see Fury fight first but resign myself to the fact that it's not happening.

All of this is under the backdrop of me wanting them to wait until a covid vaccine is widely distributed and these guys make the biggest fight in HW history, which requires building after the pandemic.

[deathofaclown]

I’d pick Usyk to beat AJ too though

Me too actually

I think Fury also thinks Usyk beats AJ because he said he’s not sure the AJ fight will happen if AJ has to fight Usyk first

[Bronx2245]

No way Fury and Joshua are fighting without fans..... no way in hell, so it's irrelevant....... I'm trying to be logical here so everyone wins.

Lets wait and see how Usyk looks against Chisora..... that fight can do 3 things - 1.Usyk gets beat and it frees up Joshua from the mandatory 2. Usyk wins convincingly and stops Chisora in good fashion, building an AJ fight to the British public and enforcing his mando , and 3. Usyk labours to a close decision and gets hurt in the fight, making a Joshua/Usyk fight non-appealing to the public.

1 happens and Fury/Joshua next ....... 2 - I will want to see AJ/Usyk (great fight I think) 3 - I will agree I'd prefer to see Fury fight first but resign myself to the fact that it's not happening.

All of this is under the backdrop of me wanting them to wait until a covid vaccine is widely distributed and these guys make the biggest fight in HW history, which requires building after the pandemic.

That's where we disagree! You seem to think Joshua vs. Usyk, and Fury vs. Joshua, are on the same level! I don't see it anywhere close! I see Joshua vs. Pulev and Joshua vs. Usyk, as the same level, until Usyk proves otherwise, and Chisora will not be enough to persuade me. Hopefully Usyk KOs Chisora within 8, and maybe I'll change my mind, but I doubt it!

[Earl-Hickey]

That's where we disagree! You seem to think Joshua vs. Usyk, and Fury vs. Joshua, are on the same level! I don't see it anywhere close! I see Joshua vs. Pulev and Joshua vs. Usyk, as the same level, until Usyk proves otherwise, and Chisora will not be enough to persuade me. Hopefully Usyk KOs Chisora within 8, and maybe I'll change my mind, but I doubt it!

I agree with you.

I look at Usyk and I see a really good cruiserweight.

I've said over and over I don't see that really good cruiserweight having what it takes to beat the top super heavyweights over 12 rounds.

It'd be a different story if Usyk had awesome one punch power, or perhaps if he was lightning fast.

But that's not Usyk, he's not nimble, he's not overly powerful. He's a skilled technician and pressure fighter. I don't see that style being effective vs Joshua and in fact I can see him getting blasted out.

[Vinnykin]

That's where we disagree! You seem to think Joshua vs. Usyk, and Fury vs. Joshua, are on the same level! I don't see it anywhere close! I see Joshua vs. Pulev and Joshua vs. Usyk, as the same level, until Usyk proves otherwise, and Chisora will not be enough to persuade me. Hopefully Usyk KOs Chisora within 8, and maybe I'll change my mind, but I doubt it!

Not sure where I ever said that in my comments....

[NC Uppercut]

The 4th rate WBO is the least credible belt out there (apart from the IBO) so doesn't really matter. What does matter is an undisputed champion. Back in the day when we only had the WBA & WBC we had genuine elimination contests, so why can't we let the AJ/Pulev & Fury/Wilder winners fight it out & have the Usyk/Chisora & Whyte/Povetkin II winners fight out a final eliminator?

Another site had said this was to be a heavyweight tournament. I put a thread up about a month ago trying to stir poster opinions. Source was WBN.