Joshua vs Usyk size difference.

its his dimensions that are going to surprise and give usyk hell. all those spots he is used to stand in when working an opponent will now be full of land mines. he can be reached where he used to feel safe, and its a harder and longer road getting into a distance where he can do what he does. i dont think he is good enough to make the right adjustments to get him in and out safely, i dont think he has the style for it.

 

You're talking about Joshua, right?

 

sure, why not.

 

Nope.
It's 3" in height, no more. Common enough in lower weight divisions. Usyk is the same height as Parker, a little taller than Whyte, and a lot taller than Ruiz. A minor advantage in theory, has never seemed one with Joshua.

4" in reach, but that's just wingspan. They're throwing punches not t-posing, how much of that is actually used in their punch technique? It's still more reach than Parker had, and much more than Ruiz had. A minor advantage. Joshua only used his reach well against Ruiz.

It's a bit under 20lbs. At heavyweight, that isn't much. Chisora had 15lbs more on him than Joshua. Wilder weighs in under Usyk's weight at his best and it never bothered him. It's a minor advantage ... if that, because I've never seen Joshua use his weight particularly well. There are plenty of heavyweights with 20+lbs on Joshua, do you think it's too much then?

And above all, do you never look at the tale of the tape for other heavyweight bouts? This is a standard size match up.

 

It’s the toughest fight of usyk’s career, hope he does well.

 

problem is, usyk has never fought vs those distances. and, even an inch of reach longer than hes used to being hit by can be the difference between a ko and a slip. thats one inch further into your skull that a punch can penetrate.

 

This is just a rephrasing of the basic assertation. What makes a 'super heavyweight' aside from the factors already dismissed?


Size is a minor advantage.


Strength is probably not relevant, Joshua doesn't really wrestle or have any kind of inside game.


Power is an advantage, but what kind of power?

Joshua doesn't usually get much done with a single punch, he has to hurt people and finish them - and often gets caught because they weren't as hurt as he thought. His power is overrated when you look at it, and might not be too effective against a guy with a great chin that covers up well like Usyk.

Usyk has a fair bit of power when he tries for it. He demolished Bellew, clearly hurt Chisora without really trying too hard, concussed the stern-chinned Dave Allen. And equally ... Joshua doesn't have the best chin as we know.

Is the power advantage really going to be so much in Joshua's favour these points considered?

 

yes. yes it is.

 

I think he’s around 4 inches taller but even a 3” advantage is significant when you factor in all the other physical considerations.

WEIGHT: 20lbs is significant no matter who we are talking about, anyone dismissing that weight difference is grasping at straws. However let’s consider how natural their two respective weights are and how it will affect their performances.

Usyk is at a career heaviest, it’s not natural for him to be 222lbs and against a bigger man he will feel those extra pounds like any other human being would. Stamina is or has been one of Usyk strengths throughout his career but he may have conceded some of that advantage by coming in heavy. When Joshua was up at 256lbs it wasn’t a natural weight for him and it crucified his stamina! Wilder came up o 233lbs for the 2nd Fury fight and again it killed his energy reserves but it also had another effect which might also affect Usyk. It took away his athletic speed, made him more leaden footed making it hard for him to close distance and get back out again.

Conversely, Joshua is way down at 240lbs, still a significant 20lbs advantage but he’s 100% at his natural weight. That will have the opposite affect to Usyk weight gain, Joshua will have faster feet, more mobility, greater stamina and will get in and out faster or even stay on the outside and use his 4” reach advantage.
If Joshua lands heavy on Usyk he can and will go to work to press his advantage but if Usyk survives that assault he won’t find an out of gas and vulnerable Joshua in front of him.

In short I think Usyk has sacrificed some of his advantages in order to cope with Joshua’s huge size advantage while on the other hand Joshua has narrowed the gap between himself and Usyk by improving his mobility, speed and endurance.

It’s a hugely intriguing fight
Usyk has unbelievable skills and ring IQ so I wouldn’t put it past him to have got this right and be at his absolute best when facing an opponent like Joshua.
On the other hand, Joshua might still be a bit gun shy and cautious which will offer Usyk an opportunity to win.

My prediction is a Joshua stoppage either late 10th or mid 11th round