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*** The Official Boxing/UFC/MMA thread ***

I think Bellew will give him a good fight. Will push Usyk, but probably lose eventually. Still anything is possible in this game.
 
As predicted.

Bellew got caught on the chin at the end of a round, and from there Usyk was in the ascendency. For the first 3-4 rounds Bellew was ontop.
 
SpurMeUp said:
Cultured fighter. Could he do that against Joshua? Joshua is so big, a natural heavy weight.
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Joshua has a ton of power, could probably knock out anybody if he really caught them. But I thought in his last fight, the smaller guy caused him some problems in the early rounds, he was just too old to keep it up. Maybe this guy could give Joshua a really tough fight for 12 rounds, use Joshua's size against him.

I did like Usyk's evil looking grin whenever Bellew hit him -- that must have been a bit demoralising for Bellew, as he did catch him with a few good shots.
 
the dza said:
Joshua has a ton of power, could probably knock out anybody if he really caught them. But I thought in his last fight, the smaller guy caused him some problems in the early rounds, he was just too old to keep it up. Maybe this guy could give Joshua a really tough fight for 12 rounds, use Joshua's size against him.

I did like Usyk's evil looking grin whenever Bellew hit him -- that must have been a bit demoralising for Bellew, as he did catch him with a few good shots.
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I think Usyk would have to bulk up a lot. Someone with Joshua's power would just punch through his guard.
 
Also worth mentioning, maybe Sky shouldn't have interviewed Bellew right after the fight -- twice in the space of about 2 minutes Bellew asked what round it was that he got knocked out in. Then the crowd started booing Eddie Hearn and he thought they were booing Usyk. I don't think Bellew's brain was right there, hopefully he is looked after. Good time for him to retire.
 
the dza said:
Also worth mentioning, maybe Sky shouldn't have interviewed Bellew right after the fight -- twice in the space of about 2 minutes Bellew asked what round it was that he got knocked out in. Then the crowd started booing Eddie Hearn and he thought they were booing Usyk. I don't think Bellew's brain was right there, hopefully he is looked after. Good time for him to retire.
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Yeah that was quite disturbing, he was definitely punch drunk. Let's hope it passed off quickly.
 
the dza said:
He's 6ft 3, so you'd think he'd be comfortable at 15 and a half or 16 stone (he weighed in at 14 stone 2lb for the Bellew fight).
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Probably still smaller than Povetkin though, and the size difference was a massive factor in the way Joshua eventually overpowered him IMO. Usyk-Joshua could be interesting, but at the same time I don't want to see a mismatch.
 
SpurMeUp said:
Bellew got caught on the chin at the end of a round, and from there Usyk was in the ascendency. For the first 3-4 rounds Bellew was ontop.
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It's a pattern you quite often see when very good fighters challenge truly elite ones. Kell Brook's fights with Golovkin and Spence followed similar outlines, with Brook doing well early on but with the elite fighter growing into the fight and taking over after the first few. Shane Mosley vs. Mayweather a few years ago also springs to mind. Shame because as you say, Bellew was clearly getting the better of it after 3 or 4 rounds, but the tide had completely turned by the ending and was probably only going one way.
 
Parklaner81 said:
Probably still smaller than Povetkin though, and the size difference was a massive factor in the way Joshua eventually overpowered him IMO. Usyk-Joshua could be interesting, but at the same time I don't want to see a mismatch.
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You could well be right, the size difference might be too much to make up for. Though I just looked it up, Povetkin weighed in at 15st 12lbs v Joshua, which is probably the upper limit of what Usyk would come in at heavyweight. Usyk is an inch taller than Povetkin and has a 3 inch reach advantage.

IMO, Joshua looks stiff at the start of his fights and Povetkin's speed caused him trouble, it's just that at age 39, Povetkin couldn't keep up the pressure. But at 31 and in his prime, maybe Usyk could keep that kind of pressure up. Of course, if AJ hits Usyk with a straight-right, I'm not sure Usyk would just grin at it like he did with Bellew...
 
the dza said:
You could well be right, the size difference might be too much to make up for. Though I just looked it up, Povetkin weighed in at 15st 12lbs v Joshua, which is probably the upper limit of what Usyk would come in at heavyweight. Usyk is an inch taller than Povetkin and has a 3 inch reach advantage.
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Ok that makes sense actually, for some reason I was thinking Povetkin was 6'4, which would have made him taller than Usyk, but I don't know why I was thinking that! 6'2 sounds right for him.
 
