Oleksandr Usyk given notable ranking among greatest heavyweights of all time by legendary coach

Abel Sanchez says that Oleksandr Usyk is a top 10 heavyweight of all time

Legendary boxing trainer Abel Sanchez has been around the sport for decades now, meaning he has a deep knowledge of the fighting game.

In a recent interview with Fight Hub TV, Sanchez was asked to give his thoughts on Usyk and where he ranks against greats of the past.

Sanchez started by saying that he hopes people don’t say that Usyk fought in a ‘weak division’ when comparing him to the likes of Mike Tyson or Muhammad Ali.

“I would never compare him in a fight to Tyson, because Tyson is a different era.”

The coach then added, “In his era, he is the cream of the crop. He’s dominated everybody, he’s beaten everybody.”

When asked to give Usyk a ranking against all-time greats at heavyweight, Sanchez said, “In the bottom five of a top 10… Somewhere around five or six, somewhere there.”

The coach was then asked how Usyk would fare in fights against some of the greatest heavyweights of all time, to which Sanchez responded, “You can’t compare, it’s just different eras.”

However, the likes of Tony Bellew feel like Ali would have beaten Usyk.

Abel Sanchez says that Oleksandr Usyk is the only man who beat himself

In terms of the current options for Usyk at heavyweight, Sanchez feels that no fighter is going to be able to beat the Ukrainian, except for himself.

“He’s the only one who can beat himself right now. If he’s not motivated, if he’s not up for a fight, if he doesn’t think that there’s enough of a challenge in front of him, he’s the only one who can beat himself.”

Despite feeling Usyk is for the most part unbeatable, Sanchez said that he is aiming to get a fight made between the champion and his athlete, Filip Hrgovic.