10/12 DAZN: Oleksandr Usyk vs Chazz Witherspoon

Who wins?

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Is Usyk ready for a title fight?
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BoxingHomeNewsScheduleChampionsDivisional RankingsP4P Historic BoutsTicketsRemembering Ali

Oleksandr Usyk passes heavyweight test, but is he ready for a world title?

In his heavyweight debut, Oleksandr Usyk, above, defeated Chazz Witherspoon by TKO on Saturday. Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USAFacebookTwitterFacebook MessengerEmail

11:15 PM CT

Dan Rafael

Steve Kim

Former undisputed cruiserweight world champion and 2018 fighter of the year Oleksandr Usyk made his heavyweight debut against late-replacement opponent Chazz Witherspoon on Saturday night at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Usyk won via TKO as Witherspoon quit on the stool after the seventh round.

Usyk, already in a mandatory position to fight for a world title, weighed 215 pounds and while on the smallish side for a heavyweight, has the skills, amateur background and fighting spirit to compete in the division.

Dan Rafael and Steve Kim examine Usyk's path going forward:

What did this fight do for Usyk?

Rafael: It did a lot for him. He was able to go seven rounds with a much bigger man and see that what it is like. Granted, Witherspoon's skills and speed were no match for him, but he was almost 35 pounds heavier and did land a few shots. You have to walk before you can run and this was a good fight for Usyk to break into the heavyweight division with even if it wasn't ideal that Witherspoon took the fight on a few days' notice when Tyrone Spong was dropped for a failed drug test.

Punch StatsPUNCHESUSYKWITHERSPOONTotal landed13921Total thrown347208Percent40%10%Jabs landed535Jabs thrown224109Percent24%5%Power landed8616Power thrown12399Percent70%16%-- Courtesy of CompuBox

Kim: It gave him a chance to go through camp as a full-fledged heavyweight and gauge where he can be most effective above 200 pounds. That in itself is important, given that as a professional he has competed only as a cruiserweight. As for the fight itself, being blunt, it's hard to tell given that the 38-year-old Witherspoon had fought only twice since 2016. Before Usyk suffered an injured biceps, he was supposed to make his heavyweight debut against Carlos Takam, a solid, reliable heavyweight. Now thatwould've given us a real indication of just where Usyk stands in the division.

But to be fair, Witherspoon did last seven rounds and Usyk was able to get some heavyweight rounds under his belt. Perhaps the fact that Usyk hadn't fought since last November -- when he stopped Tony Bellew in his cruiserweight swan song -- played a factor in how he approached things Saturday. After a slow start, Usyk started to look a bit more comfortable after the third round and show the form that allowed him to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world. Usyk began to let his hands go a bit more as the fight progressed and gave the Vasiliy Lomachenko-esque angles, which make him so unusual for a big man.

We still don't know how well Usyk can catch one on the chin from a legitimate heavyweight puncher.

Is Usyk ready for a title fight?Oleksandr Usyk, right, could use a couple of more fights at heavyweight before competing for a title. Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USA

Rafael: He is not ready -- yet. Ideally, he will have at least one or two more fights in the division first, but that might not be reality. He is already the mandatory challenger for the winner of the Dec. 7 fight between unified titlist Andy Ruiz Jr. and former titlist Anthony Joshua. He will get a shot at a belt next year, be it the winner of that fight or potentially a vacant title, and will take the fight as soon as it is available to him.

Kim: Ready or not, it doesn't really matter because given his standing as the WBO cruiserweight titlist, his team petitioned for him to become the No. 1 contender in its heavyweight rankings. That request was granted by the WBO. Currently, that belt belongs to Ruiz. You wonder if Usyk's braintrust will see who the Ruiz-Joshua rematch winner is before deciding on their course of action.

Usyk's manager, Egis Klimas, told me that they aren't in this for tune-up fights or to work their way into a title shot, or look for a soft spot. If there's a title shot to be had, they will take it, whether it comes against the winner of Ruiz-Joshua II, or against WBC belt-holder Deontay Wilder. They want to fight for a heavyweight belt sooner rather than later.

But you wonder, is Usyk really ready to tangle with the upper echelon in the division so quickly? Keep this in mind, before Evander Holyfield -- generally considered the greatest cruiserweight in history -- fought for the heavyweight title, he had a six-fight build up (James Tillis, Pinklon Thomas, Michael Dokes, Adilson Rodrigues, Alex Stewart and Seamus McDonagh) before defeating James "Buster" Douglas to win three belts.
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Whom should Usyk fight next and how many fights does he need to be ready for Wilder, Ruiz, Joshua, Tyson Fury?
Click to expand...

BoxingHomeNewsScheduleChampionsDivisional RankingsP4P Historic BoutsTicketsRemembering Ali

Oleksandr Usyk passes heavyweight test, but is he ready for a world title?

