Can Usyk go to Ali level status?

[ykdadamaja]

Nice write up.

Thanks

But I mean them in terms of the global appeal and iconic status they represent at times of great international upheaval.

But to have global appeal I think Usyk will suffer from what I call "Novak Djokovic" syndrome in that as great as Novak is, he does not have the same global appeal as Federer or Nadal because of snobbery.

Federer and Nadal are from countries that are seen as sexy (Switzerland and Spain) where as Novak is a Serb and even though he has surpassed both Federer and Nadal in terms of slams won and many would say he's better player than the both of them. He'll never have their global appeal and it's the same for Usyk. He's from Ukraine (Not seen as a sexy country)

Usyk can turn the corner and represent a generation if he wanted to.

Problem for Usyk is English isn't his first language and English is the dominant language on the planet

That gives Ali a MASSIVE ADVANTAGE because the world has seen how funny/witty/sharp/outspoken/intelligent/poetic he was where as Usyk's English even now is only a 5 out of 10. Also no other country on the planet exports it's news, sports, music, films as relentless and ferocious that America does. So Ali also has the advantage being born in country that has a louder sound system

So because of that that meant that Muhammad Ali was at one point more recognizable than the Beatles or Elvis. Ali was the most loved and hated athlete in the history of sports.

But Usyk is WHITE... plus he is the heavyweight champion... in addition, everyone hates this Russia/Ukraine war. Even with his broken English he can make an impact.