Eddie Hearn Says Usyk Would Beat Holmes, Tyson, Liston, Frazier
The praise is still pouring in for two-time unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, the first man in history to have twice unified all four belts in the sport’s glamour division. There is too a serious discussion going on between the experts as to whether or not Usyk now has to be ranked as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
Is Usyk a top 10 all-time heavyweight great? Is Usyk top 5? This is what the experts, the fans, and fellow fighters are now asking. This is no case of hype, of going way too far. Usyk has done it all, and he has shown numerous times that he is a special talent, a fighter who can do so much in the ring.
Usyk’s overall body of work at heavyweight consists of just eight fights, all wins, with Chazz Witherspoon, Derek Chisora, Anthony Joshua (X2), Tyson Fury (X2), and Daniel Dubois (X2) beaten. To some, this is not enough for Usyk to be vaulted above heavyweight kings like Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson, George Foreman and others.
Is Eight Heavyweight Wins Enough for Top 5 Status?
Usyk, 24-0(15), did a whole lot whilst fighting in the cruiserweight division, and for some, though he ranks as one of the pound-for-pound best to ever do it, Usyk hasn’t quite done enough at heavyweight. That said, there isn’t much else out there for Usyk to do in the heavyweight division. Save for a couple of good, hard-working contenders, say Agit Kabayel and Joe Parker, who else is there for Usyk to fight? Moses Itauma, I think we all agree, is just not ready for Usyk yet, even though Turki Alalshikh has called for the fight to happen.
So, Usyk has cleaned out the heavyweight division the way he did the cruiserweight division, and it could be argued that in having done so with just eight fights, this makes Usyk’s achievement all the more special. And again, Usyk hasn’t ducked or dodged anybody. Also, Usyk has faced numerous styles – big punchers, clever boxers, pressure fighters, and men significantly younger than himself. Add it all up, and Usyk is definitely a top 10 all-time great heavyweight. But top 5? That’s open to debate.
Could Usyk Beat Tyson, Holmes or Frazier? Eddie Hearn Thinks So
Can you make a case for Usyk being ranked above Ali, Louis, Foreman, Holmes and Tyson, this to make it into the top 5? Maybe you can.
Speaking on the subject, Eddie Hearn said he would “probably” pick Usyk to beat Tyson, Holmes, Joe Frazier and Sonny Liston. It’s opinion only of course, but Hearn is far from alone in ranking Usyk as one of the greatest heavyweights ever.
“I feel like legacy is really only established over time but now you have to start talking about him as one of the greats, like heavyweight greats,” Hearn said of Usyk when speaking with Fight Hub TV. “I feel like there’s very few fighters that would be able to compete over multiple generations against fighters like Mike Tyson, Ali – what a fight that would be (Ali-Usyk). I mean, just two geniuses. You’d fancy him, probably, to beat Mike Tyson, Larry Holmes. You’re talking about great heavyweights. Joe Frazier, Sonny [Liston], you’d back him to beat those [guys] and the remarkable thing is he’s not that big.”
Of course, the case can be put forth that says Liston wasn’t that big, and neither was Frazier, or Tyson. Usyk is very much similar to the heavyweights of the 1970s, who weighed around the 220-pound mark, and yet he has beaten giants like Fury and Joshua. Is Hearn right here, would Usyk have been able to compete in any generation? Maybe.
We have with Usyk a superb fighter to enjoy and appreciate watching. For just a little while longer perhaps.
