Oleksandr Usyk vs Muhammad Ali primes

From 1965 to about 1975, Ali beats any version of Usyk.
It would go from no competition for Ali in the 60's , to a competitive fight by 1975, but even that version of Ali would still be good enough to beat Usyk.
In the 60's say 66 to 67 Ali picks the round, and gets it done.

 

Ali has a lot of obstacles to overcome stylistically here that he never has before; an elite heavyweight southpaw with an intense workrate, excellent IQ, cardio and great toughness.

Granted, this doesn’t mean I’d favour Usyk. Ali definitely could’ve overcame these attributes given how frequently he overcame adversity at the high level in the past. I’ll just refrain from picking altogether.

 

Just to remind everyone Ali beat Patterson, Liston, Foreman, Frazier, these are great Heavyweights 3 of them amongst the top 10 Heavyweights of all time.

Usyk beating Fury and Joshua are good wins based on the size difference but neither are anywhere close to great IMO they're simply good fighters.

Fury has had so many poor performances despite being a big guy I'm amazed how fans now think beating Fury who arguably should've had 4 losses on his record already to McDermott, MMA fighter, and just about scrapped through the likes of Wilder, Wallin. That beating Fury makes Usyk a Heavyweight GOAT it's baffling to me quite frankly.

Don't get me wrong I like Usyk he's a throwback to the older smaller skillful Heavyweights but the hype he gets is sometimes a bit much.....you have people saying he's higher ranked than the likes of Mayweather, Pacquiao, which is outrageous to me.

 

I agree he’s a bit overrated. But in truth, whoever the sitting heavyweight champion is they always get that kind of hype. In thirty years someone’s going to be saying “ I can’t believe this guy ( insert name ) is being compared to the likes of the great Oleksandr Usyk. Usyk would kill this guy. “

 

Ali came in at an extremely fit, trim and competition ready 220 (about five pounds less than at Manila) just six weeks after Young for southpaw Dunn, and after giving the Munich spectators a bit of a show to display his legs and demonstrate Young was an anomaly and that he'd lost nothing from Manila if in prime condition, he went directly to his darting right lead.

He'd already been the first HW Champion to ever defend against a southpaw challenger, but overthought and wasn't sure how to deal with Mildenberger in Frankfurt, resulting in a much harder and longer fight for him than it needed to be.

For his return to Germany for the second southpaw challenger of the HW Title, he showed how much he'd learned since Mildenberger, and good luck stopping those lead right lighting bolts.

Put southpaw Usyk in place of southpaw Dunn in 1976, you might not see a stoppage by the GOAT, but you wouldn't have gotten a competitive performance by Usyk either. By the 1970's, Ali knew exactly how to deal with a southpaw, and would've kept the left hook to the body he used so much on Mildenberger at home. Nor would he have bothered dancing clockwise. All he needed was his right lead.

 

Feel like I've seen this thread before with the same arguments so I'll say what I say all the time Usyk is all wrong for Ali, who's used to beating up smaller flatfooted brawlers not crafty technical southpaws, so I'll favor Usyk by points by exploiting Ali's technical flaws and lack of defense besides his reflexes.

 

As I always say when this subject comes up, prime Usyk was at cruiserweight. It would be a good fight but Usyk doesn't have speed and quickness to stay with Ali and he doesn't have the power to really hurt him. Ali by decision.

BTW, heavyweight Usyk is much too slow and would never beat a prime Ali.

 

Its not impossible but remember Usyk has never faced a fighter as fast as Ali.

Bredis, Gassiev, Bellew and Huck did not have anywhere near the speed of Ali.

Ali will also be able to throw and land lead right hands without being countered since his hands were so quick.

Its not an easy fight for either man.

 

how dare we compare the greatest heavyweight of his generation to the greatest heavyweight of other generations!…

 

Yeah Usyk´s speed is really similar to Liston´s (i´d say his style is kind of reminiscent), and to beat Ali that does not cut it.
But maybe because Ali is 215ish Usyk is allowed to stay more trim

 

Take off the nostalgia goggles old man

60 years of the sport, nutrition, training, and technique advancing. Ali at a weight disadvantage. Usyk beats men 60 lbs above him, and he gets to fight a 60s dude who's lighter than him?? Good god.

 

And yet Breidis gave him his toughest fight who is Cruiserweight sized which means size isn't everything in regards to skills.

 

Usyk has had tougher match ups with men his own size than larger ones.

The advantages Usyk has vs Fury (speed, work rate etc.) do not hold up when fighting Ali.

Sports do not evolve in perpetuity. By the time Ali turned pro in 1960, virtually every technique that modern fighters use had been developed and perfected. Boxing had already been around for 68 years at this point.
heavier
There is no major size difference. Ali was 6'3 and about 213-215 lbs at his peak. Usyk is merely 6-8 lbs heavier.

Put footage of them side to side. Who has the quicker hands? Who has the quicker feet? Even cruiserweight Usyk wasn't as quick.

Do i believe Ali would win every round? Nope. But this idea that because Usyk can dominate heavier guys who can't keep up with his work rate does not mean he would dominate guys his own size with ease. Please see Usyk-Bredis. Usyk had to go life and death with a guy who could match his work rate.

I love Usyk. He is GREAT. But sports do not evolve in perpetuity. They evolve for 30-50 years but after that point, every technique possible has been developed.

 

Ali and Usyk are roughly the same size.

 

And Ali has never faced a technical southpaw like Usyk while being hit by slower fighters then Usyk because of his technical shortcomings so.........