Parklaner81 said:
Ok that makes sense actually, for some reason I was thinking Povetkin was 6'4, which would have made him taller than Usyk, but I don't know why I was thinking that! 6'2 sounds right for him.
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I only got my numbers from Wikipedia, so don't take them as gospel necessarily. But even slightly out, they'd be around the same size, in terms of height. Did Usyk say he was gonna have some time off after a hard year? I wonder if he'll use that time to slowly gain the bit of extra weight he needs to go up to heavyweight. Or maybe he thinks he could stay the same size and fight, I have no idea. Great that we have the possibility of even more interesting fights at heavyweight though!
 
the dza said:
I only got my numbers from Wikipedia, so don't take them as gospel necessarily. But even slightly out, they'd be around the same size, in terms of height. Did Usyk say he was gonna have some time off after a hard year? I wonder if he'll use that time to slowly gain the bit of extra weight he needs to go up to heavyweight. Or maybe he thinks he could stay the same size and fight, I have no idea. Great that we have the possibility of even more interesting fights at heavyweight though!
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No I'm sure you're right, 6'4 is too big for Povetkin, I don't know where I got that from & it's what I based my original comment on.

Carl Frock spoke a lot of sense on this last night, saying how Usyk should do it slowly and start off with smaller heavyweight opponents to build his way up. That's definitely the way he ought to go about it. Going straight for Joshua would be foolhardy IMO.
 
Parklaner81 said:
No I'm sure you're right, 6'4 is too big for Povetkin, I don't know where I got that from & it's what I based my original comment on.

Carl Frock spoke a lot of sense on this last night, saying how Usyk should do it slowly and start off with smaller heavyweight opponents to build his way up. That's definitely the way he ought to go about it. Going straight for Joshua would be foolhardy IMO.
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How about fighting Parker?
 
the dza said:
How about fighting Parker?
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Possibly, although saying that Parker's a big unit too and a reasonable puncher. He's a true big heavyweight, even if not quite as big as AJ.

What's interesting is that I actually thought Bellew looked slightly 'skinny' in the ring last night, especially next to Usyk. It's how he often used to appear during his light-heavyweight days and I did wonder if his power suffered for it on the night. It's the first time I've thought that about him since he first moved up to cruiser. What I'm driving at is that a heavyweight version of Bellew, or a David Haye, someone of that kind of size, would be the ideal first step for Usyk. A proper 'small' heavyweight. I can't think off the top of my head who that might be though.
 
Parklaner81 said:
Possibly, although saying that Parker's a big unit too and a reasonable puncher. He's a true big heavyweight, even if not quite as big as AJ.

What's interesting is that I actually thought Bellew looked slightly 'skinny' in the ring last night, especially next to Usyk. It's how he often used to appear during his light-heavyweight days and I did wonder if his power suffered for it on the night. It's the first time I've thought that about him since he first moved up to cruiser. What I'm driving at is that a heavyweight version of Bellew, or a David Haye, someone of that kind of size, would be the ideal first step for Usyk. A proper 'small' heavyweight. I can't think off the top of my head who that might be though.
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Thought the same thing. If you had to pick one that had dropped from heavyweight it probably wouldn't have been him.
 
Do successful cruiserweights ever just hang around at cruiserweight and defend their belts? Feels like they are a division where they always feel like they need to try heavyweight to get the money and recognition
 
dingdongo said:
Do successful cruiserweights ever just hang around at cruiserweight and defend their belts? Feels like they are a division where they always feel like they need to try heavyweight to get the money and recognition
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I always find it a poor division, not in ability but interest.

Bellew does my head in if I am honest, talks like the only boxer in the world that had to work hard for what he has.
 
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