Is Usyk a top 10 HW of all time...?

They haven't proved they are standouts in their own eras due to their poor resumes

 

I'd take Bruno to spark AJ.

 

Seems like a weird nitpick but okay sure when two high level guys fight it usually is a competitive fight but he still won them all clearly which says a lot about his skills

 

I think this is a bad take

 

Interesting that about 60% have him in the top 15. A few more wins and some time to marinate, and I think we'll get there.

 

Much is said about Usyk and his CW opponents coming in at 210-220 lbs by fight time but where is the hard data for this across the board?

This was discussed some time back and “second”, on the day weigh ins weren’t necessarily conducted for all CW matches - it might’ve depended on the state and presiding athletic commission IIRC.

Don’t get me wrong, there is some data available and I think?? Usyk’s top rehydrated weight might’ve been somewhere in the vicinity of 214 - 214 1/2 - ??

Some had previously estimated Olek’s fight night weight to be as high as 220 - but that belief also didn’t gel with his initial weights when he first began competing at HW, weights that were that bit less than 220 lbs when Olek obviously didn’t need to dry out.

Suffice to say, it def. appeared that Usyk did some express building up of his physical self as his HW career continued.

His actual weight for Fury 2, sans being fully clothed, was likely between 221-223 lbs. Fury himself was probably more likely in the 274-275 lbs range sans his clothing apparel.

As to Usyk’s CW opponents, some weren’t necessarily drying out to make weight, coming into their fights at around their weigh in weight or not too much above.

I could be wrong on a few points here but these are some things I recollect from the prior discussion - a few features that HL the problems with trying to fuse his CW record with his record in the properly identified and regulated HW division.

 

First up i don't give his cruiserweight wins one iota of credit at Heavyweight. P4P (and as a cruiser) however those wins obviously prop him up big time.

I'd have him top 20. Where inside that right now i don't know. The man is still fighting, and fighting at a high level. What if, in the unlikely event, a guy like Parker nips a decision over him and shows stylistically he might have more trouble with the "smaller" more mobile heavyweights of today than the monsters? Obviously this would be a huge stretch at this point but therein lay the dangers of forgetting foreplay. There wouldn't be enough egg in the world after such an event.

If he whoops the winner of Parker - Dubois then adds one or two more credible wins (say Zhang being one of them) then he's certainly raising his status and if he then retired undefeated this status would rise with time.

 

That's a huge overestimation only the first Fury fight was "fairly close" and even then it was probably 8-4/7-5 with a knockdown which is a clear win all the rest were clear wins and not close at all

 

Big Bang is always a dangerous prospect…for two or so rounds.

Possibly also for the ensuing rounds but so much less so.

You’ve got to be actually be throwing punches to to be dangerous, lol.

Zhang’s output is a Compubox operator’s dream.

Preload about 4 punches average per round and you’ll be pretty much on target.

But seriously, at least early, I think Usyk would have to be extremely careful. Zhang has very fast and accurate hands and picks his power punches very well.

Big Bang might want to cut out a few of his usual, solitary 10 course Chinese banquets to lose a few lbs - if only to increase his viable longevity by an extra 2 rounds or so.

Aside from boxing, a very likeable dude

Big Bang and Olek would likely not talk up a preflight storm comprised of edgy smack.

Big Bang: “I bang”

Olek: “I’m very feel”

A smiley “face off” following that.

Press conference over.