Usyk defeating Rico in a close fight doesn't diminish what he's accomplished

There's a lot more at play here than the average casual, hater, or fanatic seems to realize.

All of these things can be true:

• Rico could be a legitimate top 15 guy, we don't know
• Usyk's style doesn't age well and he's almost 40
• Rico fought the right style a la Chisora and has a frame and enough skill to execute against this Usyk
• The stoppage was bad, but Rico could barely walk to the corner to get his mouthpiece. If the ref had done the 'walk there, walk there' routine during the count, it'd have been waved off
• Usyk's legacy remains simply incredible. He is one of the greatest fighters to have lived

Different styles have different longevities. Usyk darts in and out, throws with speed, uses constant upper body movement. This type of style is one of the first to go. The Dubois II fight was almost a year ago and Usyk made some big hints that that would be one of, if not his final fight. It's tough to argue he's still at the same level of locked in and dedicated by the mere fact he even took the Rico fight.

I understand being reactionary is status quo with boxing fans. That said, let's try to not get carried away when an aging fighter with a youthful style looks past his prime on the cusp of 40 years old.

 

Reasonable post, but there's still time to edit to a reactionary post that reads something like:

The HW division is trash
Usyk is overrated and embarrassed the sport
A corrupt ref saved Usyk who is not a top 30 HW all time