Is Oleksandr Usyk evolving physically into a legitimate heavyweight?
The former unified cruiserweight champ, who is 6-foot-3, weighed 215 pounds for his heavyweight debut against Chazz Witherspoon — a seventh-round knockout — this past October in Chicago.
For that fight, he was a small heavyweight. However, some have taken a look at the photo Usyk posted on Instagram Friday (see below) and have concluded that he’s using his time off to bulk up.
One could argue that he has heavyweight guns in that image, although he didn’t exactly have an biceps issue before now.
One could also argue that he remains a cruiserweight from the waist down, perhaps in the mold of pioneer Bob Fitzsimmons. Maybe he’s still working on his legs.
Either way, the image is striking. Usyk looks strong. And we know he has all the ability in the world.
We’ll see how this plays out as Usyk continues to fight as a heavyweight. He was scheduled to face Dereck Chisora on May 23 at O2 Arena in London but that fight was postponed indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic.