Inside Information On The Hectic Situation Currently Surrounding Usyk & His Team.

Same kinda thing happened to Fury quite a while ago now. The way Fury used to move was crazy, and even more incredible considering his gigantic size. Remember that weird style of constant head movement he used to do? I swear it was almost distracting for fighters facing him. Last time I remember him doing that was Wilder 1. I think after getting robbed with a draw in that fight, he got Sugar Hill in and decided to focus more on power. But that weird head movement has never come back even when he has chosen to box, like against Makhmudov for example.

 

He still looked good versus Dubois, but it's not unfeasible (in fact he should be at that point) for him to be ravaged by injuries and management issues.

Usyk from the London fight against Joshua was the most beautiful heavyweight Usyk I've seen, followed by his brutal counters in Dubois II, but seeing how DDD was trying to draw him into a firefight, he didn't have to show all the sides of himself there.

Usyk was noticed by many to be declining every fight post-war, and beforehand by few. He might have hit the ground last night.

I hope he has one last fight in him though. Get rid of Kabayel and be done with it. Rico will remain in boxing, and his level will be established anyway, giving proper context to their fight.

 

Either way, Usyk should just retire.

No 40 year old fighter can perform like they can in their prime. Nearly every great heavyweight in history started losing badly after age 35. The fact that Usyk is able to perform at this level after 35 is a testament to his skill and dedication, but old age catches up to everyone.

 

I was never this much of a fan of how he preformed in Wilder I. Deserved the nod, but got knocked down, was trying to win rounds with potshots on an American soil, against their champion, while Wilder was still the aggressor throwing punches. He did blast Wilder in a lot of rounds as he should have done against limited fighter in Wilder, but Fury's red flags were always there (bar ancient, gun-shy Wlad without Manny in his corner, that is considered in what is considered one of the most boring heavyweight fights of all time): he lacked a good pop, he was slick, but still too big of a man (hence a target) to remain truly elusive, and he could fall asleep and get caught (and dropped by cruisers.)

Fury always thrived against limited sluggers like Chisora or Whyte (quite skilled at times tbh) but had those alarm performances like McDermott, Cunningham, Wallin etc.

 

I don't care what anyone says. You don't balloon up to obesity while simultaneously battling alcoholism and a cocaine problem without paying a serious physical price. Any one of those things can destroy an athlete's career, and he was indulging in all three.

The fact that he never lost until the Usyk fights after living such a destructive lifestyle speaks more to the weakness of the modern heavyweight era than it does to some innate ability to defy the laws of human physiology. He did manage to come back to fighting form which was impressive, but I think it's clear he was never the same guy who beat Klitschko. People hated that fight because it was dreadfully boring, but it was a masterclass in making a dominant champion look very linear in his offense.

He did box well in the first Wilder fight, but we know that Wilder is very limited as a fighter. Someone of Fury's caliber should be able to do that. And in the second Wilder fight, he had an excellent strategy of pressuring him backwards and wearing him down with his weight and inside fighting. But I didn't think his execution wasn't necessarily the best, either. He was a little bit sloppy, albeit while being very effective.

After that, we saw a very noticeable decline. I think his stints of self-destruction finally caught up with him.

 

Usyk vs Joshua 1 looked like an agile cheetah with the gas tank of a marathon runner. In the 12th round he was barely entering 2nd gear, moving like he was in the 1st round.

It's sad to see him ploddy, slow, using no jabs or feints and get winded after a few rounds.

 

Isn't apple pie definitely English?

 

Sad stuff to hear, no doubt. My question is, why has all of this happened? Surely Usyk - as a millionaire, one of the most recognised names in combat sports and undisputed heavyweight champ in everything but name only - must be able to put together a team ready to take on the avengers?

 

I don't get how he is forced. He can retire whenever he wants. If he continues, that is on him. Just walk away. Sounds like it is him, he doesn't want too.

 

I still don’t understand the weight gain from Usyk. Remember, Usyk has to work HARD to bulk up from his frame, naturally sitting around 200. So to gain the extra 6-8 pounds from his normal 220-225 if just weird on paper. And of course, the extra weight was mostly around his waist. Maybe for absorbing punches, maybe just poor training. At any rate, we will know better at his next fight whether or not this was just a fluke.

 

If i were Usyk I'd consider just two options now.. Retire or have one more against Verhoeven. Get Loma on the under card too.. the event would be far more intriguing & lucrative than Kabayel & the narrative is there now as many were dissatisfied with the ending. I'm in the minority, i thought Usyk was jobbed.. of a cleaner stoppage.. because Rico looked spent to me.. even after 33 seconds recovery.. but barring that if he is to fight Kabayel get Rico v Joshua as the co main.

I would also add for the Naysayers suggesting this harms his legacy.. not really, he's 39 now which is ancient in boxing (especially after years of fighting men who weigh 250lbs+).. u can't just write off his career because of one sub par performance against a fella there's no blueprint for.. do you think Rico beats the Dubois, Breidis, Joshua etc Usyk beat.. because i don't.. nor does anyone have any idea how other 39 year old HWs would have fared against this fella.. Usyk has been a great ambassador & deserves respect & whether you like it or not he got the win.

 

Thanks for this CST. Sad if this is true. What a greedy loser Lapin is.

 

Legacy was secured ages ago tbf

 

Yep, but again, you're only as good as your last fight and you tend to get remembered for that unfortunately.

 

I stuff him, if he wants to be a money ***** than he deserves everything he gets.