If shot Fury beats peak Usyk, where does he rank?

Fury is clearly not shot his performance vs Usyk was his best performance in years and it was his lightest weight in years also.

Usyk is older than Fury both men are past their best but Fury has advantages in height and size.

If Fury beats Usyk he'd be amongst the top 20 Heavyweights.

 

He's almost 38, and past his best, though still great. He is much like Ali in that he has entered a sort of second, more rugged and physical prime, but that won't last, either.

 

Both Fury & Usyk are shot

When you no longer can train at even 90% you're shot. When you're young and sexy (like me) you don't have to worry about injury and how hard you train and that's all Usyk & Fury are thinking about is how hard they can push it in camp. Not very is the answer. A shot joint is a shot joint.

Neither are coming to the rematch "more ready"...they look like they've trained less and are going to rely on their big boxing brains to get the job done. It's going to be hard for both down the stretch.

 

I think these Fury fans are getting "shot" and "past their prime" mixed up here.

If you're still competing at a high level then you're clearly not shot it's that simple.

Shot is clearly RJJ getting one shotted by the likes of Glen Johnson and Tyson losing to the likes of Kevin McBride. Fury competing with the best Heavyweight in the world in one of his best performances of his career is not shot my guy.

 

He's not going to beat Usyk twice, though. He's not even going to beat him once.

You could probably throw Wallin on that list, who himself is a pretty decent contender with wins over Brezeale and Gassiev. Kingpin Johnson, who had something left when Fury fought him, rounds out the top ten.

 

Usyk & Fury are so far ahead of their peers that even when they're in a casket they'll still be able to beat them.

 

Usyk, Klitschko and Wilder is the most impressive resume for either of the big three. Wont happen tough, he will gas out again next month.

 

I liked your quote but 'm gonna qualify my feelings here. He's a great fighter. But....I'm going to contradict myself a little here in things I've said in other threads. For some ungodly reason Marciano always has haters despite never being defeated. The inevitable claim that always comes up is it was a weak era. My reply has always been, can't blame the fighter. he took all available and beat all available. Had Fury done the same, I'd make the same argument. Unfortunately he did not. Furthermore, once Wilder started to take on real challenges, I feel he to has been exposed as what we all really thought. Great right hand, but can't box. Hence the trilogy was one of the most exciting but IMO far from the greatest given that one of the guys just isn't very good and still almost won 2 of the 3. All this to say, Fury will go down as a very good fighter. If he had beaten Usyk, I'd make same argument for him as Marciano, but....he didn't. Hence IMO, he'll go down as a very good fighter and the trilogy will go down as exciting but not historical like Ali Frazier, Holyfield / Bowe, etc. Wilder just doesn't qualify for it IMO. As for him v. Lewis, couldn't agree w/ you more. To steal a quote from the great Muhammad Ali, if anyone even dreams Fury beats Lewis they better wake up and apologize. It's just not the same caliber of fighter, era, resume, etc.

 

Neither is shot but Fury is clearly more past it.

 

Fury is still what he has always been, a conman and world class cherry picking dodger.

 

yet fury has ducked them all.

 

In all fairness, only duck was Klitschko rematch, and that had some extenuating circumstances.

Ducked by Haye. Fought Klitschko. Fought Wilder three times. Tried to get Joshua and was ordered by a court to fight Wilder again. Fought #1 contender Whyte. And, yes, when they wheeled truckloads of money in front of him, he fought Usyk.

Now, he could have fought a dozen lesser guys at appropriate times and had a much better resume than he does. There were fights on the table with Price, Thompson, and even Bellew wanted him. I am sure there were a ton of offers that we don't know about. But he has ended up taking the big ones.

 

I think the question is flawed. Fury isn't shot and Usyk isn't peak. Both are in their mid-late 30s and nearing the end. No-one can be peak at this point, although I do think Usyk has more left in the tank.
But, do you know what? Fury should have fought him sooner.
And didnt.