Greetings. I am finding it curious that, as Usyk's stock is falling among fans, some of the same fans are getting excited over Gassiev's return. Yes, I get that Gassiev is the younger, harder-hitting guy, and a stocky, raw-boned type that will hold the weight better. But as a reminder, Gassiev did not win ten consecutive seconds of his fight with Usyk. I like both guys. I wish them both well, and think that they will both succeed. Usyk is going to pick up the vacated WBO belt, and we will go from there. Gassiev is going to have some promotional problems, but should continue winning as he rebuilds himself from his injuries, and yes, at 27, he is younger than almost all the prospects out there save Dubois, so we are going to be enjoying him for years. I just find it a bit odd how the past can so quickly get re-written. Thanks, and don't forget to vote.
Gassers will have to grind for a while to get back to the top. He may be a bit susceptible to injuries which would make the journey even longer. Usyk will get a big fight soon, lose it and if he decides to continue will probably ride that wave for a while longer.
Gassiev will carry more power, but he will also get hit more often. If Gassiev has a granite chin and can carry some serious firepower into HW then he might be more successful. That being said, no matter what weight, Usyk will still outbox him - styles make fights.
You cant compare Gassiev to Usyk as styles make fights. Gassiev will not fight a man at heavyweight as mobile, skillful or as fast as Usyk was in july of 2018. Even Usyk himself has slowed down considerably since then
I'll be interested to see if that WBO belt really does get vacated. There's a lot of money to be made by it staying in AJ's hands. Of course we just a fight for undisputed status at 135 followed by two other 135 champions crowned in successive weeks so maybe they don't actually need the WBO belt to market AJ/Fury as undisputed. To stay on topic I think Usyk had a better chance to do the Holyfield thing. Gassiev might also be good at HW but I think he has a lower ceiling.
Fury`s refles at long range would be too much for Gass and his long jab is something Gass has never faced, too easy to hit.
I don't think it makes the fight much bigger. The two guys have very big profiles and it's clearly the fight everyone's been waiting for. Dropping the belt also creates more interest and drives revenue for the eventual unification fight.
Could be, my intuition is undisputed HW champ with two English speakers has an appeal to a segment of the US market that hasn't tuned in for a long time. There will be a flurry of mandatories or fights for vacant titles after, it might be good to put everything into the biggest possible fight up front.
Usyk hands down. Usyk has the experience, ambition, and ability to do well and even be a champion at heavyweight. But, Usyk being 33 doesn’t have time on his side and needs to get a title shot soon because I don’t see his style aging well in another year or two. Gassiev has a natural strength and durability you can’t train a fighter to have and has a lot of potential, but unfortunately he’s never been that ambitious and is lazy, so I don’t see him going very far at heavyweight.
Usyk. Much better movement, speed and skill, which are skills that will carve him a niche in a division filled with big but slow punchers. Gassiev, not so much.