Usyk drops WBO title

Belly wasn't 38-39 y/o, at the end or in the twilight of his career, who had forged a career fighting in his opponent's backyards and on the road (albeit he is a road warrior too) very often as the B-side, and he wasn't a paragon of virtue who hadn't put a foot wrong and therefore hadn't racked up an abundance of good grace points like Usyk has and so richly deserves. Far from it, in fact. Usyk's conduct has been exemplary in and out of the ring

I would've preferred it if Usyk had vacated prior to Fabio vs J-Park but, as said, we have no idea what's going on behind the scenes or what his plans are or what he is being advised or encouraged to do

 

I know he won the belts in his opponent's backyards too and I've always given him credit for that but his conduct in and out of the ring has been far from exemplary. Usyk hasn't put a foot wrong and as said has been a paragon of virtue. He cleaned out all the top fighters in the division and highest ranked guys at the time and he's about to turn 39, Belly fought Wlad and The Dosser but he fought a lot of soft touches.

Usyk has gone from Glowacki, Mchunu, Hunter, Huck, Breidis, Gassiev, Bellew

To

Witherspoon, Chisora, AJ, AJ, Dubois, Belly, Belly, Dubois

All in their backyards or on the road arguably sans Dubois I and all the HWs way bigger than him and often as the B-side

The only soft touch there was Witherspoon and he was a very late notice sub and it was Usyk's official pro HW debut

Even if Usyk is chasing the biggest possible money fights at this stage of his career after clocking boxing, having achieved al there is to achieve, and after spending his entire career being the epitome of a legacy fighter and doing things the hard and righteous way and treading a path many of his fellow greats didn't do or refused to do, I won't hold it against him because we know his country is at war and what he will do with much of that money and how much he can help his countrymen with it and if he is I believe that will be his motivation for doing so not greed and the pursuit of personal wealth.

Am I giving Usyk the benefit of the doubt? You're damn right I am because he's Usyk and he's more than earned it