Why Oleksandr Usyk Should Be P4P Number 1 Over Both Terence Crawford & Naoya Inoue.

I'd add Danny Garcia to that list, but your line of reasoning is sound.

I think Porter was shot by the time he faced Ugas.

In any case, prime Kell Brook dominated prime Shawn Porter. Brook won at least 9 of the rounds in their contest. Maybe 10.

 

I'll give you Crawford but not Inoue
Usyk number 2

 

Inoue or Usyk is a tossup. Crawford in both h2h p4p value and body of work is behind them both. He and Canelo duking it out for number three.

 

Good argument for Usyk for sure. The thing with heavyweights they tend to get the shaft because they kind of can't climb weights? But Usyk being undersized should give him a bit of a leeway here? Anyone who has Usyk #1 is fine by me, a fine fighter and a boogeyman right now, I don't see anyone beating him unless Wilder lands the BRH.

The only HW I remember being #1 was Holyfield?

 

To add to this.. what size deficit has Crawford ever really overcome? Other than weight grifting LOL.. the opposite of p4p imo... I mean he probably starts camp at 180lbs now... yet fights at 147.. the 24-hour hydration loophole is almost as advantageous as steroids these days for some individuals... the way they can take advantage of it.. Loma hovers around 145 starting camp by all accounts.. imagine him fighting at straw weight.. b/c that's the equivalent

 

Yes this, Usyk is still p4p no 1 , but an impressive performance against Dubois like I expect, will cement it.

People can't say the inactive excuse, because he's fighting next week!

 

Your entire analysis is basically hyping up Usyk's wins over Joshua (due to his thin resume at HW) while trashing the careers of Crawford and Inoue. On paper, Joshua absolutely wasn't a bigger threat than Spence other than his size at that point in his career.

The Joshua Usyk beat wasn't the best version of Joshua (certainly not the 2nd fight). Joshua was better prior to the Ruiz loss: more aggressive, heavy jab, dedicated body puncher, better finisher, more confident, etc.

It is not Crawford's fault if Spence was (allegedly) damaged from the car wreck and weight drained. He was an A-level, undefeated unified champion, period. It doesn't matter if you didn't think Spence had a chance going into the fight, Crawford was arguably already #1 p4p and beat another guy on the p4p list. Usyk didn't.

 

You grade wins based on the fight itself.

Spence looked like a ghoul on the way to the ring. The fact that every single shot seemed to hurt him, being dropped by a jab, and the doctor checking on him before he even took a beating, says it all. Spence is a tough guy, so he shouldn't have been rattled by every shot like he was.

 

No, you grade wins based on the credentials of the fighters. It is not Crawford's fault if Spence messed up his weight management becoming weaker (something you have to actually prove FYI, not just that you "think" Spence looked bad based on speculation). Crawford did what he was supposed to do and won in a dominant fashion over an undefeated, unified champion who was on the p4p list. Usyk didn't. Crawford was already arguably p4p#1 before beating Spence.

 

Nah homie, that's not how it works unless you're biased with an agenda.

I'm consistent. Fights that don't warrant much credit:

• Pac-Oscar (Oscar was drained, but it's made a little better by Pac jumping 2 weight classes)
• Ward-Dawson (Dawson was drained and had been knocked out in camp by Miranda)
• Cotto-Martinez (Martinez had one-leg)
• Pac-May (May used illegal IV fluids)

 

I don't have an agenda. I didn't even pick Crawford to win lol. I judge every single resume the same way, old school or modern.

Spence vs Crawford had none of the issues of the four fights you brought up. I'll say it again: You need to show actual proof Spence was drained and weak. Anyone can say in hindsight that they think x fighter wasn't a good opponent because of xyz reasons after getting blasted out. All I'm seeing is a desperate attempt to not give Crawford credit. I repeat: He was arguably p4p #1 BEFORE he fought Spence and this cements it. Usyk WASN'T.

 

Spence has been complaining for about 5 years now about the difficulty of making 147.

Spence was pile-driven face first by his Ferrari into the cement knocking out all his teeth.

Spence came back from the car accident looking and sounding like a different man.

Spence was 16 months inactive.

Spence looked like a corpse on his way to the ring.

Denying these events is bizarre.

 

Crawford has been complaining about making 147

Crawford got shot

Spence came back and put on a clinic outboxing Danny Garcia beating him worse than any other opponent.

Spence CHOSE to be 16 months inactive.

Spence looked like a corpse TO YOU.

Putting Usyk's resume over Crawford's is not only bizarre, it's insane.

 

Relax. A stray bullet clipped some skin and Crawford drove himself to the hospital, got stitched up, and discharged the same day. Don't try to sell it like he got shot in the head and had a bullet lodged in his skull and had to relearn how to eat, swallow, and walk again.



Not true. Mauricio Herrera outboxed and put a massive beating on far fresher Danny in front of his home crowd. Danny was on the verge of being stopped.

Whether Spence chose to be inactive or not, it's still a fact that he was inactive. All fighters will tell you that inactivity can be a killer. Spence had already been having trouble making 147.

No, Spence looked like a corpse to anyone with a working set of eyes. The man looked deathly and unhealthy. Compare the ring walk to his previous fight (Ugas) and it's a different man.