... all of the guys that were claiming that today's super heavyweights would destroy people like Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Joe Louis, Etc, have gone quiet. I would like to thank Mr Usyk for proving that skills pay the bills and that the smaller good fighters can handle the larger decent guys. Seems the mammoth - backers are still convinced that the mammoths would destroy the smaller great heavies, like Jack Johnson, Marciano, Frazier, Etc. My opinion is that all of these smaller heavies, and many more of them, would slap the crap out of everyone around nowadays, and I mean everyone. Okay, old man rant over LOL
We have to take into account Usyk is better than the vast majority of those guys, but yes Super heavyweights have been grossly overrated. For example Federico Pacheco is a heavyweight prospect and struggled with a 190 pounder more than he has against other big guys. This is physical evidence smaller guys can compete if they just mover up and challenged themselves. The real question is what would the heavyweight landscape look like if all light heavyweights and cruiserweights just moved up to heavyweight. It would change drastically imo This content is protected
And again... 4:41, Anthony Joshua explains why he's not as good as Rocky Marciano... This content is protected Marciano throws about 94 punches in the 15th against Ezzard Charles... This content is protected
Can I point out Usyk's WSB accomplishments? WSB fights don't count on boxrec, but they were fought under pro rules. His first six non-amateur fights were for WSB, one per month, under pro rules, where he fought at heavyweight, won all six matches (including an absolute pummeling of Joe Joyce). All six opponents were superheavies, and Usyk was about 205lbs. Literally the FIRST thing he did in a ring after the amateurs was beating six superheavies in a row. That right there should have been a bit of an answer to "can a 70's sized guy compete?" Appeared then the answer was yes. And he's solidified it as yes.
I would just like to point out that almost 2/3 of posters believe that the WSB fights count towards Usyk's legacy as important fights: https://www.boxingforum24.com/threa...lishments-to-contribute-to-his-legacy.735882/ Also like to point out to him that the only guy who won a round off Usyk in WSB was the six-foot-flat Mihai Nistor, the smallest of the six, who busted up Usyk good in the third and almost turned the fight around: This content is protected
Not sure about light heavyweights but some cruiserweights could be interesting. The light heavyweights might be fighting beyond there comfort zone and also most light heavyweights are also shorter than 6'0.
It's amusing to hear the evolutionists try to rationlise Usyk beating Fury. The argument now has to hinge on Usyk being just flatout better, or - this is good for a chuckle - the fact/theory he was slightly bigger than the likes of Ali and Foreman. If true it's by the most neglible of margins. The reality is, as the OP underlined, bigger is not always better. Fury made a mostly sorry bunch look slow. He'd be lumbering next to a 60s Ali. Gravity exacts a toll on the giants. Fury's famed stamina, again, was in contrast to those who blow a gasket after three minutes honest work. Usyk held him to a pace and he didn't like it. He cracked. To every claim that Fury is too big for the likes of Frazier, you could just as easily say he'd be too easy to hit.
Marciano's no bigger than todays light heavyweights and we don't see them moving up and having success at heavyweight
Yes, but we don't see today's LHWs throwing 94 punches in the 15th round of a fight...I mean, there are no more 15 rounders, but you get what I am saying. That is the thing. Everyone makes it about whether Marciano could "handle" a modern heavy. There is very little evidence that anyone fighting today outside of Usyk could handle Marciano. Fury, #2 of the era, "won" the Ngannou fight with 12 jabs, and in some fights throws 8-16 punches a round. GTFOH saying he is going to effortlessly keep the human buzzsaw with destructive two-fisted power off of him with any kind of ease or certainty. And don't even come at me about the reach, because Marciano's game was precisely to wear you down and come in under the reach fighting out of the catcher's crouch.
Usyk is not a normal midget though The thing which is most decieving about Usyk is how tough he really is Even if Dubious bellies him on summer who cares, 38 years old he should retire by all criteria.