Usyk just show that the Heavyweight era is weak

I don't know if we've ever seen a heavyweight like Usyk. Highly skilled, insane gas tank, and great chin (I think...very few land a solid punch).

 

I don't think so. It's a pretty strong division at the moment. Plenty of skilled fighters who can do a full 12 at a decent pace. This isn't always the case.

 

What does being a big star have to do with how great fighter is? This is why AJ and Fury are overrated people have bias towards them due to their fame and media attention, it`s the most irritating thing.

 

I think the division is in a much better than when Wilder, AJ and Fury were the top stars but skillwise I don`t think there`s much depth, a number of big bangers though and a few with nifty hand speed, better than the Wlad era anyway.

 

Well they are certainly not faster now don`t know who was saying that, in fact Fury`s bulk made him slower than in his first fight vs Usyk, he hardly moved in there.

 

Because this is not amateur boxing, it's professional boxing and part of that is being an entertainer and revenue generation.

 

Nonesense, if a fighter generates more money than Usyk but isn`t great in the ring then he`s an all-time great, this isn`t WWE.

 

I feel USYK is a once in a lifetime boxer. I’ve been following the sport, real time, for over 44 years and never, ever witnessed a HW like him.

This Division always gets very HOT or very cold more frequently than most above 147 so maybe just enjoy the moments while we have the special guy.

 

Of course, just like he's a huge star in the region of the world he comes from. That's normal behavior. Just like the Europeans down US fighters and support Europeans. If he was African, he would be a huge star in Africa.

 

You have to a bit more specific, Africa is a very diverse continent, I don`t think Egyptians would give a crap about a Ghanain boxer or a South Africa caring about a Nigerian boxer etc.

 

I agree with this to a certain extent. Not only does Usyk not have a very long run at heavyweight (only 7 fights) he hasnt really dominated his competition.

 

He dominated AJ and beat the guy considered the best in the division, you`re nit-picking.

 

Since moving up to heavyweight Usyk has
Dominated a tune-up fill in opponent
Struggled with a gatekeeper
Dominated a champion (Champ had a dumb gameplan)
Beat a champion in a clear but competitive fight
Dominated a contender (low blow controversy but I dont believe it was a low blow + Usyk made Dubious quit)
Competetive but clear win over Fury
Close win over Fury

This isnt dominating. Its consistently winning.

 

Or it could be that Usyk is just that good. I picked Fury to win both fights, but each time Usyk was just that 1% better. Both Fury and Usyk would be very competitive in basically any era imo.

 

Could be a mix of the two. Heavyweight is just a hard division to gauge because they aren't as skilled as the lower weights, but their bulk and different styles just make them a very different types of fighters to analyze. At welterweight just about everyone is the same size so you are mostly comparing speed and skills. At heavyweight their heights and weights vary much more, and the styles they fight may work, but also unappealing to watch. Just using Tyson Fury as an example, he fought a weird herky jerky, out pointing style, sometimes he would lean on opponents. So he was not pretty to watch by any stretch of the imagination, but he was effective, and it was a style/skill based on his body type. Usyk fought more like the lower weights, with speed, counters and angles, and he was definitely more skilled, but it wasn't evident if his style was going to work against the bigger guys. It obviously worked and he was definitely much better than the top heavy's AJ and Fury. However if I was going to compare his boxing style and brain to say a Lomachenko I would probably rate Lomachenko as better skill wise straight up. He tested his skills against a variety of opponents across multiple weight classes before aging out. Usyk has had two divisions and lesser skilled opponents (by comparison), but he now has bragging rights to being the most dominant champion in a shorter amount of time than any other boxer. So that just makes it's minefield to compare boxers across eras based on skills.

For me I try and make it simpler and just compare accomplishments. Usyk achieved being the undisputed champion and beat the best fighters in his division so I give him a lot of credit for that. There hasn't been a heavyweight to unify the division since Lennox Lewis, and Usyk got the extra belts as well. Trying to compare the divisions across eras beyond that is subjective, so the objective achievements are much more important to me.