Anthony Joshua - Career path

AJ development is doing just fine for someone with 15 fights under his belt.

Go on boxrec and compare AJ's resume to Wilders resume after just 15 fights & I think most people will find AJ has made fast progress compared to the over protected American.

 

Exactly, een syaing this for ages.

If they step up tp Martin they are at world level efore he is ready.

They have potentially a huge future ahead. Millions upon millions to e made from his career so they dont need to rush.

He has a long way to go. 15 fights is nothing. He hasnt faced much at all in terms of styles and little tricks from the more experienced fighters, not come up against real adversity or had to dig deep either. Theres so much to learn and he really hasnt seen that much as he is getting guys out there straight away. The Whyte fight would have taught him a lot but he needs more fights like that where he has to change tactics and dig down.

Ideally he want 3-4 more big fights this year. Heleniuis, Chisora, Pulev, Takam, Stiverne, guys like that and hopelly then they can go after a title.

Id actually have like him to get a good 25 fights under his belt before going for the title but its not gonna happen.

Its a long process and there is no rush.

 

He took a big risk against Wythe. Then we all saw holes in his game that needs to get fixed before any more step ups. I would like him to step down from opponents of Wythe's class for awhile, to fix his weaknesses before aiming at the top once again.

Give him one more year at his pre-wythe composition.

I personally think that Parker is already ahead of Joshua in terms of progress.

And he is also younger as well.

We can see holes in Joshua's game, but we can't - yet - point out holes in Parker's game, thus I give Parker the edge. WBO got it right this time.

 

I agree with this also, his progress has been rapid but the thing is, although his competion has been very good for his first 15 fights, he wouldnt have learned that much from some of them as they were over with too quick.

Going up against 3 unbeaten guys, winning commonwealth and british titles, headlining shows, being PPV headliner, going in against an old rival for severe bragging rights. They are great achivement for your progression as they will have done wonders for his state of mind and confidence. Its incredible how little things like this improve you. But he still has so much he is yet to experience from opponents.

 

Pulev and Helenius should be a big no-no for Joshua at this moment. Both are better than Wythe, and he most fix his problems first.

Takam, Stiverne and Chisora are somewhere in the Wythe's level. Both Takam and Chisra's got great stamina, which could be a big problem considering Joshua's musclebound frame.

That leaves only Stiverne from your list...

Sure Stiverne looks awful and is with no doubt a clear step down from Wythe, which also would give Joshua a nice name on his resume to continue his journey at the right direction.

 

Absolutely agree with the OP.

We saw flaws against Whyte but I think a lot of that was down to how personal that fight had become for AJ - which is something else he would need to work on. The only reason there is some demand to rush him is because of the hype Hearn has created for him among casual fans, but that's business I suppose.

 

Pulev and Helenius would be a step up but i think he can take those fights now. I think he can win.

Stamina wise, i am concerned about his huge frame. However he does seem to train incredibly hard so i think itll come down to how he is a timing a fight. Knowing when to step on the gas and when to ease back and he did that well against Whyte from R3 onwards.

I want to see him in a fight with a good 7/8 rounds at least of total discipline to see if can can handle the pressure and box maturely enough over a length of time.
Also id like to see him in a real tough trench war fight to see if he has the toughness to dig deep down when it really matters.

If he can get 2 fights that can give him these experiences we should know a lot more about where he is in terms of development.

 

For his career sure, it's best not to rush anything, but I doubt that Hearn thinks the same. And I kinda understand that, because AJ is becoming a phenomenon in the UK, so resisting that is hard...

I agree with Wach, that would be a huge test, than he should fight Duhaupas/Stiverne. But thinking about his development will be hard when the opportunity arises, like fighting for IBF belt with Martin or going after mandatory challenger position.

 

People are impatient they are pushing for him to step up far too early. Some are doing to just criticise him for the sake of wanting to criticise him and some just have unrealistic expectations comparing hims to past greats like Tyson or Ali when he has done nothing to suggest he should be even compared to them in any way.

He is progressing just fine. While it would be easy to rush him into a title shot he's young and has plenty of time to mature and it would be better to maximise his potential rather than squandering it, especially as he is already making good money, so there is little pressure to push on faster than needed.

 

In terms of levels, only Stiverne would be a clearly stepdown from Wythe, but would give him some rounds.

But Wach could exploit big flaws in Joshuas stamina, wouldn't risk that at the moment.

Duhaupas would be a nice opponent too. Big, strong, good stamina but lacks punch, low output and a crackable chin.

I would take Stiverne first, then Duhaupas then Wach as a last test before stepping up at the world stage.

 

Parker's level of opponents has been much lower than that of AJ's thus far so you would expect him to look more convincing. I rate Parker highly but I do think he needs to up his level of opposition to prove he is legit top 10.

 

Yes, he looks as good as Joshua did - before the Wythe fight. Then after Wythe exploited holes - Joshua looks like the lesser prospects.

When Parker steps up, we will see if he floats or sinks as well.

 

Just fight Parker and we'll see!

Geez, first Saunders, now Joshua.
Damn flaky Brits always talking about"*****" until the ***** in their court.

 

He doesnt decide. ...THEY DO !!!!!