Reality check.. Usyk is the same size as 'BIG' George Foreman.. is he really that small?

Ruiz was the WBO champ when Usyk demanded the #1 spot.

Are you saying you think he moved up to fight the RECENTLY DEPOSED champ?

He moved up because he thought he could fight Andy Ruiz next.

And Usyk agreed earlier this year to step aside to let Joshua and Fury spend the whole next year fighting each other. He didn't block that. Wilder did.

I told you "why" Usyk would do that. He thought he could fight for a vacant belt. All the talk was Joshua and Fury would have their first fight, then Joshua would drop the belt, Usyk would fight for the vacant belt, and Joshua and Fury would have their rematch with the remaining belts.

That's why I doubt the fight is going to last very long. He never intended to fight Joshua.

He didn't move up to fight Joshua, Fury or Wilder, he moved up because he thought he could get a quick shot against Andy Ruiz.

 

I don't think there are too many reasonable people here who have golden era HW's in their top 5 all time H2H.

 

I'm sure it will. His pension fund fight is coming up on Saturday.

 

This. Usyk was always going to move up to heavyweight. Any cruiserweight champion with a lot of talent would be crazy not to.

 

He would have fought for longer if not for the rematch.

Peak Pacman could destroy WWs. He simply isn't a WW, he could still beat people up if they aren't too big for him.
People were saying Pac was shot after Horn. Turns out he was simply too big for the old man.
Another year, then Pac will be shot. Povetkin in the second match against Whyte is what shot looks like. He looked tired before entering the ring.

 

The only two (Holyfield and Haye) who actually moved up and won a heavyweight title moved up when they were in their 20s. Not their mid 30s.

Will Usyk join them, or will he join the other 60 or so cruiserweight champs who moved up and never won a heavyweight title?

Doesn't look good.

 

Povetkin vs Whyte 2 completely changed the image of a shot fighter in my mind. He looked like he was literally drunk.

 

Are you kidding? Their frames are so different. Foreman had wide shoulders and his ability to put on weight is much greater than Usyk's ability to put on weight. Just because Usyk is bloated, doesn't mean they're the same size. Foreman was naturally bigger and stronger.

That's like saying Mickey Garcia is roughly the same size as Shawn Porter, when Porter have a much bigger frame and he used to fight at Middleweight in the amateurs.

 

The burden is on you to prove that he wanted the #1 spot only because Joshua lost.

Ali is the better comparison.

 

The fact that he and his managers first asked for the #1 spot the first working day after Ruiz won the title doesn't tip you off?

I posted the link a couple posts back.

"Going into this process, Whyte was the WBO’s #1 ranked heavyweight contender and had been for some time.

On the Monday after Ruiz’s shock win over Joshua to claim the title, Usyk’s legal team requested that the WBO make him the heavyweight mandatory challenger – owing to his ‘super champion’ status at cruiserweight.

Whyte’s team asked the WBO to wait until after July 20 to make their decision. However they didn’t choose to do so.

The WBO instead decided that Usyk’s career achievements to date and well-earned ‘super champion’ status at cruiserweight was enough to grant him the mandatory position.

They concluded that Usyk would be ready to take a fight against the champion now, whereas Whyte has a bout set which could affect proceedings."

 

That was a different variation of a shot fighter referred to as shot to bits. Povetkin was shot to bits because of covid, arguably shot to atoms

 

The same recently deposed champ that had a rematch clause that every sane observer expected him to exercise and win?

I think that's more likely than him wanting a piece of Ruiz.

Semantics, but you told him why you think Usyk would do that.

I think it's simpler than that - Usyk knew that an undisputed fight was always going to find favour with the WBO over his mandatory (Why do I say that? They always do!) and figured if he got to fight for vacant he'd probably win and be in a stronger position to demand a decent cut from the AJ/Fury winner later (again, even if he expected to lose to them!).

 

I think there's a difference between shot and medically unsuitable to be in a ring...

Povetkin in Whyte 2 is one, Holyfield recently is another.


Shot, for me, is a fighter that's nowhere near their best, injuries and/or lack of conditioning having left them a shadow of their best in a way they can't come back from... I'd put Lewis against Vitali as just about there (more controversially I'd put Hamed in there when he fought MAB).

 

0:26
Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk - Film Study Short - Shorts

 

Precisely.
I am sure Usyk would prefer to fight Ruiz for the belt but all roads lead to Joshua.
Instead of haggling for a decent split Usyk could have demanded the majority of the purse by dint of being the champion.
Pretty sure Whyte wanted the same thing.