How is Usyk still the top HW at 38 when Ali was completely done at 38

Strange thread.

The answer is obvious to anybody.

 

In what ways is Usyk doing the equivalent of shutting out prime Holmes? He didn't shut out either Fury or AJ and none of them will ever rank close to Holmes in ATG standings.

And you of course know that many great HWs were done sat 38. Including Tyson, whom I suspect is your mancrush.

An none of them had, unlike Ali, quite likely had Parkison's for years.

And as you of course also know, Ali was extra dreadful because of overdosing on a med he shouldn't have been prescribed in the first place. At 39 he put in a respectable effort against Berbick.

Joke of an OP.

 

You really have to ask that?

 

It's multiple reasons, lets start with activity, Ali averaged four-five pro fights
a year, Usyk averages 1-2, Maybe. Also fighters and trainers back in the day believed
in sparring daily, and most of that sparring was hard, or fight conditions.
So imagine how much more sparring Ali was getting in comparison to Usyk.
It made Ali much more instinctive, and much sharper as far countering ability, and riding punches, instead of taken them full force (Like Dubois does) of course the extra sparring / and
fighting contributed to much more damage to his body/head
and the human body can only take so much before it breaks down.

So yes Usyk would beat Ali if both men were 38 yrs old, because
Usyk didn't receive close to the damage Ali received during there
respective careers. But Ali would simply embarrass him if both
were prime. When it should count.

The competition gap- or gulf.
It's clear Usyk is better than the fighters today. ( So much for the "invincible " Super heavyweights craziness of a few years back some of you were screaming from the mountain top about, Usyk has beaten all of them of note)
But does it mean he's better than the greats of the past?
No it doesn't. When studying his opponents, without the Usyk fanboy glasses on that make them look like real world beaters , they leave a lot to be desired.
Dubois, Joshua, Fury, Christma, are tremendously flawed fighters. Nothing special about them other than size.
Not one is exceptionally skilled, fast , or powerful. There all just big "guys"..... In comparison to heavyweights of the past.
Usyk himself is very basic with his skill level, speed and power.
And his endurance is very suspect.
I'd love to see how he'd react against a true pressure fighter, or some that would make him work each and every round.
From what I've seen from him I don't believe he'd do well. He averages about 50 punches per rd.
Most of that from his use of the jab.
Yet he slows significantly after 7-8 rds.
What would he look like if he had another 8rd to go?
Usyk is the best of this era. He deserves his flowers for that, doesn't mean he's the G.O.A.T or close to it.
They're many boxers, not just ATG's I'd bet would beat him convincingly from the past.
Because he really isn't special.

 

For sure but he certainly didn't have Ali's chin ...

 

Ali prime beats any prime Usyk. 38? Prime Ali was many, may years before....

 

Through nutrition and sports science fighters,especially heavyweights, can fight at a much older age. Fighters all age the same in a way with the speed and reflexes going first then the ability to take punishment erodes.
Back in the day running miles in combat boots was thought to be great and many fighters did that day in and day out.It was rumored that is what destroyed Michael Spinks legs.
Training has evolved greatly from the past which was incredibly damaging in years past.
In the 1950s the average age a man was expected to reach was 68 years old.
Now in 2025 the average age is 79 years old.
In 1920 for instance the average age was..........54 which is insane.