Re: Oleksandr Usyk vs the Greats at Heavyweight
Great thread topic and insights. Off the top I don't see Usyk beating Ali or Tyson but also see him very live with Foreman, just not sure he makes the bell. Mentally I think he can have a big advantage with young Foreman and with Usyk I think one of his major and maxed assets is his mental makeup and pure calculating execution of a game plan. The man has an unshakable drive and confidence off the charts. But can also see Holyfield giving him absolute hell in forced exchanges. I'm just not convinced Usyk stands in with the consistent combination punching and counters of Holyfield. Who himself imo has never gotten full credit for underrated pop often in combo capped with a quick left hook that has dented some of the very best big men and chins he faced. Usyk by no fault of his own has had a few things working against him overall and rightly receives some skeptics when the "all-time great" is immediately thrown out. Btw "great" imo is one of the most overused terms going today. The name and even language barrier let's just be honest. The tagline that has also sat over so many other cruisers coming up, "blown up heavy" etc. He's not a puncher and in the wider view of boxing fans outside of harder core fans he has sat in some anonymity of sorts. But the mere fact he's arrived in the conversation among the elite heavies in multiple eras is a testament to his measure. The man is special and has very much staked his claim as his eras best.