Joseph Parker... a meaningless fight for Usyk?

Fury isn't smashing Ali or Holmes. Fury always struggles vs small speedy guys and Ali and Holmes would beat him quite convincingly.

Wilder is neither as durable nor as good with his left as Foreman. Foreman throws a better jab, a better left hook, a better right uppercut and a better left uppercut than Wilder and is far more durable. Given the 213 lb Wilder was seconds away from stopping Fury, it is not inconceivable that the far more offensively versatile Foreman would.

Usyk is great. No question. No one is disrespecting him. The point is his resume is not as great as Ali. I don't care if Ali got a few lucky decisions - he fought so many great fighters over such a long period, it is impossible for anyone to stay unbeaten over such a long time span including Usyk.

Usyk is great. Top 10 or top 15 heavyweight of all time. Its just that some of his fans are getting carried away. When your best hw win is over the guy who barely got past an MMA debutant, you can't make any reasonable case for Usyk being GOAT (i know you didn't say Usyk is GOAT but some people are and that is going way too far).

 

I hope Uysk signs the Parker fight, but it seems like most commentators and pundits are thinking he won't.

 

Parker deserves the fight but man I'm just not interested.

Yea he has a string of recent wins, but each one has an asterisk (41 y/o Zhang, shot Wilder, 320 pound Bakole). Lost to Joshua, Whyte, and badly knocked out against Joyce and NEVER AVENGED ANY of his losses. Arguably lost to Chisora and Ruiz, went life or death with Hugie Fury, dropped by Joyce, Whyte, Zhang, Chisora, couldn't drop Jack Massey OR Junior Fa, had some of the MOST BORING heavyweight fights I can remember etc. etc. etc.

I've never been high on Parker's skillset and the only people I've seen genuinely interested in the fight are New Zealanders who drank the koolaid that "George Lockhart + Andy Lee means this version of Parker beats everyone." He looks more disciplined to me but he still has weaknesses in the same areas and has always been pretty good at everything but great at nothing.

 

Washed inactive Wilder, Zhang who knocked him down twice and Bakole who took the fight on 2 days for a paycheck.

 

Parker has nothing to worry Usyk.

He does deserve another crack at the belts.

 

210 pound Cunningham who virtually had no stoppages at Heavyweight dropped Fury with a single shot and was ahead on points so there goes your Cruiserweight theory out the window straight away.

But I guess Cunningham is better than the likes of Holmes, Ali, Holyfield, at Heavyweight right ?

Joe Louis also regularly beat Heavyweights of 250+ pounds like Abe Simon, Primo Carnera, Buddy Baer.

 

Has Usyk fought a negative-pressure fighter like Parker has now become before? Maybe Gassiev is the closest, but he was more looking for the one shot like he does.

I still think Usyk will be able to work around Parker's style with his foot speed advantage and footwork, but if he has slowed a step that increases Parker's chances a lot.

 

Usyk has beaten everyone in his era.

If he wants to stamp his legacy even further, beating the next great Moses Ituama would be the way.

 

Honestly Kabayel and Parker should fight for the vacant belt and winner gets possible chance for Usyk

 

They can't fight for the vacant belt as they are interim title holders of different organizations.

 

I wouldn't be mad at them fighting after Parker is elevated though it would have to be a voluntary defense.

 

Perfectly stated.

If he fights on, there are ONLY Two names that are really in consideration, and of those two, Parker is the more deserving.

 

I mean...he's an all time great boxer either way. cemented legacy and the best of his generation.

As an all time great heavyweight tho I feel like the only thing i could poke at is his lack of title defences for his mandatorys. If he choses to not fight parker or kabayel and still holds on to the title for another year or two we'd have to be honest with ourselves and call it a duck. that itself would reflect bad on Usyk's legacy and not a meaningless fight.

 

Are we just moving goalposts for who should fight Usyk next? Zhang was considered this monster when he sparked Joyce, suddenly Parker outboxes him, and he has an asterix next to his name. Wilder has always been shite, Fury showed that, but Parker beat him in better fashion than Fury because he didn't have a bar room brawl with him and get knocked down half a dozen times, nobody was saying Wilder was shot when he fought Parker, I remember very few people actually picking Parker to win. Those two wins alone should have granted him the title shot.

Bakole stepped in at 2 days' notice because Dubois pulled out of a fight with Parker, Parker beats the replacement resoundingly, and suddenly he doesn't deserve the same shot at Usyk as Dubois got? Only Kabayel could throw his name in the hat as someone who deserves the fight as much as Joe. We don't choose contenders based on how much we like their chances. Parker has earned it. It'd be a disgrace if he didn't get a shot at Usyk. Usyk can't keep fighting the same conveyor belt of overrated British fighters and expect unlimited adulation. Fighters earn their shot; otherwise, what's the whole point?