10cm reach advantage. Reach is the most underrated advantage in boxing. Reach is basically everything. It should be izi pizi for AJ. Usyk should spend the whole fight running or sleeping on the canvas. I remind you all that chisora had no reach advantage at all vs Usyk. None. Zero reach advantage.
If reach was everything, then the fighters with the longest reach would dominate every weight division. They don’t though. So it’s not.
Reach is not everything however if you have very good jabs and long range punches and are more mobile and agile than opponent it is advantage. Especially if you have also decent power for your weight class boxer and very good gas tank.
Who says they dont? ofc they do. Very few fighters dominate full weights without reach advantage, or even worse, with reach disadvantage. Most of the time the reach advantage is there, or at least they are even. Can reach advantage be overcome? sure it can. But it's one of the hardest advantages to overcome. Harder than weight, I would say.
the second fight explained easily what I said. And in the first fight it was not a lucky shot, but it was a failure in AJ concentration and plan. If not for this failure ruiz would have been obliterated.
To walk through him he's going to have to take risks, open up and plant the feet. he did some of that at the end against Pulev but was a cagey affair for multiple rounds. Joshua is going to try and break him down and even if he hurts him early stick to the gameplan.
Who has been dominating last 20 years in heavyweight division? - Lewis - Klitschkos - Wilder - Fury - AJ All of them are giants with great power and reach advantage. Usyk will definitely be KOed by AJ.
I wish everyone would stop using Usyk vs Chisora as a measuring stick for Usyk In the HW division. Chisora would be an absolute nightmare for any HW fighter. Hes a massive human being who's tough, doesn't stop throwing punches and has a decent chin and has no fear at all. The complete opposite to AJ. AJ has fear, he Isnt tough, he gasses out quickly and does not have a good chin. Infact, I bet Chisora could knock AJ out with a lucky overhand right.
I think Usyk will KO AJ, his stamina is the problem and after 8th round, he would be very tired. 100%
Because Ruiz is fat? BTW with very low fat looks that might be 220 lbs at weight ins. Not much more than prime Huck without water cut : approx 209 lbs for fight vs Povetkin at HW. A.J most likely after this fight had get why Parker managed to win Ruiz in NZ and get in his brains Ruiz's weak and strong sides. Ruiz doesn't have slower hands than even prime ( not he doesn't looks prime anymore ) Usyk. Ruiz does have slowest and most predictable legwork in HW top 15. No one during 36 pro fights had stopped Ruiz in distance. A.J does have not only reach, height advantage vs Ruiz, he there had also agility and legwork advantage. So gameplan: to keep distance vs Ruiz and beat him on points. Parker too looks that had best rounds vs Ruiz when he had managed to work from long distance vs Ruiz and without intent to rush for KO. Vs. Usyk A.J will not have legwork advantage. Worse, even 230 lbs out of prime Usyk will be more mobile than Parker, not alone to compare with Ruiz, Ruiz legwork is more predictable than to predict how will move Takam or Pulev. If A.J will have gameplan to finish Usyk early, there might happen 2 things: A. He achieves this and xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx fans posts in internet how A.J had exposed total bum and overrated hypejob. B. A.J gas out: then LOL, he will get that even over the hill Usyk isn't 39 y.o slow and very predictable Pulev's version ( I'm sure that current Pulev can't beat even Takam or Arreola of top ranked CW boxers ), 38/39 y.o legless Povetkin version or ring rusty, 41 y.o Wlad with more than 12 months ring rust. Then he will feel that Usyk, despite looks that is in decline, throws considerably more punches than Parker or Takam too. Will see, then there will be talks: Usyk was best boxer who A.J ever had in the ring during all his life. If A.J will have game plan to win on points, he by using his reach and height, weight and power advantage, might win legit decision or hometown decision, will see. He does have enough reach and power, weight advantage to keep Usyk at range and score points on Usyk. A.J in theory might also maul Usyk in clinch, Usyk at CW didn't had top 5 level clinch at all. He is mobile in - out boxer who uses angles change and dynamic high guard. KO? I will tell that KO punches usually needs proper setup. The same prime Povetkin with high punch output and good legs had dropped ~ 235 lber with 1 punch, then was not able to finish 209lbs Huck, worse: this was damn close fight. While Gowacki, despite most likely had not won any single round vs Huck, get capitalised 1 mistake and had landed on him with proper setup and get him dizzy, then had battered him with impressive performance. Glowacki looks that is approx 200-202, at best 209? lbs in the ring. This didn't had made Povetkin as weak puncher: he after this had finished 235 lbs boxer, approx 240 lbs boxer and ghost's version from over the hill Povetkin he had finished Whyte with 1 punch.
Joshua : 6' 5 Usyk : 6' 3 Joshua has a around 3 inches in reach and likely on the night will be around 2 stones heavier - depending on what weights they both come in at. So sure, Joshua is bigger, but it's not like this is Haye vs Valuev or similar. The real test in this for Josh is the mental one - how much will he be going in there with the doubts that Usyk is better than him. That kind of stuff can eat away at you, and as others have stated, Usyk is a mentally exhausting fighter when it gets going. Couple that with his sometimes suspect has tank, I think the potential is there for a real long night for AJ, and he will have to be at his best with 100% focus to come away with the win IMO. Usyk has never ever looked in trouble at any point in any fight - or even likely to be put down - I know some folks maintain Chisora had him in trouble, but I didn't see that - cautious at times, of course, but never in any danger. Of course, Joshua has fight ending power, but he also doesn't like getting hit himself, even against Pulev at times you could see Joshua seize up. I'm really REALLY interested to see how this fight unfolds, as I think it's truly gonna be fascinating... - Can Usyk weather the (I suspect) early storm and get comfortable and into a rythym? - Will Joshau rip up the script and try and outbox Usyk and keep him at range like he did with Ruiz in the rematch? - Will Usyk abandon his CW style and gameplan, and come in heavy and sit down on his punches and look to get the KO that many thinks he will 100% need to win (Fast Eddie Cards!) - Who will have the best gameplan and execute on it? Can't wait for this one!
Sorry but Wilder and Fury have objectively NOT been dominating the division. Fury has been inactive for very long periods of time and hasn't "dominated" by even holding a belt for a single fight... and Wilders resume is absolutely pathetic for a champion who held a belt so long. To dominate the division you need to take on the vast majority of the major threats in the division and beat them - neither Fury or Wilder has done that.
