I'd pick Oleksander Usyk to beat Max Schmeling

Gary Russell jnr is a real good fighter! Walters was a monster before he ran in to Loma, now hes classed as **** !

 

I feel like Schmeling's right hand would find its mark right down the middle...

 

Schmeling just looks so shrewd and skillful compared to these modern cruiserweights.
Modern fighters like Usyk tend to be great athletes with good boxing brains but don't demonstrate the same variety of skills and techniques. They are basic.
The old school skills seem to be rare now, that's how someone like Floyd Mayweather was such a stand-out for so long, and there's been no one out there to replace him.

 

Schmeling is much better than this version of Huck.

But Usyk whipped Huck so convincingly that it's hard to see him losing against any similar-sized fighter. It was the performance of a maestro.

Man, I hate to side with th flavour du jour after just one fight ... but let me say this: I think that this version of Usyk gives Schmeling all he can handle.

 

Lomachenko has been boxing since he could walk, he went to two Olympics (maybe won them both, I can't remember) and fought the "semi pro" or "false amateur" WSB fights . He's been a full time boxer for most his life. He's not young. There's not as much gap between amateur and pro now (and pros are even being allowed into Olympics now). That's why the styles don't change as much. Lomachenko is almost 30, Usyk almost 31.
For these reasons I would say don't expect similar degree of improvements that we would traditionally expect from 10-0 or 14-0 fighters.

Inoue is an excellent fighter and won a world title in his 5th or 6th fight, but that's not totally unprecedented in the 108 division. He's 24, so he might go on a while yet but I expect fighters down there to peak early anyway, though Ricardo Lopez's longevity proves a notable excepetion.

 

Did anyone else think Huck looked out of it from the opening bell? He looked so unfocused, as if he didn't know what he was even doing there...

 

Well, I agree, it would be good to see how they develop then.
Lomachenko might have 10 years ahead but I'd say maybe he won't improve anywhere near as much as you'd normally n expect a 10-0 fighter to when/if he gets to 20-0.
But, of course, on current performancs he won't need to.

 

"Top class fighter who can punch."
Russel Jrs not a puncher.
I'm hinting towards Garcia. He is top class, and he's a puncher.

 

I'm gonna be brutally honest now.

I like to think I have no bias whatsoever.

But I'm proper excited to see Usyk at HW as a more classic sized HW fighter.

If he can beat Wilder and Joshua a huge shift will occur when discussing cross generation matchups.

Do I want him to succeed? Yes I do. We've said for a while now where is this short sub 240 fighter who can become champion. Well we have that man now.

We should all be riveted.

 

This thread is in violation of Classic forum social norms. Usyk must be pitted against Primo Carnera and Tony Galento before Schmeling.

 

He'd beat Wilder even as a cruiser. Joshua might prove a step too far at the moment, but I'd be stoked if he could do it. Just think the lack of power will let him down.

 

He looked like that in his last fight, from what I remember. I think he's become gunshy or lost something mentally. Either that or he really was totally befuddled by both fighters' styles.