Both fighters were aging came in too heavy and were sluggish but there's a big difference. Usyk struggled against a kickboxer. Lewis struggled against one of the toughest H2H Heavyweights in history. Lewis with his very good uppercut would've also took Rico's head off in a few rounds because he's open to that punch. Lewis of the Vitali fight beats the Usyk who fought Rico for certain.
I think 37 y.o. Lewis from Vitali fight would beat 39 y.o. Usyk from Rico fight. But it has to be said Usyk was older and his game is FAR MORE dependent on speed, agility, reflexes and good conditioning than Lewis' one. Prime for prime Usyk beats Lewis
We need to remember that Lewis was getting his bell rung and on the way to a nasty stoppage when he managed to open the cuts on Vitali which changed the fight. Lewis showed huge guts in eating all those punches but his conditioning was truly **** for that fight. Usyk was worse than usual but still high level. More: Usyk was a smarter fighter than Vitali. What he lacked in size he made up with brains. He'd let Lewis come to him and drag him into deep waters. I think he knocks THAT version of Lewis out, once Lennox blows his wad. I wonder how many times Lewis even ran around the block.
I think lots of fighters would’ve beaten the Usyk from the Rico fight. Certainly Lewis from the Klitschko fight was one of them. Usyk was not prepared for that fight. He came in soft and disinterested.