Anthony Joshua is a average heavyweight but gets away with it because of his super HW size

Thats sounds exactly like what Amir Khan's wife said.

 

If that were true all big men would be better than average because their size alone would make then better than the average heavyweight.

Joshua has learned to fight with the tools he has, even for a big man he's a good athlete, if he was smaller he'd have learned to fight with a different style. Perhaps he'd had learned better head movement and better overall movement because he couldn't rely on his height and reach.

These hypothetical threads are dumb, if AJ was smaller, if Wilder had a brain, if Ruiz wasn't fat, if Price had a chin. You can never know how differently they would of developed if you had taken away a fighters strengths or weaknesses.

 

Half right he's also athletic

 

This argument falls down because we had huge men in the past, and they werent multiple belt holding world champions.

Primo Carnera was 6 foot 6 back in the day when HWs were the size of CWs today. He wasnt particularly great and a 6 foot 2 Max Baer sent him to space and back.

Nikolai Valuev was 7 foot tall, and he wasnt at all dominant and only held a trinket for a period of time because of Don King and corruption.

So just being big isnt it. AJ as more talent that those men. He is more dominant as a champion than them. He hasnt beaten a host of contender since beating an ageing Klit.

I agree though that if AJ was smaller in dimensions of height and reach fighting at CW with men the same size as him he wouldnt be as effective. He wouldnt in my view be world champion if all of the other HWs were the same size as him. AJ does however have great athleticism for a big man, the kind that you dont usually see in someone that rangy and tall.

 

So far very intelligent comments.
I give the OP the comments about Fury, but by the same token if he was a CW he could not get away with being overweight or flabby because of his size advantage & not needing to make weight?
Bceause at 200 soft lbs. & say before weigh ins, he would be a terrible HW, & too chubby for CW: he would need to fight at LHW to take full advantage of his potential success!

Would he have the discipline to stay a hard body, or gain weight & be as soft as today but since he went into the fabled shrinkatron, stay at that less felicitous somewhat overweight physique?

 

Fury's entire success is owed to size.

If you shrunk Fury down he'd be useless, as would most SHW fighters. Fury is uncoordinated and clumsy looking in his offense, his punch technique is by far the worst of ANY current champion. Defense wise he's still pretty clumsy, that's fine though when you're 6'9 and generally only have to lean back to avoid punches. Take his height and you take his defense. Sure he slips the odd jab with head movement, but 95% of the time he just leans and steps back to avoid punches.

He's effective at heavyweight because of his size, he does have good stamina, footwork and he's perfected the lost art of the feint, but these attributes and skills accompany his height and reach. Without his physical dimensions the feints, footwork and stamina won't plug the gap of dreadful punch technique and would expose a defense entirely consisting on maximising the fact he's so much bigger. It's much easier to slip shots when opponents punch upwards.

 

Well, it is funny that you mention Valuev regards to corruption and Don King, I might dissect some western boxers, everyone does know their surnames regards to Don King and not from boxing forums: U.S newspapers too had a lot about this stuff.
If you claim that Valuev get all his achievements via corruption, this too is funny.

Valuev was not " gloves does not travel " like juiceshua etc stars.
Valuev was not fast tracked strictly hometown fighter even before he get fight for national pro title in Russia.
Valuev had 17-0-0 pro boxing record with 10 fights on foreign soil before he get fight for Russia pro title.
4 fights in Australia, 2 in U.K, 2 in Germany, 1 in US, then 1 in Japan.
Then Valuev get fight for Russian title. Doesn't looks even close to fast hometown track.

Yeah, size doesn't matters, therefore during 52 pro boxing fights Valuev never had been down. Never.
* Yeah, for sure it is irony that Valuev might be been ultra protected: both of his lost fights were in Germany by decision. Where, yeah, he for sure was better tickets seller than Chagaev or Haye ( sorry, it is reality cos Germany isn't U.K ).
Of course for german market better might be german origin fighter, still, if there is some russian from Russia and guy from Uzbekistan, imgine difference? Also yeah, Valuev was giant, this too increase sales.
Nope, Chagaev get decision.

Of course ppl more remember Valuev from his last 2 fights when over the hill boxer fought vs Haye and Holyfield.

Let's continue if shape and age doesn't matters and Haye get decision in Germay vs The Giant.
Haye had been stopped by Bellew , Bellew who didn't fought vs prime Briedis version, instead of this he moved up to HW to fight vs Haye 2X.
Bellew, despite his fans excuses that he had been weight drained etc, by himself had demanded that fight vs Usyk should be a CW because he wants all 5 Usyk's CW belts on the line for this fight.
Usyk stopped him.
_____________________
Of course Valuev never looked as ATG or like this, still he had fought as a pro in 12 countries including U.S, U.K, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Germany, pro western Czech Republic ( Central euro country, NATO member, pro U.S oriented ).
Boxers " gloves doesn't travel " might learn something from this.

 

Xnico, do you just enjoy attention?

 

The key thing is allied to AJ’s power is he has sound fundamentals and excellent athleticism and he is very coachable with his ring IQ getting better for such a late starter( someone who only took up boxing at age 18). Astonishingly he won the Olympics Gold medal and World Championship Silver medal. The undeniable truth is that both Fury and Wilder are jealous of him and there is a reason why because he is extremely handsome, personable and has cross over appeal. Even women who are not into boxing have butterflies when they see AJ you can see their attraction to him. Same thing with Muhammad Ali who also had the gift of the gab.

 

If my neighbour's grandma had wheels she'd be a bicycle.

 

AJ will not be appreciated until he has retired. He (also Whyte) are the only ones really trying to fight all the best guys out there. Guys like Fury and Wilder are gaming the system by avoiding the best, fighting bums and claiming to be the best. AJ is actually fighting the best. Besides each other, Wilder and Fury have 0 wins amongst the current top 15. How does that happen and you guys still think they are top 3? This never happened in any other era. Hate on AJ all you want, but at least respect the skills.

 

It's not easy for super tall guys to use their height properly.