How is a 38 year old man who heavily relies on movement still dominating?

Discussion in 'World Boxing Forum' started by ellerbe, Jul 21, 2025 at 5:28 PM.


  1. PrimoGT

    PrimoGT New Member Full Member

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    He's a great boxer, especially for 38, but he's probably not as mobile as he used to be. Joshua and Dubois are slow of foot. Fury's legs had seen much better days. Chisora plodder.

    It's all relative. I remember Holyfield at 46 was mobile enough to do well against Valuev. Despite having no legs. That's an extreme example, and clearly lower level.

    If we put today's Usyk in with his cruiserweight opposition of 8 years ago he probably couldn't rely on his mobility to the extent he did back then, or how he can now against heavyweights.
     
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  2. Badbot

    Badbot You can just do things. Full Member

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    This was Sergio Martinez at 37. Some guys are simply freak athletes, and also very disciplined.
    Also, just like Martinez - Usyk is now moving less, sitting down more on his punches, and throwing fewer long combinations.
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  3. MixedMartialLaw

    MixedMartialLaw Fight sports enthusiast Full Member

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    Aging and death are not the same thing. 90% of people age miserably because they put little effort into taking care of their physical bodies.

    The modern high level athlete of today, like Usyk, with the right mindset and training isn't beholden to the same again patterns of the athletes of past generations.

    In the 70s I'm pretty sure you still had NFL players smoking on the sidelines of games.
     
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  4. theanatolian

    theanatolian Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Same as B-Hop and Floyd Mayweather, Incredible ring IQ and dedication. which will also be the factors that help Crawford get through Canelo.
     
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  5. ellerbe

    ellerbe Loyal Member Full Member

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    Stronger HW era than Wlad
     
  6. ellerbe

    ellerbe Loyal Member Full Member

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    Yeah but Sergio was doing that against low tier comp. A guy like Dubois would have took his head off at that age. Chavez JR and Murray both hurt him and they’re low tier.
     
  7. ellerbe

    ellerbe Loyal Member Full Member

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    Barrios is very bad lol. I don’t think Dubois is on the level of Norman though that’s a more accurate comp than Barrios. Beating Barrios doesn’t tell me age ain’t nothing but a number, it just confirms that Barrios is really bad
     
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  8. Badbot

    Badbot You can just do things. Full Member

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    Chavez Jr. had a massive weight advantage over him, and caught him in the final round. Martinez rushed into the Murray fight, coming off of an injury - which resulted in more injuries. Yet despite being severely handicapped, he still pulled off the victory at 38. And then he took over a year off to recover from suffered in the Murray fight.

    Also, it´s not like Dubois is that much more skilled than Chavez Jr. or Murray. He simply punches harder, thats it. The doofus literally does not block punches with his arms, and has never held a high guard in any of his fights.
     
  9. Cally

    Cally Sand...sand... nothing but sand! Full Member

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    It's not just skill, its a mindset not many possess that gives him those extra percentages on top of his insane skills, it's a recipe for greatness most can only dream of.

    What a fighter, few years ago i thought he wouldn't live with the giants of heavyweight today but boy he has some boxing brain you can't not be impressed by. Unbelievable skill set :clap:
     
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  10. northpaw

    northpaw Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    1. He's really a CW (CW speed)
    2. His defense
    3. He's more disciplined than any of his peers
    4. His competition from a historical context at HW really isn't very good (as in you can't drop them in any era and they thrive. Usyk you definitely could however)

    What's crazy is I think HW Usyk is a paled shadow compared to CW Usyk. Everything he did at CW and how he did it was far better. His movement was far more fluid and crafty. Obviously some of it is due to age but some of it is he was just more complete, to me, at CW. I still go back and watch his CW fights, and his performances are far more amazing than anything at HW. And with all that said, I still think he's one of the best HW's ever.
     
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  11. MaccaveliMacc

    MaccaveliMacc Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Stronger than Holmes and Louis too. I noticed that they are arguments for any era being weak except for the 70s and 90s. Which is ridiculous. It's very hard to historically compare eras.
     
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  12. Mickc

    Mickc Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Usyks ability to keep his opponents constantly working whilst basically sitting composed just out of range is a tremendous skill .
     
  13. Reinhardt

    Reinhardt Boxing Junkie Full Member

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  14. Levook

    Levook Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Yep.

    It's easy to look good against a guy that fights like a high level tough Man competitor. Unimaginative, plodding , attacking from the same angles and getting smacked repeatedly with the same punches. Coming out of the exchanges in the same places and getting smacked repeatedly. Keeping his head in the same place all the time with his chin up in the air with a giant neon sign on it that says Place punch here.

    And then gets knocked out with a jab.

    Any upper echelon heavyweights from just about any other era would flatten Du Bois in three rounds Max.
     
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  15. MixedMartialLaw

    MixedMartialLaw Fight sports enthusiast Full Member

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    And what about Fury and AJ and Chisora? All tough man competitors like Butterbean?