Why is this even a question? In their real fight Wlad almost got the Ko but did not have the energy to put together a finishing combination against prime AJ. He was fairly aged by any rational standards, & much declined from his peak. He would have smoked Joshua.
I think Wlad likely kos him in 7 rounds because a 41 year old Wlad knock Joshua down so if a past his prime self knocks down Joshua then a prime Wlad should ko him when he go down.
Very possible. Wlad, in his younger days, was an offensive beast. But it left him open too much, or allowed him to tire w/o proper pacing. Like Lewis later on, gettnig with Manny Steward gave him more longevity w/ a safety first approach.
Joshua wasn't prime that's ridiculous. He was an 18-0 novice who came in overweight and gassed out in the 5th trying to take Klitschko out. Klitcshko believed from the sparring session that he could take Joshua out. He said pre-fight that he was getting him at the right time. Joshua has improved with every fight since then. He's gained a higher ring IQ from experience . He's optimized his weight, improved his stamina and improved his footwork. Todays AJ would have finished the job in that 5th round and his size and inside skill would make him a live dog against any version of Wlad.
Anyone's fight imo. Joshua is much more dangerous than anyone wlad ever beat, and more importantly better than all of the guys that did defeat wlad
You have to say Wlad right now because we don't even know how good Joshua is/was until he retires. In their actual fight neither were prime and it was an even money fight in which Joshua eventually won, although there was a feeling that Wlad let him off the hook in the middle rounds. Joshua like Wlad has weaknesses. The Joshua that fought in the 2nd Ruiz fight would do quite well against prime Wlad I feel. The more AJ can stay away from Wlad's monster power the better his chances. Wlad won't be able to control the fight with his jab as he is facing an opponent that is the same size as him and who also has a good jab. At the same time, Wlad tried to trade with AJ in their actual fight and lost.
Please... that guy who is SOO much more dangerous then all of Wlad's resume got KO'd by a potato bean bag FFS...