In his heavyweight debut, Oleksandr Usyk, above, defeated Chazz Witherspoon by TKO on Saturday. Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USAFacebookTwitterFacebook MessengerEmail

11:15 PM CT

Dan Rafael

Steve Kim

Former undisputed cruiserweight world champion and 2018 fighter of the year Oleksandr Usyk made his heavyweight debut against late-replacement opponent Chazz Witherspoon on Saturday night at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Usyk won via TKO as Witherspoon quit on the stool after the seventh round.

Usyk, already in a mandatory position to fight for a world title, weighed 215 pounds and while on the smallish side for a heavyweight, has the skills, amateur background and fighting spirit to compete in the division.

Dan Rafael and Steve Kim examine Usyk's path going forward:

What did this fight do for Usyk?

Rafael: It did a lot for him. He was able to go seven rounds with a much bigger man and see that what it is like. Granted, Witherspoon's skills and speed were no match for him, but he was almost 35 pounds heavier and did land a few shots. You have to walk before you can run and this was a good fight for Usyk to break into the heavyweight division with even if it wasn't ideal that Witherspoon took the fight on a few days' notice when Tyrone Spong was dropped for a failed drug test.

Punch StatsPUNCHESUSYKWITHERSPOONTotal landed13921Total thrown347208Percent40%10%Jabs landed535Jabs thrown224109Percent24%5%Power landed8616Power thrown12399Percent70%16%-- Courtesy of CompuBox

Kim: It gave him a chance to go through camp as a full-fledged heavyweight and gauge where he can be most effective above 200 pounds. That in itself is important, given that as a professional he has competed only as a cruiserweight. As for the fight itself, being blunt, it's hard to tell given that the 38-year-old Witherspoon had fought only twice since 2016. Before Usyk suffered an injured biceps, he was supposed to make his heavyweight debut against Carlos Takam, a solid, reliable heavyweight. Now thatwould've given us a real indication of just where Usyk stands in the division.

But to be fair, Witherspoon did last seven rounds and Usyk was able to get some heavyweight rounds under his belt. Perhaps the fact that Usyk hadn't fought since last November -- when he stopped Tony Bellew in his cruiserweight swan song -- played a factor in how he approached things Saturday. After a slow start, Usyk started to look a bit more comfortable after the third round and show the form that allowed him to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world. Usyk began to let his hands go a bit more as the fight progressed and gave the Vasiliy Lomachenko-esque angles, which make him so unusual for a big man.

We still don't know how well Usyk can catch one on the chin from a legitimate heavyweight puncher.

Is Usyk ready for a title fight?Oleksandr Usyk, right, could use a couple of more fights at heavyweight before competing for a title. Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USA

Rafael: He is not ready -- yet. Ideally, he will have at least one or two more fights in the division first, but that might not be reality. He is already the mandatory challenger for the winner of the Dec. 7 fight between unified titlist Andy Ruiz Jr. and former titlist Anthony Joshua. He will get a shot at a belt next year, be it the winner of that fight or potentially a vacant title, and will take the fight as soon as it is available to him.

Kim: Ready or not, it doesn't really matter because given his standing as the WBO cruiserweight titlist, his team petitioned for him to become the No. 1 contender in its heavyweight rankings. That request was granted by the WBO. Currently, that belt belongs to Ruiz. You wonder if Usyk's braintrust will see who the Ruiz-Joshua rematch winner is before deciding on their course of action.

Usyk's manager, Egis Klimas, told me that they aren't in this for tune-up fights or to work their way into a title shot, or look for a soft spot. If there's a title shot to be had, they will take it, whether it comes against the winner of Ruiz-Joshua II, or against WBC belt-holder Deontay Wilder. They want to fight for a heavyweight belt sooner rather than later.

But you wonder, is Usyk really ready to tangle with the upper echelon in the division so quickly? Keep this in mind, before Evander Holyfield -- generally considered the greatest cruiserweight in history -- fought for the heavyweight title, he had a six-fight build up (James Tillis, Pinklon Thomas, Michael Dokes, Adilson Rodrigues, Alex Stewart and Seamus McDonagh) before defeating James "Buster" Douglas to win three belts.

Whom should Usyk fight next and how many fights does he need to be ready for Wilder, Ruiz, Joshua, Tyson Fury?Dereck Chisora, above, could be a good opponent for Oleksandr Usyk's second heavyweight fight. Dan Istitene/Getty Images

Rafael: I'd like to see him next fight Carlos Takam, a battle-tested former world title challenger who gave a good effort in a 10th-round stoppage loss to Joshua in a title fight in October 2017. Usyk was supposed to fight Takam in his heavyweight debut in May before an injury, but there's no reason their camps can't put the fight back together for early next year.

