Do you think Anthony Joshua would be a top 10 heavyweight boxer if he competed in the 1970s?

As of now, hell to the naw!

Ruiz, yes.

Anthony is fighting like all of these guys in this era of low output low connect rate.

Mindset is totally different today. Skills neither talent can rank over heart & determination. Those guys (1970s) didn't have his size, his reach his intellect, but they scrapped like dogs. Punchstats or compubox wasn't out then, but all one has to do is watch a few rounds & take notice they were too busy throwing shots forcing fighters to make on the spot decisions.

As an example I remember how well I played chess, UNTIL i had to go by a timer/clock. As soon as my opponent hit that clock, it sped up the game giving me little time to think thus forcing me to make bad decisions proving how limited I was in a battle with time.

That is how I see AJ. Put him in with some dudes who don't give a damn about taking 2 or 3 to give one and he will do as he did with Ruiz who is a good but totally unproven fighter as a champion. He got clobbered on his face, on his head, top of his head, behind the ears & the chin.

My decision isn't based on how he performed against Ruiz, alone, rather how he deals with non-stop aggression. You can't take time with someone who is throwing and taking shots because they : 1. have a good chin 2. Willpower. 3. partially crazy 4. broke as hell.

He has yet to prove he can stand in the fire for 5, let alone 10 rounds. How am I in my right mind supposed to think he can fight 15 rounds!
Ron Lyle with a chin & power? Beat his ass. Jimmy Young's skills keeps in & tires out AJ & out of all his losses he was stopped only twice. Once when he retired past his prime the other to Shavers. Shavers has a punchers chance until he tires and he fought at a high pace.
How am I supposed to think he can outrun Tex Cobb whose defense was his offense?
By 1979 Cooney was 21-0 (19kos) stopping Lyle, Norton & Young.
Since Holmes said he got hurt to the body by Cooney - AJ has to move an awful lot. he has to clinch even more to win. He definitively could win, but he'd have to make this one ugly fight as Cooney was stopped once by legend holmes. His other 2 were his comeback fights in 1990.
Frazier forces him to throw low to connect on a the 5 11'2 fighter & unless he borrows from Foreman playbook of illegally pushing him off over & over, a guy who can throw nonstop for 15 rounds? Loses to AJ how? He got up over & over from Foreman. AJ could drop him, but he tires cause he aint never fought at a pace based on his foe. Cause they aint fighting, they are clinching & potshotting as Heavies today.

In 68 fights Oscar Bonavena stopped once. Again another workhorse. AJ can win, but has too use his height & slow the pace down. He fought too many heavy hitters to think AJ would be the 2nd guy to stop him like Ali did which was a nonstop barrage of punches. Yes AJ hits harder, but they are 1-2s. Not 5-6-7-8-9-10 in a row.

AJ has quite a few more years left to prove himself. But as of now, he, would get beaten up by gate keepers & beaten down with that 500 output in 12 rounds-spiel.

Remember: These guy all had losses because they didn't have a buffet table of belts to win. You literally had to beat the better to get to the best. No IBF, no IBO, no WBO. WBC & WBA that's it.

 

Ronnie Coleman gave an interview recently

He was asked how would Arnold do in his era of bodybuilding?

He said with the science and technology (drugs supplementation) he would easily be the best
Basically if Aj fought in the 70's, he wouldn'thave the physical advantages over superior fighters of the 70's bar height and reach

He would still be top 10, but miles behind the best

 

A 6'6 240lb hard hitting guy with good hand speed would be too much for the 6'3 220lb boxers of the 70s.

 

He was 237lbs vs Ruiz, which is close to 240lbs.

Frazier was a cruiserweight by modern standards. Frazier would not be able to handle the power of Joshua.

He was gertting ragdolled by 6'3 220lb Foreman.

 

The ragdoll wouldn't stay down though. IMO many refs today would've called Foreman for pushing him off. & because he came from what the rappers Geto boys would call 5th ward (hard knoxx) contributed IMO to the I don't give a damn mentality of George who stood in the middle of the fire...that takes bravery, courage or crazy.
AJ is brave, tactically, not crazily.
AJ in the fire chooses to clinch
George in the fire chose to bang.
I don't think it is a matter of style of fights rather an inner mentality of the little dog (Frazier) with a big dog's fight vs AJ a big dog (with a little dog's fight)

Why else did he chose to jab, clinch in the rematch? He has control of his emotions and did what was necessary to win. Guys like Frazier & Foreman want to win, but if a fight breaks out....**** the script! **** what we trained on in the gym.
IT'S ON!

 

Substitute ***** for the (F) word!

 

Heavyweights back then were Tank Davis size.

Joshua KOs them all within 4 rounds.