Can Usyk become the 1st modern HW champ who doesn't get ktfo or KD?

[4truth]

He was ko by Lennox though?

yep, Lennox really didn't do much at all to McCall. He had a mental breakdown, ref waved off the fight.

[creekrat77]

I think Usyk got KOd in the amateurs

[4truth]

I think Usyk got KOd in the amateurs

Nope, never stopped. don't know about kd

[Boxing-1013]

Let's slow the roll a little bit. Wait until he has close to 10 fights at HW before you start thinking about this

[Quercusalba]

gloves touched the canvas against Saunders, ref either missed it or let it slide.

Sanders definitely wobbled Vitali with that monster left of his, but no KD was officially scored.

[deathofaclown]

Vitali was never down.

but he quit v Byrd

No shame in any heavyweight getting dropped, part of the game. But literally asking your corner to pull you out with an injury lots of fighters have carried on with. Heart the size of a pea.

[4truth]

Sanders definitely wobbled Vitali with that monster left of his, but no KD was officially scored.

This isn't the one I was looking for. This could have been a kd also but wasn't. Earlier in the same round, I believe, Vitali pitched forward and his gloves brushed the canvas.

FlusteredFamousBobcat-size_restricted.gif

[4truth]

but he quit v Byrd

No shame in any heavyweight getting dropped, part of the game. But literally asking your corner to pull you out with an injury lots of fighters have carried on with. Heart the size of a pea.

Might have saved his career but carry on with your nonsense if you wish. It was a fairly meaningless fight and Vitali had proven that healthy, Byrd was no match for him.

For example, If Loma had quit with an injury early on against Linares, his shoulder might not be the question mark it still is today.

[TernceBudCharlo]

Hmm, this is a very good question.

He has the skill but at the end of the day it's heavyweight. All it takes is 1 and all these guys have the power to end your night early no matter how skilled you are.

[Marchegiano]

To be clear, in bare knuckle rounds have no set duration but rather are ended with a down. There are no BK champions who were never down because of this. Sometimes they went down just to get a break, not because they were struck. The rules make the game a bit different and it just wouldn't be a thing a BK champ would avoid.

Of the ancients, the first century champion Melankomas was never pointed against, so no KDs.

And to the folks arguing, I just want to highlight this catch-22. Vitali wasn't officially knocked down. Vitali wasn't actually knocked out. Pick a lane, it's either official, and so he's lost by KO, or, unofficial, and so he's clearly been down. You can't pick and choose what to acknowledge because if you do then everyone is everything.