Sky Sports' Adam Smith believes Oleksandr Usyk vs. Johnny Nelson would have been a 'difficult watch' as he makes his prediction over the fantasy fight

Johnny Nelson has stated that he believes he would have defeated Oleksandr Usyk if they met in his prime, stirring up a lot of conversation in the process.

Nelson stands as one of the greatest cruiserweights ever — he's currently slotted in third place for BoxRec's all-time cruiserweight rankings. However, the modern generation of boxing is witnessing another highly-skilled talent rise in the form of Usyk.

With the highly anticipated rematch between Usyk and Anthony Joshua quickly approaching, Nelson and Sky Sports' Adam Smith met to talk on the iFL TV Youtube channel. When Smith was asked for his thoughts on a fantasy fight between the Ukrainian and former fighter, he replied:

"Johnny Nelson said that Usyk was an average southpaw — he's an idiot for that... I think the last seven-and-a-half years where you reigned as WBO champion [of the world] with 13 defenses... I think that you and Oleksandr Usyk would've been a very difficult watch. I don't think it would've been an exciting fight, it would've been a technical [fight]."

Smith then added:

"I'm going with Oleksandr Usyk to beat Johnny Nelson, because Oleksandr won 350 amateur fights and Johnny won 3... Who knows? It's one of those fantasy fights, isn't it? Listen, it would've been very interesting to find out."

Watch Nelson and Smith's interview here:

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Oleksandr Usyk vs. Johnny Nelson - How do they compare?

Johnny Nelson is regarded as one of Britain's most successful boxers, which has helped earn him the role as a key pundit for Sky Sports. He held the WBO title from 1999 to 2005 and still holds the record for the longest reign in world cruiserweight championship history.

Nelson suffered defeat early in his professional career, beginning his forray into boxing with three consecutive defeats. He then proved that hard work beats talent as he went on to compete as an elite cruiserweight from 1986 to 2005.

Oleksandr Usyk, on the other hand, is considered one of the best pound-for-pound boxers of this current era. The Ukrainian started life in boxing by undergoing an emphatic amateur career, where he held a record of 335-15.

Additionally, Usyk became a two-weight world champion after becoming the undisputed cruiserweight title holder and then defeating Anthony Joshua to become the unified heavyweight champion.

To further this, he secured undisputed status as a cruiserweight after only 15 professional fights.

Watch the full Carl Thompson vs. Johnny Nelson fight here: