Tony Bellew respects Oleksandr Usyk but doesn’t believe he can beat the heavyweight division’s big two, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Tony Bellew got to know Oleksandr Usyk up close, having been stopped by the Ukrainian in the Englishman’s final fight. And while Bellew has respect for Usyk, he doesn’t believe he can beat the heavyweight division’s big two: Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) was a unified cruiserweight champ and the 2018 Fighter of the Year before moving up to heavyweight in October, when he stopped Chazz Witherspoon in seven rounds.
“[Usyk’s] a brilliant fighter,” Bellew said on Colin Murray’s 52 podcast. “People always ask me, ‘How will he do as a heavyweight?’ So let’s just get down to it. I think he will beat every single heavyweight out there besides two, and they are the big boys.
“I don’t think he is big enough to beat A.J., and I don’t think he is big enough to beat Tyson Fury. The only thing that can beat him is size. Don’t get me wrong. When he fights A.J., I think he’ll be ahead, but then I think A.J. will get to him and work him down, and gradually he will get there.
“When it comes to Tyson Fury, he just won’t be allowed to get close enough. Fury is that big.”
Usyk needed eight rounds to stop Bellew in a what had been a close fight in November 2018. That was the 6-foot-3 Usyk’s last fight at 200 pounds. He weighed 215 for the Witherspoon fight.
David Haye said protege Dereck Chisora is “in a good place” in anticipation of his showdown with Oleksandr Usyk.
David Haye, the manager of Dereck Chisora, took notice of a photo on Instagram purporting to show that Chisora’s up-coming opponent Oleksandr Usyk is bulking up during the coronavirus pandemic.
Haye responded by saying that his man also is working hard in anticipation of their showdown, which was scheduled for May 23 at O2 Arena in London but later postponed.
Chisora and his handlers reportedly are exploring the possibility of staging the fight in Saudi Arabia, which could lift its coronavirus restrictions as soon as July.
“Derek is in a good place,” Haye told talkSPORT. “The fight date he’s been working towards has been postponed and Usyk is in training and we can see from his social media that he is ticking over in the Ukraine.
“He’s ranked in every boxing expert’s Top 5 pound-for-pound fighters, he’s an Olympic champion, he’s never ever lost a boxing match before, he was the undisputed cruiserweight champion. He’s the man, the most skilled smaller heavyweight out there.
“Derek Chisora has lost nine fights, many people think he’s passed his prime, but believe me he was having a run in training camp like I’ve never seen him before – the sparring, the physical side of things.
“He’s got on his discipline, he’s eating the right food, he’s sleeping the right times, he’s not doing all of the things he did in the past that culminated in him losing those nine fights. He shouldn’t have lost all of those fights. A lot of the time he wasn’t just in the best physical condition, the right mind-set, but he is now.
“I think Usyk has miscalculated how good Chisora is, he doesn’t realize how strong he is. He’s like a bull, he’s absolutely rock-solid, and he’s still training now. A lot of boxers would fly off the handle in this lockdown, they’d be on the beers, smashing Easter eggs, but he hasn’t. He’s been really on it, he’s been looking after himself.
“So when this thing dies down and he finally gets his opportunity, he beats Usyk and then he is then the No. 1 contender for Anthony Joshua, and that’s a dream come true for him.”
Is Oleksandr Usyk evolving physically into a legitimate heavyweight?
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.
A boxing historian with the Twitter handle @BoxerJoeGrim, named for a turn-of-the-20 th-century heavyweight who lost consistently but never gave up, posted a fascinating image of a newspaper column written by the legendary Grantland Rice in 1925. …
A boxing historian with the Twitter handle @BoxerJoeGrim, named for a turn-of-the-20th-century heavyweight who lost consistently but never gave up, posted a fascinating image of a newspaper column written by the legendary Grantland Rice in 1925.
The article (see below) demonstrates that the concept of pound-for-pound predates by many years Sugar Ray Robinson, for whom many seem to believe the term was coined.
“Who is the best fighter in the world for weight – pound for pound?,” Rice wrote. “Our vote goes to Jimmy Slattery – with Mickey Walker possibly in second place.”
Boxing writer Cliff Rold, an astute boxing historian, commented on Joe Grim’s post, Tweeting: “There were lists of the best overall fighters across divisions that used to appear in all sorts of big papers regularly, some using the expression and some not. All the same thought.”
The myth that boxing's "pound for pound" expression was coined for Sugar Ray Robinson is increasingly being replaced by a new, more subtle, myth – that he prompted writers to start formally ranking fighters on a P4P basis. This is also untrue – take this 1925 piece for example: pic.twitter.com/DBzKuO8cJC
Added another knowledgeable historian, Doug Fischer, Editor-in-Chief of The Ring Magazine: “The #P4P concept goes back to the late 1800s, as Bob Fitzsimmons was described by newspaper scribes as the best boxer ‘regardless of weight’ during his prime.”
To which Joe Grim responded: “At times they also used the exact ‘pound-for-pound’ expression to describe him as well. So many things trace back to Fitz. P4P got a foothold due to him (though not coined for him) as did ‘the bigger they are …,’ which he also popularized (but also not coined for or by him).”