It won't take many heavyweight fights for Usyk to get a title shot because he's already a mandatory challenger.

Kim: OK, some names come immediately to mind, and each of them would really give legitimacy to Usyk as a heavyweight contender. First would be Dereck Chisora, who has a solid track record and is perhaps the division's toughest gate-keeper. If you want to go anywhere as a heavyweight, you have to get through this guy. Joseph Parker is a former belt-holder and he's still a viable big man. His only losses have come to Joshua and to Dillian Whyte in a memorable slugfest in July 2018.

Then you have Michael Hunter, whose only loss came to ... Usyk, back in 2017, when they were both cruiserweights. Though Usyk overwhelmed him late in that 12-round contest, the mobility and quickness of Hunter troubled him early in the fight. Another interesting bout would be against the heavy-handed and lead-footed Joey Joyce, whom Usyk defeated as a heavyweight by unanimous decision in the World Series of Boxing back in 2013. How would a much longer fight between the two as professionals play out?

Speaking of Whyte, he has been considered one of the top heavyweight contenders for a few years and has been looking for a title shot. That not only would a Usyk-Whyte matchup be an entertaining one, but one that would clearly establish a true No. 1 contender in the division.
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The Ruler 09 said:
There’s no point rushing him, let him adjust for a while first. If Ruiz wins the AJ match could let him go in because he’d be favourite so it’s a risk worth taking. He’d likely outpoint Ruiz. Fighting AJ they may as well do a deal, sign a contact for the fight at a later date since they are with the same promotional company, let AJ handle the Pulev fight and then meet up again after Uysk’s had a few more fights. To me it makes more sense to step up in levels a bit first, he doesn’t need mad fights but maybe 2 more, each 1 stepping up before going for a championship fight. I think he’d be willing to do it now cause of the type of fighter he is though.
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You think he outpoints Ruiz? Interesting line of thought.
 
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R=G said:
You think he outpoints Ruiz? Interesting line of thought.
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I think so, Ruiz has fast hands but he’s not that fast on his feet, 1 of Usyk’s strengths is his feet, I’d imagine he’d just keep hitting Ruiz then moving the whole fight. Ruiz could catch him and change the course of the fight potentially but my guess would be he just keeps peppering him the whole fight, making him work, slowing him down with shots and outpointing him. I don’t think that’s a good style for Ruiz, with a slower more static guy Ruiz can use his hand speed and do damage, I guess his best chance would be if he can walk through Usyk’s shots and take them but I think Usyk would hit him so much they would start to add up. What makes it interesting is you just don’t know, Parker said Ruiz hit him real hard so if Ruiz lands he could be able to do damage, but I’d make Usyk favourite stylistically in that match, Usyk has also said he’s very confident in that 1 but AJ or Fury would be tougher fights for him.
 
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Usyk could fight Takam, that would be a good fight against a good opponent. A normally durable tough guy, normally not the hardest puncher though. Usyk vs Rivas would actually be an ill fight, I’d say Usyk by points but Rivas is resilient and tough. Usyk would destroy Allen, no point doing that as no challenge, Joyce I believe Usyk would beat. Dubois is a tough fight for anybody, his power is a game changer, those are the type of fights that really excite cause you don’t know, Usyk has much more experience but that killer power can be a game changer. Chisora vs Usyk is a good fight, would pick Usyk but Chisora has good power, think Usyk slows him down and outpoints him though. Usyk vs Whyte would be a tremendous fight potentially, Whye’s gameplan would be to bully him, it would be fascinating to see how that worked. Usyk’s speed would cause a problem for him, but if Usyk gets clipped by Whyte he’ll get hurt too. Hughie Fury would be a decent fight for Usyk, Usyk will win but might be a good adjustment fight as another quite big guy. Usyk beats Ortiz, think he’d beat Parker too. Really it’s the big guys that would be the biggest threat, anybody the same size he’s likely beating. Wilder has a killer punch though, that would be entertainment every second, Wilder could get outboxed all 12 or he could land and knock Usyk out. AJ would be fascinating, cat and mouse match. I think Usyk has potential to beat Fury, Fury is a good boxer big he doesn’t hit that hard, his reach, jab and movement would cause issues and his sheer size but Usyk may have a game plan to counter that. There’s potential for really exciting fights, I hope they all happen.
 
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We haven't learned much from this.
Usyk looked Usyk...
Whitherspoon wasn't there to lay down but he was clearly overmatched. After the feel out rounds, it looked like a sparring session.
Pretty much what I expected.

Bivol is good but dude's starting to dig himself a hole with always going 12 lately. Tbf they are bringing him dudes who are not easy to stop anyway but still... dude had way more momentum a year ago than now. I won't hate on him boxing and having his own style just saying if he'd step it up a little he might be able to stop these guys too. All the other champs in 175 get more spotlight now than him.
 
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