Just doesnt have the power for the big boys Has nothing for Fury, Joshua and Wilder (hed be up on the cards against Deontay but get flatlined eventually). Ruiz prolly beats him too TBH
I dont think hes a great fighter and I dont think its just the lack of power that holds him back either. He lacks all around raw talent, imo. His skills are overrated, and his sharpness isnt elite. All just imo. But hes a very good fighter, and theres nothing wrong with that.
I know what you mean. I thought the same for a long while. Then I realised what it was Usyk does so well. He adapts mid fight. I can't think of another fighter at the upper end of the weight scale that does it so well. Fighters almost always do alright in the early rounds against him, but by the mid rounds they're struggling, and by the end they're often in full on retreat or shell up mode. He'll always look a bit arm punchy and sloppy, but he'll also be winning rounds and racking up points. He's an extremely effective fighter who'll be very hard to beat.
Fair enough. I suppose I question how much of that is him genuinely adapting, compared to how much of that is superb stamina, and his opponent tiring. I also question the level of opponent hes doing it to. But time will tell.
Gassiev, Briedis, Huck, Mchunu, Hunter, Glowacki. Those are all top level guys that couldn't hang with Usyk once he stepped it up a gear. His stamina is definitely an asset, but it's not like he just constantly outworks guys like some Vassily Jirov energizer bunny. You can definitely see him start to time guys and find angles that weren't there before, while making his opponents miss or hit gloves. He's also incredibly good at forcing fighters to make mistakes due to the tremendous pressure he puts them under to react to his constant movement and activity. There's a lot of high level stuff going on there, even if his individual shots sometimes look a bit ragged.
Wilder would get embarassed and then land a right missile that puts him out. Usyk isnt defensively responsible enough to avoid it and doesnt have the power of Fury to walk him down and make him feel threatened
Good post man, thank you. I think you make valid points and observations here. I will reconsider my assessment n rewatch some fights. Thank you.
Thanks. That's appreciated. I hope you find yourself warming to him. It took me a while but he's made me a fan.
His lack of power wouldn't matter if he actually had incredible skills and talent that have been attributed to him. But he clearly doesn't. Fat plodder Chisora was hitting almost at will in the early rounds last night.
I am a huge Usyk fan and I thought for some time that's he could be overrated but you cannot argue with his resume, he has a really unusual style, he never ever sits down on his punches, never winds up fully, he has a really unconventional way of fighting. He always starts every single fight throwing almost exclusively straight shots, doesn't use his left arm too much and gets a read on the opponents reactions and movements, then he slowly begins to use his left hand and find angles based on what he's seen in the first few rounds, then as he takes over the fight he starts throwing some looping shots to bamboozle his opponents even more + he has elite footwork, by far the best LHW and up. At least that's what I noticed while watching him.
