Jason Burgos
Could current heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk have been just as dominant during a heavyweight peak period in the late 1980s and early 1990s? Division icon Mike Tyson recently weighed in on how he thinks the Ukrainian would have done.
The last decade of heavyweight boxing has been the era of the monsters. Stars like Tyson Fury (6-foot-9), Deontay Wilder (6-foot-7), and Anthony Joshua (6-foot-6) are among the men who have dominated during a time with many tall men in the division. However, over the last five years, the weight class has been retaken by a former cruiserweight.
Ukraine’s Usyk moved up to heavyweight in 2019 and has gone on to become one of the greatest fighters in the division’s history. Unifying the weight classes belts with wins over Joshua (twice), Fury (twice), Derek Chisora, and Daniel Dubois. His success and a sparkling 24-0 record have understandably created a debate that he could be great in any era.
Mike Tyson doesn’t like Oleksandr Usyk’s chances during his era
Well, the man who was the youngest heavyweight champion ever was asked about that notion during a new chat with Hard Rock and seemed to be pessimistic about Usyk’s chances against fighters from his era, like Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield.
“I don’t know, maybe he would have done well with some of us and bad with some of us, too,” Tyson began by saying. “You know, it’s tough for me seeing him dominate that era. Fighting was different then, you know? It was all about being aggressive. The [classic] boxer didn’t get much. They didn’t get much entitlement. Once we’re in the ring, the aggressive fighter gets more of the points.
“Even if he got hit more, because he was making the fight, they would give him the rounds,” he added. “It’s all about excitement. If you’re an exciting fighter, you bring the people in the arena, you’re the man. You could be the greatest fighter in the world, but if you’re boring, nobody wants to see you.”
Of his 25 wins, Usyk has only 15 knockouts. Furthermore, two of his wins — against Fury and Joshua — were by split decision. So Tyson does make a fair point about Usyk possibly struggling in an era where aggressive fighting was scored higher.
The Ukrainian returns to the ring for a fun crossover fight against kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven on May 23 in Egypt.
