Did we jump the gun on Usyk or is he still best CW ever and a top HW?

There are questions about his heart but he's a very good HW, better than Haye and on the fringes of the top 10 ever ability-wise.

 

I honestly don't question his heart. I think he was extremely confused in the Ruiz fight, but he faced his demons and won back the titles and even though he lost to Usyk, he stuck it out.

The guy is a two-time unified champ, and young enough so that I think he will get there a third. I don't see him beating Usyk, who is a just a superior technician, but

 

He was confused because he was concussed but he quit. Maybe there was no path to victory at that stage but there's no way that Fury or Wilder would have jacked it. And after you've crossed that mental barrier, there's a high chance of it happening again. Although he won the rematch clearly I don't think it did much to banish the demons; most AJ fans expected him to take revenge by KO'ing Ruiz rather than running for 12 rounds.

We'll see more of what AJ is made of in the Usyk rematch. He didn't go for it in the first fight but he thought he would win a decision if he stayed on his feet, so it's understandable. If he's getting outboxed in the rematch and he doesn't go for it, it's a serious black mark against his courage. I could see him becoming champ again after Fury and Usyk retire if he's still around but it would probably be a Charles Martin or Joseph Parker scenario where he wins a vacant title and I doubt he'd hold on to it for long in his mid-late 30's with 3+ losses.