Usyk wins but doesnt convince.

The level of competition Usyk fought in Witherspoon demonstrates very little to me. Witherspoon's fitness had as much to do with the early stoppage as did Usyk's skill. I think a properly prepared 39 year old Chazz goes the distance. Still loses but... Doesn't look to me like Usyk has the power to keep the elite of the division off him. How many fights 'till he faces a legitimate challenge? I'd like to see how he does against a heavy with a better motor. Dubois would have been a better test and would have proven if Usyk deserves to fight the upper tier. Right now I feel that Usyk is being steered toward a mega fight with one of the top 4 in which he will fight to a boring UD loss. Contenders don't fight each other enough these days.

 

Wilder took Ortiz's shots well enough and Ortiz definitely hits harder than Usyk.

 

I think he hits hard enough that a guys not going to walk through but he doesnt have that devastating one shot power we usually associate with top heavies.

That means hes probably going to have to out box the big guys for twelve rounds without making a mistake. Not east to do.

 

I dont think Usyk looked that sharp. Probably some ring rust.

I also think he carried Witherspoon a little bit. He was getting some rounds in. It looked like a glorified sparring session to me.

After the fight he said 'Thank you' to Witherspoon. Probably happy the card didn't get cancelled and his team got paid.

I dont think Usyk looked especially sharp but I do think he could have overwhelmed Witherspoon earlier if he wanted.

Still, Usyk showed skills but also his biggest weakness at HW, the lack of devastating one punch HW knockout power.

 

I'm not sure if Wilder, Fury, or the winner of AJ vs. Ruiz Jr are excellent heavyweights either. Skill wise, Usyk is a bit better than they are.

We'll see who avoids him,

 

No one will avoid him if the money is right. They've all fought more dangerous opponents, albeit no one as skilled as Usyk.

But you have to assess these things factoring size into the equation, because Wilder and Fury fight exactly the best way for them to win. (Joshua is arguable, but you can't knock his resume.)

 

Usyk is 6'3" tall with a 78" reach. He's the same weight as Wilder. I don't think lack of size is the issue, its power. But he can win on points vs. these three and I also think he has the better chin than Wilder, Fury or AJ. Fury was exposed in his last fight. Wilder is picking cans for title defenses. It remains to be see if AJ can bounce back, or if Ruiz can keep his weight down to a level where he's still good.

We don't have a heavyweight King. We have four Jacks, and Usyk is one of them.

 

Usyk doesn't have any wins to compare with the four who are on top. He's conservatively top 10, but it's not clear as yet whether he's any better than Parker. You say Wilder is fighting cans, but his past four bouts are Ortiz I, Fury, Brazeale (mandatory) and Ortiz II. Certainly more stout opposition relative to Witherspoon!

If you want to jump on the Usyk at HW hype train at HW, that's cool. But don't get it confused: He's accomplished *nothing* at that weight, and you can't assume a CW will be able to make the jump.

 

Usyk might not punch that hard but then neither did Chris Byrd, and he did alright against some of the biggest punchers in the division at the time. What makes Usyk's lack of power a non-factor is his sharpness, workrate and movement relative to a lot of the bigger guys. He's very good at sneaking his hits in at angles and at times that you're not prepared for, and doing so consistently throughout the fight at an extremely high tempo. That sort of attacking style is hugely mentally draining to defend against; an opponent has no way of knowing how to defend or where to defend or when to defend, and if the individual shots aren't shaking them to their boots they're still brain-fogging them to a point where they become a sitting duck.

We've seen this time and again, a supposedly light hitter making iron chinned knockout punchers hesitant or confused and winging at air. This is because in reality it's next to impossible to just walk through someone's shots for any prolonged period of time and still maintain any sort of composure. Here's how I think it is to fight Usyk. You might start off relatively confident. Ok, you eat one or two shots but you think, yeah, this isn't so bad. Then more start hitting you from other angles and with more frequency, and now you're starting to find it much harder to think straight because even those lightish hits are starting to fuzz you up and frustrate you. Then Usyk ups the tempo even further, and suddenly you're on full on defence mode, with no idea how to defend against the whirling dervish of attacks coming your way, and the cumulative effect of all those light punches is finally taking its toll: your face is marked up, your vision's blurry, you can't think straight, and you're mentally exhausted just trying to alleviate the pressure for a split second so you can recoup. Then the fight's over and you're another victim of an Usyk UD.

I've no idea if that's the truth, but when I put myself into the opponents' shoes this is what it looks like to me.

 

Usyk usually seems cautious early and in his zone in the later rounds. I think any heavyweight with any stamina issues is going to troubled by Usyks relentlessness late on. That accumulation of damage is unlikely to drop off, as it would with many other HWs who run out of gas.

 

Witherspoon took this fight and said gleefully,,PAY DAY!! He showed up, that's about it.

 

This is the thing,Wilder has become the guy that hits you but not one taking shots himself ? lol

Usyk is dangerous here bc he knows he needs to at least stun Wilder to keep him in the fight for 12 rounds,in this case I see Wilder getting stunned multiple times and this gives Usyk about a 55% chance to get that UD win ( if its not in Barclays ).

People have forgotten this is boxing not punching due to wilders fights,but step outside 95% of his fights you then see the cards are stacked slightly against him with the fighters he should be fighting.( Case in point Fury : He lost that one. )

 

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Round 10 Luis ortiz

Wilder needs range true .

But he can use certain ranges in the pocket from a certain angle to generate that power

It was an uppercut at close range with wilder using an angle to generate power and end the fight .

 

Shut up slap nutts.

 

You like having your nuts slapped, don't ya? Maybe with an old slipper.