So there you have it, a short lesson on the long life of the term “pound-for-pound.”
And one more thing: Jimmy Slattery? He received heady praise from Rice, who presumably knew what he was writing about.
Slattery, one of the top light heavyweights of the 1920s and early ’30s and a Hall of Famer, was a brilliant, graceful boxer who fought on even terms with some of the greatest fighters in history. He was a two-time 175-pound champ who finished with a record of 111-13 (14 KOs).
And as Rice pointed out, the product of Buffalo, New York, might’ve the best in the business at that moment.
TV commentator Max Kellerman chimed in on the Twitter thread by commenting: “Most interesting thing here is that Slattery is ranked #1. He left a big impression back then. I was asked to write something for Jeff Fenech’s HOF induction, & in the original draft referenced Slattery as an example, like Fenech, of fighter who at his best looked like ATG.”
Check out Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list below. And let us know what you think.
BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND
Vasiliy Lomachenko
Terence Crawford
Canelo Alvarez
Naoya Inoue
Oleksandr Usyk
Gennadiy Golovkin
Errol Spence Jr.
Tyson Fury
Juan Francisco Estrada
Mikey Garcia
Artur Beterbiev
Josh Taylor
Manny Pacquiao
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
Leo Santa Cruz
Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Teofimo Lopez, Shawn Porter and Kosei Tanaka
Boxing Junkie’s fantasy series “Who Wins?” revealed some interesting things about the fighters who were featured.
Boxing Junkie’s “Who Wins?” feature, in which we pitted each of our Top 15 pound-for-pound fighters against five potential opponents and had our three staffers predict winners, is completed.
What did it reveal? A number of things.
The top fighters on our pound-for-pound list are there for a reason.
Nos. 1-3 Vasiliy Lomachenko, Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez went a combined 43-1-1 in their fights (five fights with three predictions each). See below for the final standings.
The results depended heavily on the opposition.
Alvarez went 15-0 (6 KOs) in part because he’s a great fighter, as stated above, but also because the competition at super middleweight isn’t as deep as some other divisions.
Alvarez, who recently won a light heavyweight title was paired with 175-pounder Artur Beterbiev in one of the Russian’s five fights and all three Boxing Junkie staffers predicted Alvarez would lose.
One could argue that the records of Crawford (14-1, 3 KOs) and Errol Spence Jr. (13-2, 6 KOs) are as impressive as Alvarez’s given the inordinate number of quality welterweights compared to super middleweights.
Size matters.
The best example of this is Mikey Garcia, the four-division titleholder who now is a smallish welterweight. His ability stacks up against almost anyone’s but he is at a disadvantage against a full-sized, elite 147-pounder, as we saw when he was dominated by Spence. Garcia went 7-8 (0 KOs).
Age matters.
No one doubts the greatness of Manny Pacquiao, particularly after his victory over Keith Thurman. However, at 41, he can’t fight at the same pace he once did. Plus, he also is a small 147-pounder. Those are reasons the Boxing Junkie staffers gave the nod to Pacquiao’s opponents by a wide margin. Pacquiao went 3-12 (0 KOs), the worse record among the 15 fighters featured.
Gennadiy Golovkin, 37, suffered a similar fate. He’s a great fighter but also an aging one, which caught up with him in our feature. Triple-G went 9-6 (5 KOs).
Fury is clearly No. 1.
The heavyweight division isn’t deep but Fury’s opponents – Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Oleksandr Usyk, Dillian Whyte and Andy Ruiz Jr. – have had success. And Fury emerged with a record of 14-1 (8 KOs), losing only a close decision against Usyk in the opinion of staffer Sean Nam.
Even special fighters lose.
Two good examples are Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Josh Taylor, who had records of 8-7 (5 KOs) and 7-6-2 (2 KOs), respectively. That has less to do with their abilities than the fighters we had them face.
Sor Rungvisai, a junior bantamweight, had to contend with a gauntlet of superb opponents – Juan Francisco Estrada (in a third fight), Roman Gonzalez (also for the third time), Nayoa Inoue (a bantamweight), Kazuto Ioka and Kosei Tanaka. No one could emerge from those tests unscathed.
And Taylor, a junior welterweight, faced Jose Ramirez, Regis Prograis (in a rematch), Maurice Hooker, Terence Crawford (a welterweight) and Teofimo Lopez (a lightweight). Again, tough assignments.
The British Boxing Board of Control canceled all scheduled cards through the end of May because of the coronavirus pandemic.
More fights are off.
The British Boxing Board of Control canceled all scheduled cards through the end of May because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to talkSPORT.
That includes the May 2 heavyweight fight between Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin, which has tentatively been pushed back to July 4 at Manchester Arena. Katie Taylor was scheduled to defend her lightweight titles against Amanda Serrano on that card.
Also, a lightweight title eliminator between Lee Selby and Geroge Kambosos Jr. scheduled for May 9 in Cardiff, Wales has been pushed back to July 11.
The heavyweight fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Dereck Chisora, which was postponed and rescheduled for May 23 in London, is off again. Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing reportedly is working on a new date.
