Shannan Briggs has named one key factor that might give Oleksandr Usyk the edge in a hypothetical battle with Evander Holyfield.
The decorated careers of Usyk and Holyfield have been compared in a plethora of ways, not least in terms of how they both transitioned to become heavyweight greats.
Down at 200lbs, Usyk firmly cemented himself as the best of his era, securing notable wins over the likes of Mairis Briedis and Murat Gassiev to claim the undisputed crown.
And Holyfield, similarly, made a sizeable imprint on the cruiserweight division, twice beating Dwight Muhammad Qawi – among others – before seizing a third world title against Carlos De Leon in 1988.
It was up at heavyweight, however, where ‘The Real Deal’ crafted a particularly remarkable legacy, his iconic trilogy with Riddick Bowe – and shock victories over Mike Tyson – only enhancing the American’s greatness.
Likewise, Usyk has more recently emerged as a generational heavyweight great, especially with his two victories over Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, respectively.
What is perhaps most impressive about the Ukrainian’s performances, though, is that, through 12 rounds, he appears to get stronger towards the latter stage of a fight.
Naturally, this conditioning has contributed to a scintillating unbeaten surge across two weight divisions, putting Usyk in the same bracket as the likes of Terence Crawford – though recently retired – and Naoya Inoue as elite, pound-for-pound fighters who never seem to run out of gas.
Because of this, former world heavyweight champion Briggs has suggested in an interview with First Round TV that Usyk may have Holyfield’s number in a fantasy matchup.
“Usyk is just different, the fighters are different now. They’re throwing more punches now, the game has changed to where it’s more about conditioning.
“It used to be more about skill; now it’s all about conditioning. You can be skillful for four, five, six, seven rounds, but if that guy got pressure on you and you can’t stop it, it’s like running your machine too fast.
“[In the]12th round, [Usyk is] still throwing punches like it’s the first round. Nobody else has been able to do that in the history of boxing.”
On a purely skill-for-skill basis, Briggs hints that a prime-for-prime battle between Usyk and Holyfield would fare more favourably for the latter.
