Sure you can, moreover heavyweights of Morrisons era were smaller than those of today and in many cases closer to todays cruiserweights in terms of size. Heavyweights also have no reason to cut weight whereas middleweights are generally far heavier than Horn come fight time. Moreover, a great welterweight should generally be favored over a miiddleweight who is no more than a journeyman/gatekeeper as seems to be the case with Morrison at heavyweight.
More heavyweights may be closer to today's cruiserweights in size but they were competing against fully fledged heavyweights, something today's cruiserweights cannot claim. If you want to use that logic then today's cruiserweights are just nothing more than yesterday's heavyweights that were not good enough to compete at the world level. PAC, a great welterweight, lost to Joe Horn - a journeyman - who comes into the at 160. Horn would be obliterated by any ranked Middleweight yet he was able to defeat a world class welterweight. That kind of contradicts your theory a bit
Todays middleweights don't usually weigh 160 come fight night so Joe Horn weighing 160 is in not representative of what a middleweight would weigh in todays era. As far as competing against fully fledged heavyweights, Morrison largely avoided the best of his era and when he tried stepping up against Lewis was easily crushed. He isn't really proven against quality guys bigger than todays cruiserweights. Moreover, in the 1990s matchmaking was terrible and the best fighters generally didn't face each other so you could avoid good opponents if you were so inclined.
I don't think he deliberately ducked guys Tyson was in prison, Holyfield was busy with Bowe, and Morrison fought Lewis, Ruddock, and Mercer. I think there is plenty of terrible match making today as well
THIS. Jesus THIS all day. I know everyone wants to suck the kool aid out of Usyks water bottle but he’s had one match at Heavyweight and it took six rounds to put away Chazz Witherspoon who isn’t exactly elite. Multiple injuries have already occurred and he is simply unproven at Heavyweight. Yes he was amazing at cruiserweight and I’m not trying to tear him down however not every great cruiserweight becomes a great heavyweight. Only time can truly answer this thread.
The match making in the 90s was far better than it is today. No idea what you are talking about there. Morrison was beaten at the top level by pro fighters who were competing in the limit free heavyweight division. Usyk hasn't even stepped in the ring with someone incapable of boiling down to 200 pounds to make cruiserweight. Morrison had already run through the domestic level was a ranked heavyweight. He might have weighed closer to today's cruiserweights but honestly that is nothing more than proof that a cruiserweight today who walks into the ring at 215+ is just plainly choosing to fight in the division with a weight limit because they feel that's where they can be the most competitive So Joe Horn isn't a welterweight because he walks into the ring above 160 but he's not a middle weight because most middle weights rehydrate above 160. What kind of convoluted way is that to look at weight classes? Who is a legitimate middle weight then? The guy who weighs in and walks into the ring at precisely 160?
I really can't call this one. I'd probably expect Usyk to outbox Morrison and eventually beat him up when his stamina wanes, but I wouldn't be shocked if it turns out that Usyk can't handle Morrison's power either.
More or less where I stand. A few more fights at heavy will show us whether Usyk can handle getting cracked by the big boys. Sooner or later he'll catch a good shot and his chin will be tested.
Joyce was a cruiserweight at the time. Cool. Usyks got Witherspoon now. Morrison had a bit more than that on his resume if I'm not mistaken
Many of the top heavyweights of Morrison's day could boil down to 200 if so inclined. Guys like Holyfield, Tyson, Moorer, and even Mercer could probably due it with little difficulty given the massive rehydration weights we see in lower divisions. Morrison was beaten by the likes of Michael Bentt and taken to a draw by Ross Purrity. You didn't have to be anywhere among the divisions elite to beat him. As far as competing in a limit free heavyweight division thats hardly relevant if you can't beat the top contenders or if you largely avoid tackling quality opponents. Nothing Morrison did at heavyweight gives me the idea he should be favored over the best cruiserweights. Morrison never showed himself capable of beating the best or near best of his own era. The fact that somene stays at cruiserweight is hardly proof they can't beat journeyman/fringe contender types like Morrison.
I don’t know that for a fact. I can only guess. And my basis for guessing that Morrison hit harder is because he knocked men out who were actual heavyweights
Usyk was the only guy not to be knocked down or stopped in a title fight with Gassiev. Morrison never even floored a top ten contender.
