Holyfield or Usyk at cruiserweight?

If I am counting right, they both beat five champs.

HOLYFIELD

Dwight Muhammed Qawi- 41(23)-13-1, much loved buzzsaw of a fighter with wins over Matthew Saad MuhammedX2, Leon Spinks, and Ricky Parkey. WBC LHW and WBA cruiser champ. Big man in a legendary era of LHWs, and also gets respect for giving Holyfield, Michael Spinks, and George Foreman hell in losing efforts.

Dwight Muhammed Qawi II- faded but still formidable version of above

Carlos De Leon- 53 (34)- 8, Undervalued two-time WBC cruiser champ with wins over Leon Spinks, Yanqui Lopez, and Marvin Camel X2. Personal note: he fought back when it was a lot harder to see the fights, but I always read about him and respected him.

Ossie Occasio- 23 (12)-13-1. Inaguaral WBA cruiserweight champ with wins over good heavyweight contenders Jimmy YoungX2 (!), Pierre Coetzer, and also Dwight Muhammed Qawi. Also undervalued for ones he lost but maybe should have won (Ray Mercer, SD) and Drew (Dokes). A Larry Holmes contender.

Ricky Parkey- 22 (16)-20, Holy won the IBF strap from Ricky Parkey, whose best wins appear to be his title vicoty over Lee Roy Murphy, and also managed an early win against Renaldo Snipes. I'll be honest, if I remember the other three with great fondness, I don't remember this fighter at all. No disrespect intended.

USYK

Mairis Briedis- 28 (20)-3, three time cruiserweight champ, WBO and IBF, who arguably gave Usyk his toughest fight...certainly top three. Wins over Marco Huck, Krysztof Glowacki, Yuniel Dorticos, Norair Mikaeljan (a bit dodgy), and throw in Manuel Charr as his best heavyweight win.

Murat Gassiev- 34 (27) -2, still active, former WBA and IBF Crusierweight champion of the world with wins over Yuniel Dorticos, Denis Lebedev, Krystof Wlodarczyk. Went on to add the WBA heavyweight championship to his list of accomplishments by beating Kubrat Pulev for the "regular," though, to be fair, many fans do no consider this to be a legit reign yet.

Krysztof Glowacki- 32 (20)-4, Respectable and well-liked but smaller WBO champ with wins over Marco Huck and Steven Cunningham. His professional career crashed hard, but he also rebounded with a 2-2 MMA career. I think he had covid, but the competition at cruiser just got too big for him.

Tony Bellew- 30 (20)-3 WBC cruiserweight champ with wins over rival Nathan Cleverly, IIunga Junior Makabu, and David Haye X2. The fight was a very intriguing one because Tony had left his championship behind to engage in his winning fued with Haye at heavyweight, and he was one of the few who could make an argument for facing Usyk as a peer. You love the Bomber and you know it, and no, his tattoo has nothing to do with the tragedy at the Ariana Grande Concert, if you were wondering.

Marco Huck- 44 (28)-5. WBO champ had seen better days, but is notable as co-holding the record for most cruiserweight title defenses at 13. Big wins over Ola AfolabiX3, Firat AslanX2, Denis Lebedev (a bit dodgy), Victor Emilio Ramirez, and gets a lot of mileage out of losing one to Povetkin that a little over half the crowd thought he won. Fight with Usyk was a bit comical because, much like the Bellew and Dubois II fights later, it was billed as boxer vs puncher, Huck pushed the horses, and Usyk made it a short night by punching with the puncher. Usyk later cited Huck as the only opponent he hated. Don't push the horses.

So, that is is. Both guys also beat a handful of contenders we don't have to get too much into. Which is the more murderous murderer's row?

 

I love Hunter and wanted his career to take off because I followed his dad.

I just didn't want to get too much into the weeds with the contenders. Mchunu is also a guy who should have won a portion of the strap, and on Holy's side, Tillman, and Mutti who contended, are good shouts.

 

It's a great answer.

 

Yeah, Usyk is pretty much winning this thing by massacre, which, even though I picked him, surprises me a bit.

 

That's some creative reasoning!

 

Holy struggled more greatly against his smaller opponents...the split win against Qawi, the loss to Moorer, the brutal knockdown to Bert Cooper...I could see him having an even longer night with Brieidis, though ultimately winning.

Nothing on Holy's card to trouble Usyk, althouhg Qawi as a pressure fighter is a great fight. But at 5'7", I just don't see him giving Usyk the same long night he gave Holy.