Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua vs. Robert Gabriel Helenius

Why not just rematch Liakhovich for a tuneup? He is still damn near prime after all.

 

The principals have three common opponents:

1. Dillian Whyte - lost to
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   via TKO7 in 2015, and defeated
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   via UD12 two years later.
2. Michael Sprott - lost to
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   via UD10 in 2013 and to
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   via TKO1 (in under 90 seconds) a year later.
3. Konstantin Airich - lost to
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   via TKO3 in 2014 and to
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   via KO1 (in less than a minute) two years later.

 

Man I was in my petty ass bag this morning.

But just don't go putting words in my mouth, though.

 

Weigh-in:

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Clearly about you. With your ridiculous "My boy Joshua" nonsense.

 

Fine for five days notice, which it is, idiot.

"Pumping up"? Saying something isn't ideal but fine for five days notice and not jumping on the shrieking "this is a farce/sham/worst mismatch ever/unconsciounable and unsanctionable" bandwagon equates to "pumping up", in your view? That really tracks, in your brain? Only extremes exist, no middle ground? Cool, good job proving over and over how dumb you are and what a lack of nuance your thinking has.

Yeah you're right, usually people who are shot to smithereens don't summon an exceptional effort to turn back the clock for one last hurrah. Usually. Which is why when Liakhovich did exactly that, it was such a remarkable and noteworthy thing. It is exactly what happened, defying logic and normalcy, which is what makes it special and unique.

All of your chirping at me about this has been predicated on the assumption that I am "defending" the fight (I'm not; it's a poor scenario salvaging what was already a mediocre main event for the card), which in your eyes apparently makes me a Joshua fan (I'm not, for the umpteenth time I'm rooting for Helenius, hard). You have been spectacularly wrong in both your assumptions about my motivations and about your assessment of the fight itself. It sucks, but Joshua vs. Washington would have sucked just as bad, and Joshua vs. Rahman Jr. or McKean would have sucked worse (way worse, in fact - and any other dark horse candidates that may have thrown their hat in the ring, even if they were younger/sturdier/faster than Helenius or better stylistic match-ups, wouldn't have had the advantage of having had a full training camp and then gone a few easy rounds just a week before, nor would most of them have the same slim puncher's chance he does). Joshua vs. Hrgovic or Ruiz II, again, are big fights and in no universe were getting cobbled together on five days notice. The replacement was always going to be moderately crappy. You need to manage your expectations when a fighter fails a drug test just a week out. WITHIN THOSE MANAGED EXPECTATIONS, the fight's fine. Outside that context, not fine. In it, fine. Is anything penetrating your little pea brain yet?