Has Usky just demolished the myth of the modern superheavyweight?

Completely agree ... nothing was demolished and up till the eighth it looked like Usyk was on his way to defeat .. rounds 5, 6 and 7 may have been the most impressive and sharpest I ever saw Fury look .... by the same token in 8 and especially 9 he was badly hurt, a sight we have seen far too often, in four of his last six fights Fury has taken serious punishment and I'd hate to see him end up punchy ...

 

He has great reflexes and mobility, but even at his best he was getting tagged (much like Ali). But he's got very little tread left on the tyres at this point. He shouldn't be trusting in those reflexes at all and rather box more orthodoxly.

 

It would be interesting to know if you scored with pen and paper

 

Yurp. My scorecard is still on my desk, right next to me.

 

You gave round one to Fury?

 

Just watched it again, and Fury still shaded it. Sorry, bro.

If it helps, I do think the right man was awarded the fight. I've got no complaint with the decision.

 

Size in the heavyweight division is fanboy criteria. Great skill and speed trumps size every day in the week. Fury was never a highly skilled heavyweight.

 

Well, you see, that’s a preconception that it was Fury’s fight to lose.

When it wasn’t going his way and he did ultimately lose, that preconception then gives rise to closing one eye and looking for anything one can conjure up as being the wrong move by Fury.

Uysk has a lost a step or two by the way guys, not just Fury.

In terms of excuses, it’s somewhat Tysonesque given all the ifs, buts and maybes employed to crutch Fury.

For some, the Ngannou fight was all about Fury being complacent, lacking focus and not being properly conditioned.

But the word was, “look out” when a duly focused and properly conditioned Fury got into the ring….well, we got that, Fury at 262 lbs and focused - but definitely carrying nerves.

So there it was, the prepackaged Fury, ready to go - the version that many believed would get the job done.

We arrived at this fight coming later in the piece than it should’ve - due to Fury, not Usyk.

Fury didn’t want this fight IF he could have avoided it without incurring significant discredit to his rep or IF Usyk had been beaten by someone else during the interim - he most certainly would’ve avoided this match up.

Fury clowns in a lot of fights - many fighters have done same, including Ali - it’s a sidebar and not in lieu of their not taking the opportunity or having the ability to do better work during the fight.

Fury’s address of Usyk’s body was fine and not deficient - Olek’s body simply didn’t shatter as many speculated it would. Fury also let a few stray on or partially below the belt line..of course.

Of course I have to rewatch but based on the one time live viewing, I have Usyk winning the first 3 rounds.

He was punching more purposefully than usual and keeping Fury honest - so much so he was moving Fury around and navigated him to the corner on several occasions, allowing Olek to unload.

Something wrong with Fury’s nose? Yeah, Usyk belted him squarely on that nose on multiple occasions, including in the very early rounds.

It’s a bit strange to isolate Fury’s issue with his nose from the fact the Usyk’s punches caused that issue.

Fury wasn’t complacent. I thought he fought the best he could at this stage of his career.

Fury said same at the post fight presser, that he fought his best - but NO, I won’t pretend he didn’t say other things to contradict himself - such as suggesting that he probably shouldn’t have clowned like he did -

I’d hate to think anyone is being led by Fury’s own post fight excuses of the woeful UK commentary.

I didn’t perceive Fury as necessarily dominating and taking control either in the mid rounds - if he thought he thought he really had Usyk nearly gone, he would’ve gone harder IF it was appropriate - Fury knew better.

Sure, Usyk had a not so good two rounds or so - this can happen without it necessarily rubber stamping a one way momentum shift.

Usyk already had round 9 of the Joshua rematch to recommend that he wasn’t going to spiral down under heavy fire.

As to round 9 being a game changer. Usyk had already won the preceding round - after Fury’s so called domination. He built up to what went down in round 9.

It’s not like Usyk hasn’t been known to bring it even harder in the later rounds against his bigger opposition.

I don’t see it as necessarily a game changer - as if it was some random moment of fortune for Usyk that turned the fight - it was part of the WHOLE game - that Usyk himself brought to the table - as he has done before.

