Johnny Nelson backs George Foreman to defeat Usyk in prime clash

Johnny Nelson believes George Foreman would have beaten Oleksandr Usyk at his peak, despite the Ukrainian heavyweight champion maintaining a perfect record across 25 professional fights. Nelson, the longest-reigning cruiserweight champion in boxing history, sees Foreman’s power as a challenge Usyk may not have been able to overcome.

Usyk has become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion after defeating Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois twice. His first meeting with Fury ended in a split-decision victory after Usyk scored a ninth-round knockdown, while his technical ability has also carried him through his bouts with Joshua and Dubois.

Nelson’s view is based on the scale of Foreman’s punching power and the quality of opponents he stopped during his first reign. Foreman needed only two rounds to defeat Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, two victories that came before his 1974 defeat by Muhammad Ali.

Those performances form the centre of Nelson’s argument that Usyk has not faced a puncher comparable to Foreman. Usyk’s recent opponents included major heavyweight names, but Nelson believes the American’s force and effectiveness against elite opposition would have created a different test from the one presented by Joshua or Dubois.

Foreman’s career also included a remarkable second phase. After spending 10 years away from boxing, he returned and eventually became the oldest heavyweight world champion in history. He won the IBF title in 1994 by stopping Michael Moorer in the 10th round, having earlier fallen short against Evander Holyfield and Tommy Morrison.

Usyk’s unbeaten run and achievements across cruiserweight and heavyweight have established him as one of the leading fighters of his era. Nelson’s assessment instead places a prime Foreman among the rare heavyweights whose physical strength and finishing ability could have prevented Usyk from imposing his usual technical approach.