Oleksandr Usyk reacts immediately after beating Tyson Fury
Part 1: Heavyweights
In boxing, like in life, there are winners and losers, young and old, good and bad fighters. In this series, I will use an analogy to show where the top three boxers in any weight class stand in terms of longevity. Oh, and the top three boxers are my picks. Sorry if I offended anyone by leaving out their favorite from the top three.
The metaphor is Step outside the doorOne leg, two legs, both feet, or no legs. Remember, it's not always just a matter of physical decline. Some boxers retire because they're not interested in boxing anymore. For example, “Tank Davis” immediately comes to mind. But save Gervonta for later. Part 1 is about the big men, the heavyweights.
The principle that the best fights are the best hasn't existed for a long time, for decades. Even in boxing's “heyday,” one of the greatest fighters of all time, George Foreman, never fought Earnie Shavers, even though he would have undoubtedly won. But what a fight! The point is, some fights never happen, for reasons we probably don't fully understand.
Fighters today are completely different than they were 20 years ago. As one of the Charlo brothers said, today it's not about the best fighter fighting the best fighter, it's about making the most money. Frankly, even in the 70s, which is considered the best decade of boxing, fighters were no match for each other. near They don't fight as frequently as fighters in their 40s – early in his career, Ray Robinson averaged three to five fights a day. Month. That will never happen again. In fact, I think that within 10 years boxers will be averaging less than one fight per year, and within 15 years I think it's very likely that boxing will be phased out by various “safety forces.”
HeavyweightOleksandr Usyk's big win over Fury created a unified four-strong heavyweight champion. That's great. Usyk, in the words of one wise man, bad Come on. In the context of boxing of course. Oh man, there aren't any great young fighters coming out of the heavyweight division. Prove me wrong.
Usyk: Don't expect Oleksandr to be around for long at 37. He's only going to get weaker and even in his amazing win over Fury, both fighters were past their physical peak, especially the younger Fury. It's a miracle Usyk is still good at 37. Undefeated, unified champion, pride of a nation, a great man by any definition, I'd love to see him retire. now. evaluation: One foot out the door.
Fury: Tyson suffered brain damage and brain tumors swelling After his third fight with Wilder, before undergoing surgery on both elbows, Tyson said he had no brain damage. I don't know how you “shake it off” that he has brain damage. Fury, who stopped Wilder in early 2020, would easily beat any heavyweight boxer in the world, including Usyk. But years of on/off partying, bad decision-making, interference, a big family and manipulation by politics have put him in a tough spot. He's lost his incredible fast-twitch muscles. His trainer and cutman and, cruelly, promoter Frank Warren say so. After surgery on both elbows, he can't hit as hard as he did two years ago when he turned off Wilder's lights. He says he's scared to quit the sport and that he's not qualified for anything other than boxing. Disaster is looming. He should get both feet out. Long before his injury, Tyson was afraid of the effects of boxing I put one foot out the door.
Anthony Joshua: I was more impressed than I've ever been when Joshua said after knocking Ngannou unconscious that it wasn't a big moment. He did what he had to do. He made it clear that he was calling it a day. Eddie Hearn says the KO artists we used to have are gone, and I think so, except for Ngannou. He fought Usyk at a high level and obviously lost both times. Forget the “split” decision. One foot out the door And Ant doesn't deny it.
In part 2, the cruiserweight division Ha – Bridger Weight.
