I have been interested in cross-era comparisons and I was wondering what cruiserweights people would put in a top 20 list of guys active from 2011 to 2019 if ranking on ability rather than accomplishments. For example Steve Cunningham didn't do much during this period but one could maybe argue he was top 20 based on ability if we use the 2011/12 version.
1. Usyk 2. Okolie 3. Breidis 4. Hunter 5. Huck 6. Gassiev 7. Guillermo Jones 8. Yoan Pablo Hernandez 9. Tarver 10. Dorticos 11. Bellew 12. Lebedev 13. Wlod 14. Glowacki 15. Makabu 16. Firat 17. Drozd 18. Tabiti 19. Afolabi 20. Mchunu Basically, it's a bunch of musical chairs after the top 6.
1. Usyk. 2. Briedis. 3. Drozd. 4. Jones. 5. Lebedev. 6. Cunningham. 7. Huck. 8. Gassiev 9. Wlodarzyk. 10. Hernandez. 11. Arslan. 12. Afolabi. 13. Tarver. 14. Mchunu. 15. Makabu. 16. Glowacki. 17. Ramirez. 18. Goulamirian. 19. Bellew. 20. Fragomeni. Here is something I conjured up quickly. Feel free to critic it if you want.
I feel like his prime ended at heavyweoght in 2015, but ths cruiserweight list gets so ambiguous that he easily could be included.
10 - Ola Afolabi 09 - Krzysztof Wlodarczyk 08 - Yuniel Dorticos 07 - Krzysztof Glowacki 06 - Mairis Briedis 05 - Yoan Pablo Hernandez 04 - Denis Lebedev 03 - Marco Huck 02 - Murat Gassiev 01 - Denis Lebedev
Well if it's on ability, he showed his class against Takam, Jennings and Aduosalamov, albeit at heavy and losing a close one in Riga against Briedis proved his cruiser credentials, I doubt that 10 cruisers would defeat him, never mind 20...now on resume, that's a different matter.