AJ showed signs of age-related decline

To be fair, he is turning 35 next month.

 

Laughs in George Foreman

Then don't get older. Get better.

 

So an older wilder gets schooled by Parker, but that wasn't age related, just because he was useless

However, Aj looked bad because of age decline?

Hahaha, I love this forum

 

The trouble with cherry picking opponents is eventually you get found out.

Yes he's got a good resume, I'm not denying it. BUT he's almost exclusively fought guys who are smaller than him and/or much weaker than him. The guys who can match him for size and power (Wilder, Fury, Hrgo, Zhang, Joyce) he's never actually fought. I'm not saying he would have lost to all those guys but fighting Franklin, Ruiz, Usyk isn't going to prepare you at all for a big ******* like Dubois who's trying to rip your head off.

The chickens came home to roost tonight.

 

There absolutely does seem to be a double standard in this matter. This forum is very selective regarding who gets the age excuse.

Ortiz was ancient at 38 years old in their first bout while Wilder was better than ever at that same age, (following two viscous back to back beat downs and KOs no less).

The double standards are quite comical.

 

It’s always been ridiculous. I argued with very Joshua superfans after Wilder/Parker, let’s see how your man does at 38. They didn’t want to hear it.

And now you see a Joshua a few years younger than that obviously in decline. He isn’t shot but definitely is on the slide.

 

He's shot. His reflexes looked gone in this bout.

Happens to everyone eventually.

He had a good career. But it's over.

 

Well, he went from being a boxer pursuing being a 3-time HW champ to being a 4-time HW loser. And he’s not getting younger. So he may need to think about retiring.

 

Yep, that’s a career ender.

AJ got well and truly beaten up.

 

Reflexes looked really really gone. But this and Usyk is probably the only time he ever fought somebody quicker than him. He's so used to fighting guys pushing 40 with a flabby dad bod for years and years that Dubois's speed must have been absolutely shocking for him. This is probably the first opponent he ever fought in his career that was younger than him?

 

Lol at the reflexes excuses. He has always been a slow plodder. He was in there with a prime elite big skilled puncher who was not scared to trade with him.

 

The more cautious AJ could have worked. Round 1 and he just watched that overhand right land, not even a block attempt with both hands down, unbelievable. In hindsight his team should have respected Dubois' power and prioritized defense, skill, patience, timing, experience instead. He did hurt Dubois after all.

Dubois is seemingly prime now. An AJ rematch would be the biggest purse still. Maybe do a run and fight the likes of Wilder, Fury, Parker, Zhang, then Usyk last.

 

He looked like he always does. Styles make fights.

This was Mike Tyson vs Frank Bruno. Nothing AJ could do about it at any age.

Tbf I still rate AJ, I think he's a great fighter.