And Hearn told talkSPORT that the Anthony Joshua-Kubrat Pulev title fight scheduled for June 20 at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is unlikely to happen on that date. He said July 25 is a possibility .
“Every sport is looking at their calendar but nobody knows when [it will resume],” Hearn said. “We all hope we can return to some kind of boxing in June, whether that is behind closed doors at first, whether that is back in small hall shows, and then we hope we can get to the bigger stuff by the end of June, early July. But we are completely guessing.”
As for Joshua-Pulev, Hearn said: “We have looked at alternative dates for everything without knowing anything concrete. We have ongoing conversations with Tottenham to say that if the Premier League extends and does get played in June then we’ll be pushed back.
“We do have a date of July 25 held at Spurs as well, which is more realistic. It is five weeks after June 20. But we haven’t gone on sale with that, we haven’t made an official announcement in terms of seat details and on-sale dates, so we have got less pressure on that. There is more pressure for Anthony to fight twice this year.
“… I know there is a bigger picture going on but everybody in sport, eveybody in business right now, needs to be working on a solution, the outcome, what happens when we get through this because it is going to be a horrifically messy time for all businesses, all sports, everything, when we do come out the other side.
“The world won’t be the same again and, in a lot of cases, we will have to start from scratch.”
Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create …
Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create our own “Who Wins?” feature, in which we pit a single fighter against each of five potential opponents and indicate who we believe would win the fights.
In this installment of Who Wins?, our staffers’ give their takes on how Estrada would do against Roman Gonzalez, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Naoya Inoue, Kazuto Ioka and Kosei Tanaka. We then tally Estrada’s record in those fights and present our standings.
Estrada, a two-division champions, has won four consecutive fights since he lost a majority decision to Sor Rungvisai in 2018. That includes a unanimous-decision victory over Sor Rungvisai in a rematch to win a junior bantamweight title.
We want to acknowledge that the choice of possible opponents is subjective. We’re looking for the best possible but also realistic foes for our featured boxers. One caveat: We won’t consider promotional and managerial rivalries that often stand in the way of the best matchups. And we’re operating under the assumption that none of our featured boxers will fight with ring rust as result of their forced coronavirus-related layoff.
The plan is to work our way down our pound-for-pound list each day. That means our featured fighter tomorrow will be No. 10 Mikey Garcia.
So here goes: Estrada vs. his five potential opponents.
***
ESTRADA (40-3, 27 KOs) VS. GONZALEZ (49-2, 41 KOs)
Roman Gonzalez (right) resurrected his career as an elite fighter with a victory over Kal Yafai. Amanda Westcott / DAZN
Rosenthal: Gonzalez resurrected his career as an elite fighter by stopping Kal Yafai on Feb. 29, demonstrating to those who had written him off that he has some fight left in him. The problem for Gonzalez is Estrada is much better than Yafai. The Mexican is a superb, resilient boxer who gave Gonzalez hell in their 2012 meeting. This time, the aging Gonzalez will be taken to hell. Estrada by late knockout.
Frauenheim: A rematch has long been on the horizon. Gonzalez won the first one, wining a unanimous decision nearly eight years ago at 108 pounds. A move up the scale to junior bantamweight and possibly bantamweight favors Estrada. Gonzalez was at his best at 112. Estrada, unanimous decision.
Nam: There’s some wind in Gonzalez’s sails after he dominated Kal Yafai last month. Still, the fact is Gonzalez is no longer in his prime and Yafai was something of a fraud, a paper titleholder who fought no one of note during his title reign. Gonzalez won’t be able to pick apart Estrada in the same way. Consider that Estrada gave Gonzalez a pretty spirited fight in 2012. Estrada lost, but he only improved since then. You have to give it to the fresher fighter. Estrada on points.
***
ESTRADA VS. SOR RUNGVISAI (47-5-1, 41 KOs)
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (right) beat Gonzalez in back to back fights in 2017. AP Photo / Frank Franklin II
Rosenthal: A third fight between these two warriors is a no-brainer. Estrada rallied in the first fight to make it close but came up short. Sor Rungvisai, who inexplicably fought mostly from an orthodox stance, did the same in a losing cause in the rematch. Part III? Estrada, 29, has the more-recent victory and momentum while Sor Rungvisai, 33, might have leveled off. Estrada by a close, but clear decision.
Frauenheim: Estrada lost a majority decision to Rungvisai, then beat him by unanimous decision14 months later, both at 115. Estrada learned enough in the first fight to make the right adjustments. In the rematch, he figures to have learned even more. Estrada, unanimous decision.
Nam: Although Sor Rungivsai committed a grave tactical error in their rematch – the decision to go orthodox instead of his natural southpaw stance for more than three quarters of the bout – he ended up giving Estrada a run for his money the last few rounds. The third fight is closer if Sor Rungvisai relies on his natural instincts. Estrada will come out much the same, firing on all cylinders. But the Thai fighter has one of the better chins in the game and eventually he’ll wear out Estrada. Sor Rungvisai by close decision.
