Given his WSB accomplishments, why didn't Usyk turn pro as a HW?

Usyk is a natural Cruiserweight; if he was weighing in at 205-208 with no constraints on weight then Cruiserweight is his natural division, top Cruiserweights will weigh in at 200 then rehydrate way past the 208 Usyk was weighing in at. Also I don't see how this affected Usyk's legacy in any way; he cleaned out Cruiserweight, then he cleaned out Heavyweight (despite being undersized); what more could you ask from him? Becoming an undisputed two weight world champion enhances his legacy if anything.

 

It was the best decision. If Usyk would’ve turned pro at heavyweight the other top heavyweights would’ve starved him out until he was old.

K2 was smart when they started him in the cruiserweight division, which was popular in Europe, so it was easy for Usyk to stay active and get a titleshot without the obstacles he’d face at heavyweight.

Also, once Usyk became undisputed at cruiserweight he had a reputation that was hard to ignore and was also Joshua’s mandatory, which made Usyk’s success at heavyweight possible. Without the mandatory status Usyk had from the cruiserweight division I don’t think Joshua or Fury would’ve ever fought Usyk.

 

Joshua could have easily ducked Usyk but insisted on fighting him. Joshua always fought his mandatories and didn’t influence the governing bodies to cherry-pick opponents like other champions.

 

Usyk was an exception.

Eddie Hearn and Joshua understandably tried to weasel out of fighting Usyk and even the WBO didn’t want the fight, but Usyk had a good team behind him. If Joshua could’ve ducked Usyk and kept his WBO belt he would’ve never got in the ring with Usyk.

It took Usyk’s lawyer threatening to sue Joshua’s people and WBO for Usyk’s mandatory status to finally be enforced. Only after the threat of legal action and having his WBO title stripped did Joshua reluctantly agree to face Usyk.

Here is a piece about Usyk’s lawyer going to work to enforce Usyk’s mandatory status.

In a four-page letter sent by Usyk attorney Patrick English to WBO President Paco Valcarcel and others including Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn, English wrote that Usyk has stood as the WBO heavyweight mandatory contender since June 2019.

The WBO previously informed Usyk, 34, he should fight England’s Joe Joyce while waiting for Fury-Joshua.

“We therefore demand that the WBO respect the rights of Oleksandr Usyk and immediately direct Joshua to fulfill his mandatory obligation or to give up the title,” English wrote. “We demand that the promoters and managers of Mr. Fury, Mr. Joshua and Mr. Wilder cease immediately in any actions which could further delay Mr. Usyk’s mandatory title opportunity.”

English later told The Athletic in an email that, “if necessary, there will be legal action.”

English said he was told by WBO President Valcarcel that if a binding contract for Fury-Joshua was not produced by last week, the WBO would order Joshua to fight Usyk.

“Clearly, no binding contract exists,” English wrote.

The attorney added that should Joshua fight Fury in his next bout, “he can give up the WBO title.”
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/25...r-to-wbo-demanding-anthony-joshua-fight-next/

 

If a fighter is the best CW being the best CW then making the jump is an easier path to a HW title shot then making a name for themselves in HW. CW also gives a better chance of being champ for someone starting out their career.

I bring this up with Wilder and some others but at the start of a prospects career they are angling for a title shot and a belt. No one starts out their career thinking about their legacy and how they rank among the all time greats. Its why I'm more forgiving of ducking before someone becomes a champ opposed to after.

 

Same as Haye and Holyfield. They were naturally smaller and had to build their way up.

 

I don't think Joshua gets the credit he deserves as basically acting pretty honorably. He turned pro with the stigma of getting a dodgy decision over Cammerelle for the gold, and a lot of people just never forgave him. He fumbled a few times along the way...some racial comments, the Usyk meltdown, and he never, ever should have lost to fat Andy. But on the balance, I think he has been a real credit to the sport, myself.

 

It is hard for me to understand how he hurt his legacy. Now he is the first four-belt champion of TWO weight classes instead of one. He beat the three or so best heavies of the post-Klitschko era in five fights, maybe soon to be six, leaving maybe only Parker on the table...a fight which may get made yet. So what has he lost, here?

I just don't see how adding an aging Povekin, Whyte, Ruiz, Joyce and Wilder...a pretty mediocre bunch...and subtracting Briedis, Gassiev, Hunter, Bellew, Huck, and Glowacki, really does that much for him.

And now he gets the credit of being what they called in the days of Jack Dempsey, a "giant killer."

But that is just me.

 

Yes the delay was because initially Joshua was mandated to fight Pulev his IBF mandatory, and then there were rumours the Fury fight would take place before a legal situation meant Fury had to face Wilder for a 3rd time. Joshua faced all his mandatories and never vacated his belts. Hearn didn't want Joshua to fight Usyk but Joshua told Hearn to make the fight.

 

I think because he was just a little too small and wasn't a KO puncher. So it means he's up against it every fight. He showed he can still win, but no fight has really been easy for him at HW when you consider how skilled he is.

If you think of someone like Povetkin, also more of a cruiser, or Haye even, they had more power so knew that despite being small they could KO HW's effectively and can use the speed advantage they have to deliver the power.

 

My theory is that K2 (who had signed Usyk) were protecting their (at the time) far more marketable and well-established champion, Wlad. Better to let Wlad run his course before having Usyk make a run. Also, gather information on the main threats post-Wlad (Fury, Joshua) while waiting in the shadows. Within 19 months of Wlad's last fight, undisputed cruiser Usyk ascended to heavyweight.

As for "Usyk had to gain weight" theories, he was 207-213 lbs in the WSB, as a 26 year old man. He was already physically mature and ready for HW if K2 wanted it, especially as he'd have likely had 5-10 experience building journeyman HW fights first.