I'd pick Oleksander Usyk to beat Max Schmeling

Usyk destroyed veteran Marco Huck at the Schmeling arena last night, and it just put me in mind of the wily German. A very clever and talented fighter was Schmeling. The thing is though, at just 13-0, Usyk has a weird but fundamental grasp of the ebb and flow of fights. I understand that five months ago, Usyk didn't really look that great, proof that he has a lot to learn, but against Huck he looked monstrous. He's peaked physically, too. Anyway, it'll be two more fights at 200, then off to hw for the Ukrainian.

Usyk is two inches taller than Schmeling with a two inch reach advantage, he'd come to the ring at unlimited weighing about 220 and he's faster. Usually faster and bigger is reason enough for me to make a pick when two fighters are of the same class, the question is, can Usyk be named as being in the same class as Schmeling? The answer is that it is absolutely unproven. The conservative pick would be Schmeling, and it's certainly not a bad pick. Usyk could prove me very, very wrong in his very next fight by getting KTFO, so this kind of statement is always a bit ridiculous.

Even so, you make picks for fights based upon what you see, where possible, not based upon who did or didn't beat Joe Louis; I don't think Schmeling could out-think this inexperienced fighter, I think his grasp of fighting strategy is just incredible already. He could out-punch him but Jesus Uysk has good and fast feet. Huck hit him, but only when he started to really really bring the pressure.

I thought that was a big leap forwards for him last night and i'm ready to pick him over a borderline heavyweight great already.

Am I crazy?

 

He's already crushed Krzysztof Glowacki who was ranked at #2, higher than both Perez (unranked) and Breidis (6). Gassiev is #2 now and I think he's better than Glowacki. That will be a really good fight.

Either way, if Usyk was fighting Schmeling next, I wouldn't be able to wait for any of these things before making a pick.

 

Yeah, the stamina was the thing. Engine confirmed for sure.

 

Ah, your new Tyson Fury

Seriously though, he's got a very, very hard fight if/when he runs into Gassiev. Gassiev is real. I mean Glowacki was real, but Gassiev is really real. We'll know a bit more then.

 

But he tried everything. He had his patented rushes, he tried countering off the ropes, he came square and threw rights, he got rough and broke the rules, he tried everything we've seen him try.

But he didn't win one minute of one round for me.

It's definitely the case that his feet are slower and that really really matters for him, but that domination was crazy.

Glowacki had to get in with Huck and break him, but Usyk, it was like he was sparring.