***
ESTRADA VS. INOUE (19-0, 16 KOs)
Naoya Inoue made a strong statement by winning the WBSS bantamweight tournament. Toru Hanai / Getty Images
Rosenthal: Estrada is a complete fighter, meaning he’s a handful for anyone. He’ll outbox you, he’ll hurt you and he’ll almost certainly beat you. He’s a 115-pounder, though. He has fought above that weight but not against an elite opponent like Inoue. The guess here is that he’d be at too much of a physical disadvantage against Inoue, who would have trouble in the first half of the fight but slowly break Estrada down and win a clear decision.
Frauenheim: Estrada is a classic boxer-puncher, solid in every way. But he was vulnerable to a busy style, which was what Gonzalez used to beat him by decision. Inoue varies the angles and the rate of his combinations, all done to set up his signature punch — a left hook to the body. Inoue, unanimous decision.
Nam: The most skilled fighter here. He also has an underrated chin, as evidenced in his fights against a prime Roman Gonzalez and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (twice). Not sure it holds up here against Inoue at 118. It’s a competitive bout for most of the fight, but Inoue’s power will take over late, eventually earning him a stoppage.
***
ESTRADA VS. IOKA (25-2, 14 KOs)
Kazuto Ioka has won two in a row since losing a split decision to Donnie Nietes in 2018. Toru Hanai/Getty Images)
Rosenthal: Ioka is an excellent all-around fighter and, at 31, has plenty of experience at the elite level. That includes his recent setback against Donnie Nietes, which most observers seem to believe he did enough to win. However, he hasn’t seen someone quite like Estrada, who can match Ioka’s boxing skills and has more power. Estrada by a clear decision.
Frauenheim: Ioka has some power along with foot and hand speed. His also might possess resiliency he’ll need to beat Estrada. He’s 2-0 since losing a debatable split-decision to Donnie Nietes. It’s a close fight, perhaps determined by location, location, location. In Mexico, Estrada wins. In Japan, Ioka wins. At a neutral site, it’s a draw.
Nam: It’s hard to know exactly where exactly Ioka, 31, is in his career. Promotional issues have contributed to some inactivity over the past few years. Moreover, the skilled boxer-puncher has never proven himself against truly elite opposition. That said, he did deserve to win against Donnie Nietes in 2018. Estrada is a bit too talented, too dynamic. Expect Ioka to start fast but for Estrada to catch up before beating the brakes of off Ioka to win a unanimous decision.
***
ESTRADA VS. TANAKA (15-0, 9 KOs)
Kosei Tanaka has stopped nine of his 15 opponents. Behrouz Mehri / AFP via Getty Images
Rosenthal: Tanaka, only 24, is a gifted, dynamic young fighter on the rise. He could be a major player for another decade. That said, this is Estrada’s time. His skill set and experience will be too much for Tanaka at this stage of the game. It will be close for a few rounds and then Estrada will pull away. Estrada by decision.
Frauenheim: Tanaka looks to be an emerging star. He’s 24. He has nine KOs on his 15-0 resume. He won a world title in only his fifth pro bout. He also faces a mandatory challenge for a 112-pound belt from Ioka. He has all of the momentum, enough leverage to keep a bout vs. Estrada in Japan. Tanaka, unanimous decision.
Nam: A potential barnburner. Tanaka, a three-division titleholder at only 24 years of age, has no qualms about mixing it up on the inside. See his terrific tete-a-tete against Sho Kimura in 2018. Not sure how much firepower he has to truly gain Estrada’s respect on the inside. His experience, moreover, is also a concern. Estrada wins a clear decision.
Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create …
Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create our own “Who Wins?” feature, in which we pit a single fighter against each of five potential opponents and indicate who we believe would win the fights.
In this installment of Who Wins?, our staffers’ give their takes on how Fury would do against Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder a third time, Oleksandr Usyk, Dillian Whyte and Andy Ruiz Jr. We then tally Fury’s record in those fights and present our standings.
Fury is coming off his sensational seventh-round stoppage of Wilder in their rematch Feb. 22. He has not faced any of the other four opponents here.
We want to acknowledge that the choice of possible opponents is subjective. We’re looking for the best possible but also realistic foes for our featured boxers. One caveat: We won’t consider promotional and managerial rivalries that often stand in the way of the best matchups. And we’re operating under the assumption that none of our featured boxers will fight with ring rust as result of their forced coronavirus-related layoff.
The plan is to work our way down our pound-for-pound list each day. That means our featured fighter tomorrow will be No. 9 Juan Francisco Estrada.
So here goes: Fury vs. his five potential opponents.
***
FURY (30-0-1, 21 KOs) VS. JOSHUA (23-1, 21 KOs)
Anthony Joshua had reason to be pleased with himself after embarrassing Andy Ruiz Jr. in their rematch. Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing
Rosenthal: Joshua reminded us that he can box in his careful victory over Andy Ruiz Jr. in their rematch but he’s not going to outbox Fury. His only chance is to stop Fury or control the fight by making him uncomfortable with relentless aggression to eke out a decision. That’s hard to imagine after what we saw in the rematch with Ruiz. Fury, better and mentally tougher, will outbox, wear down and then stop Joshua in the late rounds.
