Yes of course he is. He’s routinely able to persuade promoters and punters to keep him in contention. If the belts weren’t as tied up as they are at the moment, he’d absolutely be in line for a voluntary. Boxing will always be more business than sport; contenders are rarely down to their ability alone.
He didn't really? When he was asked if he has been approached to step aside his response was "people know not to approach me with that rubbish" He does mention that it wouldn't be ruled out completely but it would take a ridiculous amount of money as well mean he doesn't miss out on his the fights he wants. The biggest issue I see is even if he did agree to step aside is how you could guarantee AJ got the winner? Usyk and Fury would likely want a rematch clause put into that fight and even if they didn't have one there are still mandatory defences that could come up so potentially AJ could be waiting a long time He even talks about waking up thinking about the Usyk fight. Didnt sound like a guy who was asking for step aside money.
He mentioned it was possible so he clearly did Sure the money on the table wont be enough but he indicated if it was the right offer he would
I felt when Kugan mentioned the AJ vs Whyte fight AJ sounded jealous and that he wished he was fighting one of them. I actually think he’d like to step aside and hopes Fury can beat Usyk. He’ll batter a bin man in the interim and then get the winner.
I thought AJ came across terribly in that new interview by the way. He was trying to sound clever but was just speaking gibberish most of the time.
As I posted all well and good if Fury v usuyk had no rematch in contract and no mandatory defences came into play. Straight off the bat we know the wbc mandatory has to come into play never mind any others. Just seems a minefield to navigate through when the easier option is to take the fight he already has guaranteed rather than wait and see what happens elsewhere.
It certainly puts those interviews into a different light, Wilder accussed AJ of being controlled by Hearn and I thought he was just being racist, however AJ has just said that his cousin and brother make his decisions for him, which explains why AJ`s dad tried to attack Hearn after AJ was beaten by Ruiz, the whole set-up is odd.
Find it incredible at this stage hes still talking about money. Aj,s got enough to keep the next 10 generations of joshuas in a great lifestyle. Needs to cut the rubbish now and make the right decisions. Walk away from the usyk fight...get himself a new trainer who has 100 percent control and get busy rebuilding. Their too busy overthinking it all. Sometimes you need to take a step back lose face to come back stronger. Hes a 6 foot 5 powerhouse with stamina problems...a chin thats not great sitting about boxing guys. Its always been a recipe for disaster. He needs to learn to set up his big shots and aim to get guys out of their. These top guys are durable....but joshua has the potential to knock out anyone imo. Hes never gonna be a great boxer...reaction times too slowfor it at the top level. .
