Can we straight up say Usyk is the 2nd greatest Cruiserweight?

But Gassijew wouldn't be pronounced as Gassiev in English, which is my point. Fair enough if that's how it's spelt in the original language, but Russian uses a Cyrillic alphabet so any transcription can be spelt any way one likes, and it makes sense to spell it in the closest way in which it would be pronounced in the target language.

 

Can’t we wait until a guy has more fights before comparing home to ATGs? That seems to be the trend but I’m not interested. I don’t even like speculating about Usyk’s chances against top HWs. He is the most skilled guy in the division but he’s giving up serious size to the big boys. Let’s see how this plays out and look back to see how he ranks against historic greats. I’m a fan but that’s a very unfair standard.

I remember when LeBron first came into the league. Lots of people were comparing him to MJ. Same thing happened when Kobe came into the league. I didn’t like it and never got into debates or arguments. In the end, my opinion wasn’t going to be changed and my arguments weren’t going to change anyone else’s opinion. I’d rather enjoy watching these guys and appreciate what they bring to the game individually.

Boxing isn’t a team sport so it’s easier to make these comparisons. Since Usyk has already cleared out CW, it’s tempting to compare him to historical greats. Evander was really something at cruiser. He had a head like a bowling ball and a super human gastank. Usyk might get there someday but he’s got a long way to go before we can compare his accomplishments with any ATG’s.

 

I don't think you understand the concept of greatness in a single division.

 

Hmm Evander beat Qawi twice, James Tillis, Ossie Ocasio, Carlos De Leon and Rickey Parkey. It's a pretty good run.
Usyk beat Glowacki, Briedis, Huck, Bellew, Gassiev, Hunter and Mchunu. It's very hard to split the pair but I'd give it to Usyk based on the larger number of top cruiserweights he beat.

 

What are the letters that make the J and W sounds?

 

Who were the most accomplished cruiserweights Usyk beat at cruiserweight?

 

Right now, It's Gassiev. Might change, depending on the outcome of the WBSS-2 final.

 

I really don't think there are any "great cruiserweights". Any that are considered great now are so based on their work in other divisions. Hard to make a case for greatness if you've only ever competed in a division that is widely considered a farm division for heavyweight

 

For those who say we just need to focus on cruiserweight accomplishments, I don't know why Michael Hunter keeps showing up in the list of BIG cruiserweight wins for Usyk.

Hunter had 12 fights. He was unrated by the WBO when he fought Usyk. And he beat no one of note at cruiserweight. He seems to have been added based on his wins at heavyweight after the Usyk fight.

Hell, Henry Tillman was the #1 WBA contender and an Olympic Gold Medalist when Evander destroyed him in a cruiserweight title defense. And people don't even bring him up.

How many #1 rated Olympic Gold medalists did Usyk defend against at cruiserweight.

 

You mean with Brieidis?

 

Between Briedis and Dorticos.

 

You are probably right. As a cruiser, Usyk is probably better than Evander. Evander’s biggest win at cruiser was against Qawi and he was a midget. Why didn’t he fight Spinks? Didn’t they fight at the same weight during the timeframe? Usyk unified the division and was a more impressive Cruiser. Evander had a surprisingly good run at HW and it remains to be seen if Usyk will come close to his greatness. Looking back, you can make a strong case for Usyk being second or even first in the division. Cruiser is a tweener division like SMW and isn’t as prestigious as HW or even LHY in my opinion. After consideration, I changed my mind.

 

Well by that rationale I could call Gassiev Evander Holyfield, but no one would know WTF I was talking about.

There's a degree of give and take here. Spelling Klitschko Klychko is fair enough, but Tschagajew for Chagaev is just being difficult for the sake of it.

 

Deffo top 2. Completely cleared out the division and did it in style in his opponents native country each time. Class

 

So what's up now?