Usyk, Crawford, Inoue - Who is P4P #1? (POLL)

This isn't even a question

Usyk is routinely fighting opponents way bigger, heavier, longer and more powerful than him and having to overcome huge physical disadvantages

And these HW giants like AJ, Belly and Dubois are fast and skilful for their size and can take you out with single shots and with fast combinations

And not only that he won and unified all all of his world title fights in his opponent's backyard at CW, won three of his belt's in his opponent's backyard at HW, and unified the fourth one on technically neutral territory. This is insane and against the quality of opposition he's fought

He won his Olympic gold medal, his World Amateur gold medal, European gold medal, WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO CW world titles, and his WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO world titles on the road, has never fought one world title fight out in his homeland, the closest being in Poland against Dubois which was essentially a home match for him which is his only home fight since his 9th fight and his only one at the world level, and he's had and a grand total of 2 home country judges for all his world title fights and never had a home ref for a single one of them.

Across the pond their boys have a full set of four most of the time for world title fights vs foreigners over there

Hell, they even stack the deck with a home ref and three home judges for undisputed fights vs foreigners: Haney vs Loma, JCR vs Taylor, Jermello vs Castano.



He's not just fought loads of legit bangers and KO artists he's literally fought a whole bunch of the hardest punchers in the sport

Gassiev's power is frightening

This is one of the most brutal KOs of all time

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Ben Davison has said that many HWs have personally told him that Gassiev is the hardest puncher they've ever shared a ring with


Chris Arreola

“Murat Gassiev – that motherbeeper hits hard,” heavyweight contender Chris Arreola said of his experience while training with the Russian banger in Big Bear, California.

The two worked in the same gym space for their recent training camps. Arreola was preparing for his December 12 showdown with Travis Kauffman, a fight he won by split decision. The final outcome was disputed, but Arreola’s energy at fight’s end was attributed to the work he put in during his time in Big Bear, also crediting Gassiev as one of the fighters who pushed him in the gym.

“He caught me in the ribs during one sparring session, I just never been hit like that before,” Arreola admitted. “This was a camp I was already determined to leave as a trim and ready fighter, but I knew I couldn’t half-ass it when he was there. Whenever I saw him in the gym when I arrived, I was like “****, not that guy again.” But he makes you work in the gym, he makes you a better fighter.”

“In a boxing fight the hardest puncher would have to be Vitali Klitschko. He’s just a strong thudding punch,” Arreola said to ES News Reporting. ”In sparring, hands down, by far is Murat [Gassiev]. That man is [the hardest puncher]. That motherbeeper hits HARD. He hits hard! The thing is I’m sparring him and I see the punch coming and I’m like, ‘NO.’ Boom! The crazy thing about him [Gassiev]; you see it coming. You can’t get out of it, and you get hit and it hurts BAD. That’s with gloves and head gear 18 ounce gloves too,” Arreola said.

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''Murat Gassiev is the biggest puncher I've ever seen. I've seen him in the gym and on tape against top 10 HWs''

These are the sparring rumours we've heard about. Knocking out numerous top HWs in the gym. Breaking their bones

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And this from Gassiev's ex trainer

“The power he has shown me in the gym sparring against [heavyweights Dominic] Breazeale, Charles Martin, Gerald Washington, Chris Arreola, is very real,” Sanchez said. “All those guys, he’s been able to dominate and hurt. Once we get him to the heavyweight division and stabilize him at 225, 230, and put some muscle on those pounds, he’ll be very effective.''

-- Abel Sanchez

"Murat Gassiev is the hardest puncher I've ever been in a ring with" - Ola Afolabi

AJ is one of the very biggest punchers in the sport. He still sports a KO 89% and the only three opponents of his not to hit the floor are J-Park, Franklin and Usyk and Usyk fought him x 2 over 24 rounds

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Briedis is extremely explosive and wields huge power in both hands. He sparked a 250lb Charr out cold on his face with a single devastating uppercut, something which none of the HWs Charr has fought have come close to replicating. That was about as spectacular a KO as KOs get.

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Look at what we just saw a 39 y/o Briedis do against the supremely talented Opetaia last night. Jai's got a great chin but in two fights Briedis has broken his jaw on both sides and hurt him badly

Look at the weight in these shots. He's really explosive and fast and skilful too.

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CW Sergiy Radchenko who has sparred Wlad, Usyk, Briedis, Huck, Glowacki, Wlodarczyk, Kudryashov and Chakhkiev among others said this about Briedis

''You just can't be lighting fast and hit hard at the same time in this division, although Mairis Briedis is an exception - he is fast, the second fastest guy I sparred behind Usyk, and hits very hard''


Klitschko brother's former chef and camp manager on Briedis

''I knew Mairis was a danger and would win. Bad choice for Charr . Mairis can bang!''

''no
but he was great at movement. You have to stay focused with Mairis at all times.''

Mairis is a tough dude. Had him at least 6-8 times in Wlad and Vitalis camps. Always gives top work''

''Mairis can box that way is all day long, but dont be fooled, the boy has some power. Seen it first hand''

''I DID... but I know what Mairis was capable of from many many times in Klitschko camps.''

 

Wlad on Briedis

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Dubois is one of the biggest punchers in the HW division and he still sports a KO 94%

Murderous right hand

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Chisora has double digit losses but he carries very big power in that overhand right of his, especially since he started taking training more seriously in recent years and has worked really hard on his S&C

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Bellew might be massive plum but he was a legit KO artist

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Glowacki knocking out the extremely tough Huck who I don't think had ever been down before

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Michael Hunter Jr. can crack

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Marco Huck has really heavy hands

Even Witherspoon is a big puncher

And yes Belly can punch hard too when he wants to sit down on his shots and obviously, duh, power is magnified when facing opponents you're 40lbs heavier and way naturally bigger than

And he's fought huge or big punchers like Beterbiev in the amateurs x 3 who unquestionably one of the top 3 hardest punchers in the sport, is the ONLY current world champ with a KO 100%, a three-belt unified one at that, and was an absolute wrecking machine in the ams too

Huge/very big SHW punchers like Majidov, Mihai Nistor, Joe Joyce in the WSB and a ton more big punchers in the amateurs

Again, it's not even debatable now. No one is doing what Usyk is doing

 

It's way easier to be ''dominant'' when you're fighting opponents your size, smaller or a little bit bigger with much or shorter reaches than you, who are mostly featherfists or light to average punchers, in your backyard the vast vast majority of the time than it is when you're routinely facing giants who are way bigger, heavier, longer and more powerful than you in their backyards or home countries the vast vast majority of the time and who can punch holes in castle walls.

They're doing two completely different things and one is way more difficult than the other

 

Look at how ''dominant'' GGG was against Katie Taylor in Karaganda but how he struggled against AJ in London