Is usyk the greatest European boxer of all time

Top of my head he's number 1
At least in more modern times

 

Guys with great knowledge on older boxers could be handy here.

My only criticism of Uysk his relatively small number of fights at heavyweight.

 

My lil bro Robert James Fitzsimmons, disputes the claim that Usyk is greatest European boxer of all time.

That said Mr Usyk does show some ability at this pugilisim game and does outshine my bro with hisskills.

 

He has strong competition but I think I'd have him number 1 when you factor in that we can't see much footage of fighters like Wilde.

There's the likes of Jimmy Wilde, Ted Kid Lewis, Bob Fitzsimmons, Jimmy Mclarnin. Lennox Lewis, Joe Calzaghe, Ken Buchanan, Nino Benvenuti, Marcel Cerdan, Wladimir Klitschko, Vasily Lomachenko

 

He might be if you exclude the Brits

 

Of the Television era, he must certainly be.

 

Jimmy McLarnin, Nino Benvenuti, Bob Fitzsimmons, & Jimmy Wilde are my personal favourites.. Usyk is a modern day great though undoubtedly... but i can't rank him over HOFers like McLarnin.. who apart from Harry Greb beat more HOFers than anybody else in history... & the more i learn about Ol Bob the more impressed i am too..

Prime fitzsimons didn't weigh much more than 160lbs but was knocking out HWs, he was a freak. I'll give you an idea of how great he was from a top poster in the classic:

Boxers instinctively know when they are sharing the company of greatness.. The legendary Joe Gans claimed that he learned virtually all of his boxing skills from Fitzsimmons. What Joe saw fascinated him. He believed Fitz to be the master strategist of the ring, in a league of his own. He was cunning, versatile and thought out every punch and manoeuvre. Here's a great article on Bobs Genius:

https://www.boxing247.com/weblog/archives/121992

 

On a head to head sense, yes I'd suggest Usyk may be the best European HW of all time.

May need to do a bit more on a record/legacy sense though.

 

You reckon he beats Lewis? Highly doubt it

 

He's been in the discussion since Joshua II and it's now a done deal for me. He's ahead of Lewis.

 

I'd favour Lewis, but I think of him as Canadian first and p4p I would put usyk ahead

He only became British again to kick-start his pro career

 

No love here for Jean Pierre Coopman, The lion of Flanders?

As much as I like Usyk, surely we can agree Wlad has a more robust HW resume than Ussie, who after DDD II will have fought only 3 men in 6 years? Or are we calling Wlad Central Asian due to being born in Kazakhstan? Yes I know Usyk was CW champ.

Jimmy Wildes resume looks wild (pardon the pun) and way fuller than Olex.