Would Usyk Be A Stylistic Nightmare For Ali?

Big part of Ali's game was getting inside the opponents head before the ring, much like Fury. One thing about Usyk, I don't think anyone could disagree with, his mental stability and robustness is second to none.
As for the styles, tricky! Usyk is a fast learner, takes just 4 or 5 rounds to work out a way in and begin dismantling an opponents strategy.
Ali's movement and punch resistance would take Usyk to the limit. His head movement while on the ropes dodged
thousands of potentially fight ending strikes during his career.
A difficult one, look up pugilist in the dictionary it should really have both of their names in there.

 

If a time machine could bring Muhammad and Oleksandr together in the ring,Stagger Lee - let it be when the night is clear and the moon is yellow. After the fight the leaves would come tumbling down.

A perfect backdrop.

 

Would be a chessmatch kind of bout. Muhammad's speed would make the difference.

 

This is a hard matchup to evaluate. They are both tricky, smart fighters with excellent footwork. Usyk I think has the better angles, the better fighting brain and more power. Ali had the speed and the fluidity and reflexes. I think Usyk translates better to fighting bigger men than Ali does but whether that means he'd whoop Ali himself is another question.

 

Ali was a stylistic nightmare for everyone he fought because of his incredible hand and foot speed plus will to win. Uysk is a nightmare matchup for everyone one as well for his footwork, angles, versatility and will to win.

We could all go back and fourth all day about who would win but at the end of the day, I'm just excited to see a guy like Uysk at heavyweight these days. It's tough to evaluate him against guys like Ali who I believe only fought one southpaw in his career. There simply wasn't guys like Uysk in his day. That doesn't mean he couldn't adjust to Uysk but he certainly would have trouble using his jab against him. Conversely, Uysk doesn't have anyone like Ali in his era. Both were and are special.

 

No Ali wouldn't have any issues with Usyk.
In fact , what Ali could do was perfect to
counter southpaws.
That's the lead right hand, and quick
feet.
Ali would be able to land his lead right
and follow up jabs and hooks almost
at will against a fighter like Usyk .
and wouldn't be there waiting on
a receipt.
Usyk really isn't that much better
than Mildenberger or Dunn.
It only appears he is because of
weak competition.

 

It’s amazing. Usyk beats Fury and Joshua and now is an atg heavyweight. It makes you wonder how long some of these people have actually followed boxing.

 

I think he would give any fighter that has lived fits tbh. If it was a particularly tricky style for Ali... Hard to say, Mildenberger gave him some difficulties, so maybe.

 

Absolutely a good southpaw would take away his jab and Ali was always vulnerable to a good jab and a good hook which Usyk has in spades. His speed might trouble Usyk in the beginning but eventually he would adjust and I think figure out Ali and win a close but clear decision.

 

I've long thought that the Ukrainian could have given Ali nightmares.
But he would get the decision win, Ali was the more explosive of the two

It would, mate. Very much chess like.
Definitely one of the tougher opponent's for Muhammad imo.

 

They jump on the "bandwagon".
Only a few yrs ago, Joshua and Fury
would've been "Too Big" for past ATG's.
Wilder would ko every heavyweight
in history prior to 2000.
Now it's Usyk's who is seen as some
prototypical savant.
And he clearly isn't .
Just who he's fighting is the key
difference....

 

Tbf Briedis, Gassiev, Hunter et al would all be HWs, big ones, in previous eras.

And the win over Dubois has aged like fine wine. Add a fringe contender like Chisorna in the mix and he has beaten 10+ decent to very good fighters above 175 lbs.

So it's not Bowe, where we're looking at really one win.

 

Uysk has done more than just that. Casual fans will say that's all he did but people that are in the know will say he went 335 -15 as an amateur and won Olympic gold plus he cleaned out a very solid cruiserweight division that was full of killers that most casuals never heard of before moving on to Heavyweight and beating the two best heavyweights of the last 10 years or so.

 

Yes a small heavyweight beating skilled superheavyeeights is impressive af