If being supported by the ropes constitutes a KD - then the ref could’ve called same several times prior to when he actually did step in.

The ref gave Fury a significant benefit of the doubt - imo, the ref had already let the ship sail on KD - he had put himself in the position to either allow Usyk to keep punching OR stop the fight..but instead, for all intents and purposes, he actually did save Fury.

I noticed too that the ref held Fury’s arm and partially walked him back to the corner after round 9 - is that strictly kosher - particularly after he ran his checks to ensure that Fury was okay to continue under his own steam?

Usyk shot his load somewhat in round 9 to put Fury out, a well managed output with a measure of risk involved in terms of stamina required - and he wasn’t duly rewarded with the TKO.

I was wanting Usyk to win but watched the fight in all objectivity.

When I get to rewatch it I’ll happily modify or even about face on any on any original observations that don’t fit with a second viewing.

For now, I’ll say that it was at least 4 point victory margin for Usyk imo.

Undisputed is pretty special…especially after 25 long years.

I wonder if we make an exception on this occasion to have a thread for Classic Members to post their scorecards and scoring qualifications if they’re so inclined?

 

Thats an absurd statement. Size matters in every division. The only reason the fight was so competitive and could of went either was was because of Fury’s huge size advantage w his talent.

 

Excellent point on Usyk as he has clearly lost at least a step. Slower and fatigue.

 

Usyk may not be small compared to the upper echelon 70s fighters but we shouldn’t build him up to be bigger than he actually is - keep it tight.

In reality, Olek is about 6’2 to 6’2 1/2”. His optimal weight, as per available event weights fighting as a CW, was about 210-215 lb sans exaggerated inflation. By all means, correct me if I’m wrong.

Suffice to say, many freaked when Usyk’s weight was incorrectly announced as 233 1/2 lbs - well above his usual 221 lbs at HW. Why freak? Because Olek was already well pushing the boundaries of his natural frame at 221 lbs.

Big sighs of relief for many when his weight was corrected to 223 1/2 lbs.

Foreman was already up around 228/229 lbs in his mid to later 20s during his first career. In Usyk, we’re obviously not talking a fighter who has consistently fought at 223 1/2 lbs his whole career - to date, at age 37, it’s his HIGHEST weight.

There were quite a few 70s HWs who were rubber stamped as being 6’3” and fighting in the realm of 220 + lbs.

I’m not sure how a poll would’ve necessarily gone re Fury vs Ali.

I don’t agree, but anecdotally I’ve read many who would’ve favoured Fury - perhaps just a happenstance sampling I’ve stumbled across?

As I’ve read it, the myth of the SHW is that they are all conquering and all preclusive.

So yes, in that particular frame, Usyk has busted that myth, not just against Fury but also against AJ (x2).

Even if Fury won a rematch, that particular myth was and is still busted - and, busted in one of the most significant/important HW Title fights in 25 years.

 

Weight matters in the lower weight divisions where 5 lbs can be meaningful. At heavyweight much less so.

Fury beat an ancient Wlad and a Wilder who never learned to fight. He could not get by a much smaller but very skillful Usyk. In the return Usyk will stop Fury. Fury is “Mr Roundhouse”. Only fighter I have ever openly laughed at for his ineptitude and shook my head as to how far heavyweight boxing has fallen. Hopefully with Usyk in the spotlight this division will start favoring speed and real boxing skill over WWF size.

 

Nice cope. That's a lot of dancing around the facts of the fighter who actually entered the ring last night against a spent force in Fury. But if it helps you limp along some narrative that seems silly to people actually watching the sport, you go, girl!

 

Usyk is not like any other 6-3, 220 pound fighter and just because he does something does not mean that some other guy his size could. He is a highly skilled southpaw with one of the best amateur careers ever. In addition Usyk is conditioned better than most boxers. He has tremendous stamina, he is stronger than most boxers. I've seen him on video walking on his hands and doing 20 pull ups. I can't think of any other heavyweight boxer who could do either. His boxing skills and footwork are as good as it gets. Usyk has almost nothing in common with any boxer of his size who came along before him, he is a unique combination of skill, experience, and conditioning.