Great outcome. Seems I saw a video of Usyk holding up two fingers with one hand and three on the other and a little smile on his face. His skill level rivals Loma.
When he first moved to the HW I wouldn't have predicted his success. I figured get a few nicer paydays, then a big one and dismissed by a real heavy. I had missed the subtleties in his game. And I think he came in heavier to put some more weight behind his punches.
That last finisher was wicked.
Yes I agree I didn't see him having the size to take power shots from a Joshua type or Wilder but his ability to roll with power shots is uncanny.
It's amazing but beyond securing his future economically he really had no need to fight at cruiserweight when you look back at what he has done at heavyweight. I think if he did this we might not have had the brief 3 Kings era in the heavyweight division as Usyk probably could have boxed Fury silly around 16' and certainly would have done this to Wilder around 16' less a bomb he didn't see landing on his chin and he would have probably thwarted the ascension of Joshua in a similar manner to Wilder.
Updating the PBC card in the opening bout White Mexican-American Brandon Figueroa pounded out a decision over a game Joet Gonzalez I didn't watch this fight beyond in passing but it seemed like he was given the benefit of the doubt as every time I looked at the television he was getting beaten to the punch. I did pay more attention to the fight later in the bout and seemed to be rallying late.
Figueroa won a WBC eliminator so at some point will get a shot at the WBC 130 pound title, he will be a live dog against anybody but a true P4P candidate has he has tendency to force his opponents into phone booth fights regardless of the natural style of the fighter.
Tim Tszyu lost a fire fight to the ascending Sebastian Fundora as he was dropped early in the bout and battered around the ring after the knockdown but Tszyu rallied with violent power combinations to the towering but spindly Fundora's head and seemed to be getting on even terms in the bout. In the fateful 7th round Tszyu's rally seemed to have sapped him of energy and he was battered around the ring late and had problems sitting on his stool and told the worried referee he had enough.
The road back to contention let alone a championship might be a road to far as he has now been in violent fire fights in two of his last 3 fights and lost both. These fights age fighters and he is now on the wrong side of 30 so unless he develops a new skill set I don't see a return to his previous form.
In the main event Manneee was shockingly spry for a 46 year old fighter that relies on movement and timing and seemed to have an overwhelming lead against the much too respectful Barrios. Only when the Barrios corner read him the riot act did he try and out work the 46' year old late in the bout and swept the last 3 rounds of the championship bout and secured a draw.
History was thwarted in the bout and when the scorecards were being tabulated I roughly had a similar score to the judges but I wondered if the business of boxing would give the legendary Filipino the decision and the WBC title as rumors have been circulating that Pacman and Mayweather would engage in rematch for similar money to their first bout if Pacman looked spry even in a loss.
