The way British fans DESPISED Harrison and LOVED Joshua, given they turned pro having accomplished the same thing, fascinates me. I never saw Harrison get knocked down, spit out his mouthpiece and give up like Joshua did against a hand-picked late sub like Ruiz. Had Harrison ever done that, they'd likely have run him out of the country. Had Joshua been bashed mercilessly like Harrison was by the fans since his (Joshua's) pro debut, I'm getting the feeling Joshua would've melted down years ago. He certainly melted down in New York. Of the two, Harrison seems like he was actually FAR MORE mentally tough.
The cracks in Joshua's mentality have been on show since the round Klitschko dropped him, he showed heart don't get me wrong but he changed his whole style after that punch. He has been more defencive and quite frankly less entertaining since. Personally I don't think he quit against Ruiz, but it doesn't bother me either way. I completely agree, Audley seems more mentally stable than Josh, who was seriously pissed at Dillian Whyte. Who while my favourite fighter (tied with Ezzard Charles) is no where near the trash talker David Haye was
I agree. But not if the Harrison-Martin fight was held in the UK. Audley Harrison was the only British Olympic Gold Medal winner I can recall who, if a fight went the distance on his home turf and it was remotely close, he was guaranteed to lose a decision. Joshua engages in a close fight at home, he's ahead on the cards 11-1. Harrison would engage in a close fight at home, and the announcers, fans and even the judges would give the other guy any round that was close. Hell, early in his career, Harrison fought Mark Krence. Beat Krence's face to a pulp and even scored a flash knockdown in the second, which could've been ruled a slip (although Harrison had him staggered later in the same round). And, if not for that knockdown, Harrison was in danger of losing a freaking six-round decision. And all the Brits booed at the end when Audley was named the winner ... of a fight he dominated. If Charles Martin defended in the UK, I wouldn't trust the Brits to score it properly. They hated Harrison.
Exactly. Bruno is a far better comparison. It's amazing how in one fight Joshua is transformed from the consensus best fighter in the division to a glass-jawed scrub like Harrison or Price.
Joshua won world titles, while neither Price nor Harrison even came close to winning a major world title.
Bruno would NEVER have quit. That man as limited as he was had the heart of a true lion. Anyone who stands and trades with Mike Tyson and goes out on their shield like warrior against him twice, deserves enough respect not to be compared to a quitter.
Audley Harrison and Anthony Joshua are both Olympic Gold Medal Winners in the Super Heavyweight division. And Joshua has been down more times in his pro career (five) than Harrison ... even though Harrison had nearly twice as many fights. It is amazing that some consider one (who is hated) a glass-jawed scrub and the other (who is loved) ... as someone who was just having an off night. Hell, Frank Bruno wasn't down five times in his career. I wonder how many times Joshua will go down if he fights 38 times (like Harrison)? Or 45 times, like Bruno? Five times in 23 fights isn't all that great.
Would you have picked a prime Harrison or a prime David Price to beat Charles Martin? I think Price and Harrison (even with all the injuries he suffered) would've had an excellent chance at becoming champ in the same situation. Harrison was once 19-0, too, and looked very dangerous, despite all his setbacks. Audley (who was on a roll) could've won the title in his 16th or 17th fight, too, if he'd faced Charles Martin, IMO.