Not everyone rates the skills of Oleksandr Usyk.
For many people, it would be difficult to criticise the career and achievements of the likeable Ukrainian. He is a hugely talented boxer with a big heart, slick footwork, tidy defences and plenty of offensive punching abilities that have seen him win every single professional fight he has ever had.
Since turning professional 11 years ago he has cleaned out the cruiserweight division to become undisputed and then, despite being a naturally smaller man than most of his opponents, he has done the same in the heavyweight division to repeat the feat of Evander Holyfield.
He became the undisputed heavyweight champion back in May with a points victory over two-time champion Tyson Fury, securing his position amongst the greats.
Speaking to MillCity Boxing, former multi-weight champion and Hall of Famer James Toney wasn’t so enamoured with Usyk and claimed that back in his day he would have struggled.
“Usyk, he is a good-ass amateur fighter. He’s the heavyweight champion, that’s cool, but you know what, at cruiserweight, in my era, he’d be a bum.”
Toney picked up the IBF cruiserweight title in 2003 after beating the likes of Steve Little and Vassiliy Jirov before challenging up at heavyweight where he beat Evander Holyfield and John Ruiz (later ruled a no contest after he failed a drug test) and drew with Hasim Rahman before twice losing to Samuel Peter in an eliminator for the WBC belt.
