Former WBO cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson is confident he’d hand Oleksandr Usyk his first career defeat in a prime vs. prime matchup.
Oleksandr Usyk‘s transformation from cruiserweight to heavyweight has shocked many fans and pundits with his quick ascent to the top of the sport. Usyk’s back-to-back wins over Tyson Fury cemented him as the top heavyweight in boxing.
But in his cruiserweight tenure, he might’ve had a real headache facing a prime Johnny Nelson, according to the man himself.
Nelson, who went on a 21-fight unbeaten streak to end his boxing career, defended the WBO cruiserweight championship 13 times during his reign. He retired following a split decision win over Vincenzo Cantatore in 2005.
During his prime, Nelson was one of the most dynamic boxers in the sport. If he faced off with a prime Usyk during their cruiserweight stints, Nelson believes he would’ve put on a clinic against the Ukrainian slugger.
Johnny Nelson breaks down how he’d fight Oleksandr Usyk in prime vs. prime clash
During a recent interview with SpinBit, Nelson made a bold claim about how he’d look against Usyk during their primes.
“I would’ve won. I say that and people think ‘what is Johnny talking about’ but I am saying it from when I boxed. I’m 58 years old now but in my prime I would have won,” Nelson said. “Oleksandr Usyk’s style is unorthodox and most of these orthodox boxers struggle to deal with him. I’m from a gym of unorthodox fighters. Oleksandr Usyk and Vasyl Lomachenko admit they used to watch Prince Naseem Hamed how he trained and boxed.
“They tried to mimic that in the gym, they admitted it themselves, so they know how hard that unorthodox style is to beat.”
Nelson was then asked for his strategy for a fantasy matchup with Usyk.
“I would have boxed him off the backfoot, switched from orthodox to southpaw, boxed defensively and be smart. I would make him come forward, make him walk onto the shots and that’s what he would do,” Nelson said of Usyk. “He’s very good with his footwork and constantly trying to edge and pressure a fighter down and he’s good at that. But if you’re a fighter who doesn’t know how to deal with it then you will never deal with it.”
Usyk began his career with cruiserweight wins over the likes of Tony Bellew, Marco Huck, and Murat Gassiev.
Oleksandr Usyk sent Tyson Fury into retirement in most recent fight
After handing Fury a rematch loss in December, Usyk watched as Fury announced his retirement from boxing, to the surprise and skepticism of many fans and pundits. Fury was briefly linked to a potential clash with Anthony Joshua before fight talks fell through.
Usyk could potentially face either Joseph Parker or Daniel Dubois in an undisputed heavyweight title fight for his next outing. As of this writing, nothing is formally in the works for the Ukrainian champ’s return.
It’s uncertain how Usyk vs. Nelson would play out during their primes, but one thing’s for certain; Nelson is confident in his chances to dethrone the former cruiserweight titleholder.