Frauenheim: Who is Joshua? Is he the guy Andy Ruiz Jr. upset? Or the guy who beat Ruiz in a rematch? Hard to know. In the rematch he used his jab to great effect. He was careful, and he won. But Fury is good at taking opponents out of their comfort zone. He’ll rattle Joshua early with a punch or distraction. Fury, unanimous decision.
Nam: Joshua needs to recover his offense-first mentality if he stands a chance of beating Fury. He certainly won’t outbox him running around the ring and throwing one-twos. Joshua needs to come forward and set his feet and try to take Fury out. Unfortunately, that version of Joshua may be long gone. Fury hurts Joshua late en route to a clear points win.
***
FURY VS. WILDER (42-1-1, 41 KOs)
Deontay Wilder was overwhelmed by Tyson Fury in their rematch What can he do differently to win their third fight? Al Bello / Getty Images
Rosenthal: Fury now knows not only how to beat Wilder but how to dominate him, as he demonstrated in their rematch. Attack him, keep him on his back foot, don’t give him room to get anything done. And Wilder doesn’t (or at least didn’t) have the ring IQ to make adjustments. He and his team will come up with some sort of plan for the third fight but it won’t be enough. Fury by late KO.
Frauenheim: It’s not clear what Wilder can do without his right. Fury took away the leverage. There was no adjustment from Wilder. Wilder might adjust his wardrobe, ditching the 40-pound comic-book costume. But he’ll need to make adjustments within the ropes to win. Without knowing how to adjust, Fury wins the way he won the last one. Fury, mid-round TKO.
Nam: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Wilder is what he is: a boxing illiterate with game-changing power. Perhaps the one thing in Wilder’s favor during the layoff is that he’ll be more cognizant of Fury’s aggression in the rematch. But that might also be his undoing. There’s no easy answer for Wilder. Barring a colossal mental meltdown from Fury in the forthcoming months, Wilder is looking at a second straight loss. Fury on points.
***
FURY VS. USYK (17-0, 13 KOs)
Oleksandr Usyk (right, against Chazz Witherspoon) is a good boxer but would be dwarfed by Fury. Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing USA
Rosenthal: This is the worst style matchup for Usyk. The 6-foot-3 Ukrainian’s advantage over most heavyweights is his unusual skill set, quickness and relative athleticism. Fury is a towering 6-9, would have about a 50-pound weight advantage and can box and move about as well as Usyk. How could the smaller man win? He couldn’t. Fury would pick Usyk apart, break him down and likely stop him in the second half of the fight.
Frauenheim: Fury has a six-inch advantage in height. Usyk will have to look up at an angle severe enough to suffer a strained neck. He’ll be lucky if that’s all he suffers. Ever since his jump to heavyweight, there are questions about whether Usyk is big enough. Against some, maybe. Against Fury, no way. Fury, mid-round stoppage.
Nam: This is Usyk’s toughest fight in a tactical sense. Fury’s also taller and bigger, meaning Usyk will have to work extra hard just to get close enough to do some damage. Many of the things Usyk excels at – circling to his right, jabbing – may be rendered moot because of Fury’s herky-jerky mobility. But that’s assuming that Fury decides to play cute in the ring. Should Fury employ a more aggressive approach a la Wilder, he’ll find Usyk hard to find. Usyk by close decision.
***
FURY VS. WHYTE (27-1, 18 KOs)
Dillian Whyte has the bulk but not the skills to beat Fury. Dave Thompson / Matchroom Boxing
Rosenthal: Whyte has the bulk to stand up to Fury and an abundance of bravado but that won’t be nearly enough when they step into the ring. Fury will be able to do as he pleases, keep Whyte at a distance with is long jab, push him onto his back foot with measured aggression as he did against in the Wilder rematch and generally dominate the fight. Fury by KO around Round 8.
Frauenheim: Fury’s unique mobility will frustrate White. Whyte has some power, but he’ll never find Fury, whose agile footwork will leave Whyte lunging and missing throughout 12 rounds. Fury, unanimous decision.
Nam: The weakest challenger on this list for Fury. Whyte’s at his best when he’s facing fellow plodders. Fury’s dexterity and nimble footwork is going to cause all kinds of problems for him. Whyte also tends to fade late in a fight. Fury stops him late.
***
FURY VS. RUIZ (33-2, 22 KOs)
Andy Ruiz (left) ate a lot of food before his rematch with Joshua and a lot of punches in the fight. Richard Heathcote / Getty Images
Rosenthal: Ruiz at his best is a good, quick-handed boxer with some power, as we saw in his upset of Anthony Joshua and in a close loss to Joseph Parker. At his worst, as we saw in the Joshua rematch, he’s an ineffective blob. Fury is simply too long and too good for either version of Ruiz. It’s difficult to imagine the Mexican-American finding ways to land with any consistency. Fury by wide decision.
Frauenheim: Ruiz is way too small. He’s seven inches shorter than Fury, who is tall enough to be an NBA power forward. Ruiz’s challenge is complicated by Fury’s foot and hand speed. Ruiz has no choice but to walk inside, where he’ll get punished. Fury, mid-round TKO.
Nam: Ruiz has fast hands, but he’ll find it hard for them to reach long-limbed Fury. Fury will outwork Ruiz with the jab and duck and hold whenever Ruiz tries to get close. It’s a stick-and-move game plan for Fury. It won’t look pretty, but he’ll win a clear decision.
Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create …
Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create our own “Who Wins?” feature, in which we pit a single fighter against each of five potential opponents and indicate who we believe would win the fights.
Triple-G is coming off a shaky performance in a close decision over unheralded Sergey Derevyanchenko last October, raising the notion that he’s slowing down as he approaches his 38th birthday, but he remains a major player at middleweight.
In this installment of Who Wins?, our staffers’ give their takes on how Golovkin would do against Canelo Alvarez in a third fight, Demetrius Andrade, Derevyanchenko in a rematch, Jermall Charlo and Jaime Munguia. We then tally Golovkin’s record in those fights and present our standings.
We want to acknowledge that the choice of possible opponents is subjective. We’re looking for the best possible but also realistic foes for our featured boxers. One caveat: We won’t consider promotional and managerial rivalries that often stand in the way of the best matchups. And we’re operating under the assumption that none of our featured boxers will fight with ring rust as result of their forced coronavirus-related layoff.
The plan is to work our way down our pound-for-pound list each day. That means our featured fighter tomorrow will be No. 7 Errol Spence Jr.
So here goes: Inoue vs. his five potential opponents.
GOLOVKIN (40-1-1, 35 KOs) VS. ALVAREZ (53-1-2, 36 KOs)
Is Canelo Alvarez (right) too good for Gennadiy Golovkin at this stage of their careers? Ethan Miller / Getty Images
Rosenthal: Golovkin isn’t as far gone as some seem to believe. He looked so-so in his last fight, a harder-than-expected unanimous-decision victory over Sergey Derevyanchenko that suggested he might be slipping. The guess here is that he lacked inspiration, which he would have in abundance for third fight with Alvarez. Part III would look like Parts I and II – give and take from beginning to end – but Alvarez, who is peaking now, is better at this stage of the game. He wins a clear decision this time.
Frauenheim: The second encore will be more of what we saw in the first encore. Golovkin is a couple fights past his prime. His durability is not the same. Lack of body punching in the first two is a sign GGG won’t step inside. Canelo, unanimous decision.
Nam: The win and draw Alvarez has against Golovkin will forever have asterisks attached to them. But if these two ever fight again – there is talk that it could happen this fall – Alvarez will be the decided favorite and it has all to do with the fact that he’s in his prime and Golovkin is not. Since their last meeting, Alvarez has outclassed Daniel Jacobs and stopped light heavyweight Sergey Kovalev. Golovkin, meanwhile, went life and death against Sergey Derevyanchenko in a fight he barely edged on the scorecards. Alvarez by convincing unanimous decision.
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GOLOVKIN VS. ANDRADE (29-0, 18 KOs)
Demetrius Andrade (right, landing against Luke Keeler) has skills that could present problems for Golovkin. Melina Pizano / Matchroom Boxing USA
Rosenthal: Make no mistake: Triple-G would be competitive with any middleweight in the world. This might not be a good matchup for him, though. Andrade’s stick-and-move style would drive this somewhat slower version of Golovkin nuts. The fight wouldn’t necessarily look pretty – unless you like pure boxing – but Andrade would be in control from for most of the fight. Andrade by clear decision.
Frauenheim: Andrade falls into a dreaded category: Most Avoided. His slick defense makes him hard to hit. Hard to beat. Worse, he can make better fighters look bad. GGG has the precision and power to hurt him, especially when he throws wild combos. Fight won’t happen, but if it did: GGG, late-round KO.
Nam: It’s not so much that Andrade is “avoided” by the top fighters in the middleweight division but that he is treated more like an afterthought. And he has only himself to blame. Though Andrade was born and bred in the United States, it’s as if he received his education from the Cuban School of Boxing, an outpost that specializes in the art of playing spoilsport in the ring. Andrade will make this a dreary bout, no doubt, and his physical advantages will make Golovkin look like a plodder. Still, Golovkin should be able to to win rounds by landing the more significant punches in what nonetheless figures to be a low, low output affair. Golovkin by ugly close decision.
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GOLOVKINS VS. DEREVYANCHENKO (13-2, 10 KOs)
How much did the war between Golovkin (left) and Derevyanchenko take out of Triple-G? Ed Mulholland / Matchroom Boxing USA
Rosenthal: Golovkin will be reticent to exchange punches so freely with this bruiser the second time around. He still has a strong skill set and he’ll use it against Derevyanchenko, who will have more difficulty finding the target in this rematch. Golovkin will pick his shots, land some telling blows and be satisfied to win a more-definitive decision this time around.
Frauenheim: Giving Derevyanchenko another chance might be the last mistake in GGG’s career. GGG won a unanimous decision in October. But it wasn’t decisive. A one-point margin on one card and three points on each of the other two mean it was close. Derevyanchenko makes the adjustments, wins split decision.
Nam: There were immediate calls for a rematch after their first bout, but Golvokin, and his braintrust wanted no part of it. Who can blame them? Derevyanchenko rallied from a cut and early knockdown to dominate nearly three quarters of the fight. Golovkin never looked more vulnerable or slower. For every punch Golovkin landed, Derevyanchenko would respond with a three, four punch sally. Expect the same, just worse in the rematch. Derevyanchenko by decision.
