Good vid Rummy, but going to have to disagree with your broader point over size. Usyk is an exceptional talent, but he's the exception that proves the rule imo. The average height of a top 10 Heavyweight in the 60s was around 6'2, today it's around 6'5, and it's only growing over time. Joe Louis, for all we know, might never have got out of the amateurs in the modern day, maybe there are 10 Joe Louis' in the amateurs right now, but we'd never know it because they tend to get blasted out by the 6'5+ behemoths. But of course 'tend to' doesn't mean they do all the time, Usyk is a guy with enough skills to overcome a large size disparity, but AJ was the bookies favourite going into the fight and his shock defeat was a shock in the largest part due to this difference, if it happened all the time, or even frequently, it wouldn't be a shock. Ali, Tyson, Louis or Holyfield, maybe they'd have been greats in this or any era, but the statistics aren't in their favour.
Such suggestions is disrespectful to AJ, Fury and Usyk though. Size and skill has come a long way since then.
Couldn't agree more, especially concerning AJ not making it a more physical fight. Joshua knew he was losing in the second half of the fight but stayed in second gear instead of trying to push Usyk. He seemed to be in a safety first at all costs mode of boxing, I really don't think he's recovered from the Ruiz knockout mentally speaking.
Voxdei - well said. And even though Usyk is thought of as a "smaller" HW, he is still 6'3" and 221 pounds.
Regarding your comment on negative space in the frame and the camera work being zoomed in way too close. It could just be poor camera work, BUT I wonder if it is a method for them to combat illegal streams and uploads. One method I see many youtubers use when reposting fights is to zoom in on the action, which cuts out large parts of the image. Zooming in on a fight that is already zoomed in on is going to make it a waste of time to watch. Though I'm likely reaching here, and it's probably just terrible camera work haha
I always get irrationally excited anytime I remember that for non-music videos you can exit the YouTube app to keep using others while still watching/listening in a pop-up window. Giving this a spin while also browsing the forum. Liking your take so far a few minutes in Geoff, but a little surprised you thought Usyk's left hand twelve seconds in was a connecting blow worth mentioning. Joshua flinching away in anticipation meant that it only landed very slightly, if even that, from the angles I've seen (including the one you showed). I think him blinking made it seem like more than it was. Good quick shot by Usyk but he didn't quite get a full piece of Joshua with it. Just wasn't dialed in yet. One thing you nailed, though: AJ definitely was unwilling or unable to impose his physicality; that jumped out at me as well. You could read how conflicted he was in his facial expression and body language - he wanted to press the fight but was too aware from the get-go that Usyk could land hurtful accurate counters at will, and that he didn't have a lot of faith in his own ability to hurt Usyk.
I thought that only worked for Youtube if you were a paid up user. I mean it's always done this on my desktop, but never on my phone
I really thought that shot not only surprised AJ, but I thought Usyk made a big statement landing it that early in. His posturing out of the gate was immediately looking to create quick-window openings, and I truly believe that - while you may be correct, in that it wasn't some sledgehammer shot out of the gate - the maneuvering and delivery were sublime, and I think AJ knew in that moment that he was in for a long night.
The talent pool is perhaps bigger in other countries but it is much smaller in America than it ever was. The notion does not remain intact IMO. Lewis struggled more vs smaller fighters past their best than he did vs bigger guys. I would heavily favour Ali to beat Lewis especially after watching the second Holyfield fight.
Using that logic, a 220 lb Foreman (who was still one of the harder punchers in this 40's, Holyfield btw ranked him as the hardest hitter he faced, above Lewis and Tyson) would have ko'd Ali. Ali was a young cocky kid who got caught with a left hook. It never happened again. Ali faced some of the hardest hitters in heavyweight history including Foreman, Liston, Shavers, Lyle etc. and none of them could knock him down, let alone out. Only Frazier's awkward bobbing and weaving style bothered him. The facts clearly show that Lewis and even Wlad struggled more vs smaller heavies than vs bigger heavies. Now Wlad of course could give Ali a hard fight. A lot would depend on how the referee deals with Wlad's excessive leaning and pushing. However, Ali's small size and exceptional speed would be very hard for the bigger heavies to deal with. We just saw a glimpse of what happens when a smaller and agile heavyweight fights a great fight. And Usyk, while agile, isn't nearly as quick as Ali.
