What are Anthony Joshua's weaknesses?

Non, he's the terminator

 

In my opinion he didn't show any weaknesses in his last fight, it was a very well executed performance and makes it clear he is really "up there" in the current HW division so clearly doesn't deserve any hate or major criticism... HOWEVER, enjoy the ride.

Every ride can be derailed no matter how well good it seems to be going. He's certainly worth keeping track of and one of the most exciting fighters out there right now but hold off until he's had a few more elite fights before comparing him with the greats. The guys people are saying he'll blow away have all fought and beat way better fighters than anything Joshua has faced. Even Joseph Parker who seems to be getting ignored as a potential future threat will have fought a higher level of competition than Joshua by next month... if he wins that fight he will have answered bigger questions than Joshua has and that counts for a lot. If he wins it without his legs being jellified then he will have actually done bigger tests with less damage....

When I say "alright, alright, calm down" doesn't mean that I think he HASN'T got the potential to be an all time great, or even "just" the overall HW #1 in the next year or so - I'm just saying let him earn it first.

 

I'd say there are questions rather than weaknesses. His stamina hasn't been tested yet and he hasn't been hit with too many clean shots.

Neither one might be an issue but we won't know until he's been tested.

 

Joshua is a great young fighter with a bright future in the heavyweight division/the sport of boxing.

The flaws I see in his fight game are all things he can develop.
Fundamentally, he is a sound fighter. However, his key weapons overshadow his flaws.

I find his head movement and footwork less than elite. He has plenty of room to improve here, but there is nothing holding him back from developing. In particular, when he appears 'stiff'. He is very rigid at times and makes himself predictable & easy to hit. This hasn't been a problem while developing as a prospect, as his opponents have not been fast enough or powerful enough to take advantage of this. However, some success was found by Whyte, even with his unorthodox style. This correlates into his effectiveness when on the back foot, rather than pressing the fight. He will find it harder to take the fight to people like Fury and Wladimir, which will test him, as his lack of defense will be exploited by heavier fighters.

His power and hand speed is good. His stamina seems to have improved (ignore the Martin fight) which is good to see, but we still haven't seen how he would perform out of his comfort zone, against someone like Fury. As he likes to tie fighters up and break them down. Someone like Joshua who relies on his punching power, has the potential to be made ineffective by someone like Fury who has the ability to take away his most powerful weapon.

His chin is good, not great, he is susceptible to being hit, with the chance of being hurt because of his defense and lack of head movement. But, in saying that, he showed heart against Whyte and refused to be bullied by the bulldog in Whyte.

A great fighter with a bright future, so long as he is not dropped in with the wolves of the division just yet.

Fury is the current champion because he has developed as a fighter and learned to utilize the natural advantages he has a fighter. So long as Joshua isn't over hyped and pushed too quickly, I think he can be the next big thing in the HW division...

 

He's British

 

He cares. He actually cares for these Earth people.

 

I think he is great. A powerhouse. However, as others have pointed out, he lacks head (and upper body) movement, and is a bit stiff.

I also believe he's too muscle bound. That will affect his stamina. I think he will tire badly in the later rounds. I guess he needs to learn how to preserve energy better, a la Wlad.

 

Stamina may be an issue but he is bombing people out so quick it may NEVER be an issue for him

 

What are his strengths ?
Fast, accurate, powerful punching. That's it.
He's hasn't needed anything else yet, but there's plenty of gaps and question marks left over.

 

It'll be an issue at some point. No-one runs through all their opponents easily.

 

:deal

Eventually he'll find someone that can take everything he throws and come back at him. It almost ALWAYS happens sooner or later.

 

Who has he fought?

In the amateurs Cammarelle was robbed and he got a pass against two others.

 

Need to see him against a mobile boxer to see how many boxes he checks off on things we haven't seen tested.

-Late fight stamina
-ability to cut off the ring
-timing


These things are more important in lower weightclasses but with Fury at the top and Hughie coming up they will become important things to have. Wilder has also shown he can be mobile if he wants to.

He also seems to get a bit ****y when everything is going his way. I'd like to see if he can keep a straight train of thought when he starts getting frustrated.

 

The whole thing is that we haven't seen him in against really dangerous opponents.
He's clearly no second Price, otherwise he would have folded over when he took that big shot from that Whyte caracter, but he still hasn't fought someone that's world class.

Let's wait and see how he does against legit opposition, and then we can begin the talk about strengths and weaknesses.