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GOLOVKIN VS. CHARLO (30-0, 22 KOs)
Jermall Charlo has never faced anyone at the level of Golovkin. Stephanie Trapp / Showtime
Rosenthal: Love this matchup. Charlo is a fiery boxer-puncher who will attack Golovkin with measured aggression, picking his spots but not leaving himself open to Golovkin’s big shots too often. Golovkin will take a similar approach in what will become an entertaining, give-and-take battle that will be taxing for both fighters. Triple-G will have his hand raised afterward, the winner of a close decision.
Frauenheim: Charlo has dangerous power. He’s quicker than GGG, too. But his style, dictated by his aggressive instincts, will put him squarely in the middle’s of GGG’s wheelhouse. GGG will catch him coming in, especially in the later rounds. GGG, late-round TKO.
Nam: A competent boxer-puncher with above-average power, Charlo would appear to have the skill set and explosiveness to trouble Golovkin at this stage of the Kazakhstani‘s career. But it’s hard to honestly assess Charlo at middleweight as he has only fought subpar opposition thus far. It’s a close, tactical matchup with intermittent offensive spurts. Golovkin wins on points.
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GOLOVKIN VS. MUNGUIA (35-0, 28 KOs)
Jaime Munguia (right, unloading on Gary O’Sullivan) has youth on his side but little else against Golovkin. Tom Hogan-Hoganphotos / Golden Boy Promotions
Rosenthal: Munguia, 23, has youth on his side, which gives him hope, but he has too many obstacles to overcome to win this fight. The Mexican is still growing into the 160-pound division and he has the tendency to be reckless, which will play into Triple-G’s hands. He simply can’t slug with Golovkin but knows no other way. This matchup will produce fireworks as long as it lasts but it won’t last long. Golovkin by early KO.
Frauenheim: An interesting fight a couple of years from now. But GGG will be 40 in a couple of years. He’ll be thinking more about retirement than a tough fight against a 25-year-old contender. For now, Mungia has only one fight at middleweight. He’s fun to watch, but his fearlessness will get him knocked out. GGG wins KO.
Nam: There are some signs that Munguia, a former 154-pound titleholder, is improving under new trainer Erik Morales, but the Mexican still remains a rough-hewn project – especially on defense. His inability to keep his hands up, chin tucked and general sloppiness on offense are big red flags against Golovkin, who will dictate the bout with his ramrod jab. Golovkin will find it easier to land his right hand against a relatively slower-moving target in Munguia. Golovkin by late stoppage.
Boxing Junkie staffers give their takes on how Oleksandr Usyk would fare against five elite heavyweights.
Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create our own “Who Wins?” feature, in which we pit a single fighter against each of five potential opponents and indicate who we believe would win the fights.
The former unified cruiserweight champion and 2018 Fighter of the Year is now in the land of the big boys, the heavyweights. He passed his first test by stopping journeyman Chazz Witherspoon in October but we don’t know how he’ll fare against elite heavyweights.
Usyk weighed in at only 215 pounds for the Witherspoon fight, meaning he’d be at a distinct size disadvantage against all the top big men except the lean Wilder. He could compensate with his superior skill set and relative athleticism.
In this installment of Who Wins?, you get our staffers’ takes on how he would do against Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Dillian Whyte and Andy Ruiz Jr.. We then tally Usyk’s record in those fights and present our standings.
We want to acknowledge that the choice of possible opponents is subjective. We’re looking for the best possible but also realistic foes for our featured boxers. One caveat: We won’t consider promotional and managerial rivalries that often stand in the way of the best matchups. And we’re operating under the assumption that none of our featured boxers will fight with ring rust as result of their forced coronavirus-related layoff.
The plan is to work our way down our pound-for-pound list each day. That means our featured fighter tomorrow will be No. 5 Oleksandr Usyk.
So here goes: Inoue vs. his five potential opponents.
USYK (17-0, 13 KOs) VS. FURY (30-0-1, 21 KOs)
Tyson Fury can box about as well as Oleksandr Usyk and has a significant size advantage. Al Bello / Getty Images
Rosenthal: This is the worst style matchup for Usyk. The 6-foot-3 Ukrainian’s advantage over most heavyweights is his unusual skill set, quickness and relative athleticism. Fury is a towering 6-9, would have about a 50-pound weight advantage and can box and move about as well as Usyk. How could the smaller man win? He couldn’t. Fury would pick Usyk apart, break him down and likely stop him in the second half of the fight.
Frauenheim: Fury has a six-inch advantage in height. Usyk will have to look up at an angle severe enough to suffer a strained neck. He’ll be lucky if that’s all he suffers. Ever since his jump to heavyweight, there are questions about whether Usyk is big enough. Against some, maybe. Against Fury, no way. Fury, mid-round stoppage.
Nam: This is Usyk’s toughest fight in a tactical sense. Fury’s also taller and bigger, meaning Usyk will have to work extra hard just to get close enough to do some damage. Many of the things Usyk excels at – circling to his right, jabbing – may be rendered moot because of Fury’s herky-jerky mobility. But that’s assuming that Fury decides to play cute in the ring. Should Fury employ a more aggressive approach a la Wilder, he’ll find Usyk hard to find. Usyk by close decision.
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USYK VS. JOSHUA (23-1, 21 KOs)
Anthony Joshua was reintroduced to his title belts after he outclassed Andy Ruiz Jr. Nick Potts / PA via AP
Rosenthal: Joshua’s heart is a question mark after his knockout loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. and a careful performance in the rematch but he reminded us in the second fight that he knows how to box. That could neutralize Usyk until the moment of truth, the moment Joshua, a big puncher, lands a bomb on Usyk’s chin. Will the former 200-pounder be able to take it? The guess here is “no.” Joshua by mid-fight knockout.
Frauenheim: Joshua has a height advantage, too. But it’s half of what Fury has against Usyk. More significant, Joshua lacks Fury’s fearlessness. Jump on Joshua early and he can be beaten. Example: Andy Ruiz Jr. in his upset of Joshua in June. Trouble is, Usyk is a slow starter. He’s smart enough to adjust. Usyk, unanimous decision.
Nam: This is a nightmare matchup for Joshua, who has not been the same since he was knocked down by Wladimir Klitschko. This was confirmed in his last bout against Andy Ruiz, in which Joshua fought like a scared man. This seemingly anesthetized version of Joshua won’t cut it against Usyk. Joshua will fight off the back foot while Usyk works behind an intelligent pressure attack, circling away from Joshua’s right hands. Usyk by unanimous decision.
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USYK VS. WILDER (42-1-1, 41 KOs)
Wilder was at a loss the last time we saw him. Al Bello / Getty Images
Rosenthal: Usyk is a much better boxer than the notoriously limited Wilder, which would give him a chance to win a decision or even score a knockout if he can land enough punches. Don’t write off Wilder, though. He has more power that Joshua has. All he has to is connect with the right punch and Usyk will probably go down. The question is: Will he? If he does, Wilder wins by stoppage. If he doesn’t, Usyk wins by decision. Final verdict: Wilder by KO.
Frauenheim: Usyk can’t beat Fury, but he can thank him for deomonstrating how to beat Wilder. Attack Wilder early, eliminate the distance he needs for leverage on his powerful right, his singular weapon. Without that right, there’s not much Wilder can do. But there’s a lot Usyk, a multi-skilled Olympic medalist, can do. Usyk, unanimous decision.
Nam: As Fury showed, Wilder is a mess when opponents put him on the backfoot. Wilder has the equalizer that can end a fight at any moment, but Usyk’s unusual combination of aggression and guile will have Wilder feeling bamboozled for the majority of the fight. Usyk’s jab will be key, as he closes the gap and unloads combinations. Wilder won’t have an answer. Usyk by decision.
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USYK VS. WHYTE ()
Dillian Whyte is coming off a victory over Mariusz Wach (left) this past December. Richard Heathcote / Getty Images
Rosenthal: This is the most winnable fight for Usyk even though he’d face the same size disadvantage of the other matchups. Usyk, with his superior ability, would outbox Whyte and land hard shots with increasing regularity as the fight goes on. And while Whyte has decent power, he can’t crack like Joshua and Wilder can. Usyk might be able to handle Whyte’s biggest shots, although the Englishman would have trouble landing them. Usyk by clear decision.
Frauenheim: Only an inch in height separates the 6-4 Whyte from the 6-3 Usyk. One the scale, more than 50 pounds could separate them. Whyte was 271 in his last fight. Usyk figures to be between 215 and 220. Look for Usyk to use his boxing skill to elude Whyte’s powerful left, then wear him out for a late stoppage.
Nam: If only Whyte was as good as his gab. Whyte is a decent heavyweight, nothing more. He has respectable power, but he is slow and is at his best when his opponents are stationary. He’ll have trouble locating Usyk, who will box Whyte’s ears off to an eventual late-round stoppage.
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USYK VS. RUIZ (33-2, 22 KOs)
Ruiz (left) was dominated by Joshua in their rematch. AP Photo / Hassan Ammar
Rosenthal: The Andy Ruiz Jr. who stopped Anthony Joshua in June of last year would fight Usyk on even terms. He’s that good at his best. The Ruiz who was ill-prepared in the rematch with Joshua would have little chance against any top heavyweight. Has he learned his lesson? If so, I like his chances against Usyk. His quick hands, solid boxing ability and power would lead him to a clear decision victory over the cruiserweight-turned-heavyweight.
Frauenheim: Ruiz has fast hands and not much else. His stunner over Joshua said more about Joshua than him. His lack of discipline in the rematch and a lack of loyalty to trainer Manny Robles in the aftermath are damning. He fired Robles. He’ll regret that decision. Usyk, unanimous decision.
Nam: Ruiz has neither the devastating punching power of a Wilder nor the dexterity of a Fury. Plus, he’s not as tall as those heavyweights, though he is much wider, which means he’s a bigger target. This will be competitive in the early going, but Usyk will eventually start to pick Ruiz apart from pillar to post in the second half of the fight. Usyk will frustrate Ruiz en route to a clear points win.
