Remember Joshua has looked more vulnerable than Fury against most common opponents

I'd put that down to being physically (and probably mentally) exhausted, as well as feeling the accumulation of all the shots Ruiz was landing on him. I don't see spitting out the mouthpiece as a sign of quitting; I show it as a sign of wanting to buy time in order to stay in the fight. Corrales did the same in the first Castillo fight. Joshua had already got up three times before and gone right back into the firing zone with Ruiz, which tactically was pretty stupid, but doesn't show a lack of heart or nerve by any means. Maybe he would have meekly capitulated had the fight continued, but we'll never know and so we have to base our opinions on what actually took place beforehand.

Just to clarify, I have zero problems with the actual stoppage. It probably should have come a bit earlier in fact. But I don't accept that Joshua wanted to quit. He's shown zero quit in him throughout his career, and has twice jumped straight back in with fighters that beat him, showing improvements in both second showings. He's also still gunning for the top guys even after two humiliating back to back losses, the second of which seemed to shake him to his core. Quitters don't do that. It's not in their mentality. You don't quit in a fight and then immediately rematch the guy you quit to and beat them. Show me a single fighter that ever did that. The only recent example I can think of is Cotto Margarito, but Cotto didn't immediately rematch Marge, and I don't accept that he quit in the first fight either.

The first Ruiz fight probably isn't the best demonstration of Joshua's skills as he spent more than half of it in a concussive daze. True, Ruiz isn't a great HW but he has certain skills and attributes that make him dangerous in certain situations. For example his extremely fast hands and ability to duke it out when fighters trade with him and usually get the better of those exchanges, as Parker found out. He's also got decent power and a solid chin. Corrie Sanders wasn't a historically great HW but had similar traits that allowed him to destroy a prime Wlad.

Joshua's skills are much more on full display in the Ruiz rematch, against Povetkin and Parker, and more recently against Otto Wallin. But everything you mention, the evasion of punches, avoiding counters, blocking shots and controlling the ring, should be on full display against Ngannou if he hopes to win. If they aren't, or if Ngannou beats him, then a lot of the above would need to be revised.

"When did Wilder quit in the second Fury fight? He was getting absolutely destroyed and kept throwing." That's the very point I'm trying to make with Joshua! You can't separate the two and I've never read any post on here that's been able to do so.

We don't know. Why wouldn't he have been able to?

"No one has ever recovered from Wilder’s right for a reason."

That reason might have been because he never fought anyone good enough to survive until Fury.

But Friday should tell us a lot more about Joshua's overall durability. You might well be proved right.

Well yeah, that was my point. I wasn't saying Fury wasn't skilled, I was saying his fundamentals weren't as sound as Joshua (or more precisely, agreeing with Bokaj's assessment).

 

Very good post.

Yes, I don't know if it was intentional to not respond to the ref at the end of the Ruiz fight or if he just didn't know where he was, but he was done either way. At that point it was only a question of how much more punishment he was going to take. So it's not like Duran walking away in the middle of winnable fight, or even Liston and Vitaly citing injuries. Joshua was utterly finished.

A better comparison would be Tyson-Lewis. Tyson looked like he could have gotten up if he wanted, but what for? To get some brain damage?

 

AJ lost to Ruiz because after he punches he leaves himself open to left hooks.

 

Very well put.

For me Joshua is the really drilled fighter who has to will himself to do what he does. Fury is much more natural and instinctual. But he's also a smart customer in there and of course has a champion's mentality. And of course he's huge and has great movement and agility for a guy that size. So I think he has a lot going for him, just not great text book technique.

That I no longer can stand anything the guy does out of the ring and that I've actually come around to thinking that he did cause that cut intentionally is another thing.

 

This didn't age well.

 

Cheers!

I very much want to see that fight.

 

Ohhhhhh ohhhhhhhh really? You little boy..... Mr. Prediction Boylinky ...... Mnmmmmm, little leeleeee. Hahahahahaaahhahahgahaagagagagagag Your BS about glass jaw was right.... Ngannou has a glass one. Hahahahahhahaha You Icebeeaker hahahahah. You are aging like cheese. xDDDDDDD Icesenhauer

 

Joshua is very underrated here. He lost to an ATG in Usyk and had a bad night against Ruiz that was avenged in a 12-0 win. No logic at all.

 

He did struggle. He should have KOed him in 1 rnd.

 

AJ beats Fury. Fury is elusive but he is not Usyk.

 

Where are you boylinky? Did you get iced? We are waiting for your deep analysis... Iceexpert. ☺️

 

Aged worse than Tyson Fury.

 

I've thought that for a while. Fury is done while Joshua has gotten significantly better.

Usyk vs Fury right now is a mismatch.

 

HahahahahahHAha, I want you to remember tonight... And also 2024, 2025, 2026..... It will be very painful to watch a HW for you. Remember these years cutie. You will never forget.