Even CW Usyk would have been a heavyweight in 1964. So assuming Usyk fights from then until the late 70s, how does he do? Him and Frazier are bound to clash in the late 60s. Then he may get in the ring with Ali by 67.
I've been tempted to run this one before, two different ways. One way, he's just another guy on the scene, same age as Ali. The other, Ali is never born, but Usyk is the same age and grows up in the US, so he has full access to the sport.
He would have represented The Soviet Union in the Olympics and would have probably won many Medals. Unfortunately, he would have had no pro career...unless he defected, which is unlikely, based on his observed character and the fact that the Soviet Government would have taken great care of Oleksandr and his family.
In this fictional reality… Usyk is the fighter of fne 60s-70s I can’t see anyone who you could pick to reasonable beat him if he’s “on” that’s just boxing IMO… for example Holyfield would suffer in the 60s-70s and we wouldn’t have heard of Norton in the 90s-00s some guys are just in the right eras.
He will beat everyone except Ali, Frazier and Foreman when they hit their prime. Liston, Williams, Bonavena, Ellis, Quarry... he will beat them all with Quarry as the hardest win since Quarry is very good counterpuncher. But he will lose against 1969/1970 Frazier. If Ali was still around he would lose by SD inside 12 rounds but if fight goes 15 rounds he will lose by UD or possibly late TKO. When he meet Foreman he either lose by KO or win ala Jimmy Young. Frazier will win also by TKO or UD.
These scenarios are so hard to speculate. But if Uysk turns out the same fighter he did in real life he is dangerous in any era.
If Luis Ortiz existed the big three would’ve been Ali, Frazier and Ortiz in the 60s it’d be Ortiz, Liston, Ali… Usyk tears Young, Lyle, Foreman, Bonavena, Chuvalo and basically every wee sized contender and troglodyte to shreds - Frazier has a small chance, he’s tenacious but Usyk is a nightmare opponent for Ali.
It’s really odd to watch the Young fight and conclude a better, bigger boxer then Young wouldn’t beat the guy whose best win is a 5ft10 200lber who was a part time fighter holding the title hostage - oh but he beat Norton… who was KO’d by a 188lber - actually H2H his best win might be RON LYLE
Calling in CW Usyk also calls in several of the more difficult fights he had in the division, including his closest fight vs Briedis. The perceptions of Usyk as a great HW are arguably based far more on the optics of his limited wins in the actual HW division against much slower, far lesser skilled, stamina challenged behemoths - not as a CW, when he was prime or that much closer to prime fighting more similarly sized, faster and far better skilled opposition who didn’t dramatically gas in their own right. Without his career at HW, would people be talking Uysk up as much as he is being talked up now? I highly doubt it. Ali, Frazier, Foreman and Norton are def. major obstacles for Olek to say the least.
He did, in fact he was in his prime then, he just knew it’d be unfair, so he showed humility and waited until he was 85 years old to turn pro to make it fair.
