Epic fight. Best heavyweight championship fight in decades. High form, high skill and high drama. Wlad was shot. I attended the Wlad vs Jennings bout and was alarmed how much he had slipped. However I believe the long layoff from the Fury disaster helped him mentally and as always he was as fit as ever. Joshua's style was favorable to Wlad that's why he looked better than he had against Pulev, Jennings and Fury. Don't get me wrong he destroyed Pulev but he was in decline in that bout, Pulev just couldn't avoid a left hook to save his life. Joshua showed alot in this fight too. A sterling jab - he matched Jabs with Wlad, he showed heart and he showed some amazing punch variety that upper cut wow. He is just more stiff than Wlad, he's not as good an athlete and his gas tank is not great. He is a good champ though. He beat Wlad, Parker, Whyte, Povetkin and Ruiz in rematch. Not bad for a young guy. Great fight. and a fitting farewell from one of the classiest champions ever. I keep telling everyone it's insanely hard to stay in shape and turn away young hungry contenders for over a decade. Wlad did it 18 times in row.
You can be 41 and still be ripped and in a peak shape, but your reflexes will never be as they were in your twenties or thirties . Wlad was shot in jennings , fury , joshua fights.
The styles matched up well but Wlad was just a little too past it. That being said it was his to win in the 6th, and just could not do it. The Jennings fight was atrocious and Pulev was a punching bag. Fury really exposed how shot he was. He fought Joshua with a lot of heart as his reflexes, illustrated by the painfully slow left hooks, just were not there. An effort for the ages.
Ya, tho he got the job done v Jennings it was that fight that signaled a slow decline setting in.. Might watch that one again, see how I score it now.
Joshua has literally done the most for British boxing than any active fighter. He massively increased public interest in the sport and because of him dudes like Dave Allen could headline the 02 arena and make 6 figure pay days. Yet you’re saying he’s a disgrace to boxing. Your hate Joshua is sad asf and it shows how incredibly bitter you are. You’re in your 30s and still trolling online and making threads about how Mike Tyson could beat AJ right now. Embarrassing takes.
Exactly! If he was 'on top', then he would've continued fighting. 2 decades of performing at the highest level is sufficient evidence that he was physically deteriorating and his body was breaking down from the accumulation of damage sustained from training and performing for that period of time.
I think people conflate Wlad being at the top of the division, with him being at the top of his game. He wasn't!
Yes, no matter how much mental strength he has to get himself in condition and properly trained and prepared, the reflexes are beyond mental strength and discipline. He still has the power, but, his reflexes have slipped, and he’s gonna have to really excel in other aspects of his game to make up for that, if he is to comeback and beat Forman’s record. I think he will come back here shortly. And you can bet he’ll be ultra conditioned and prepared.
Vitali was terrible in the corner that night. His advice definitely ended up helping Joshua when he was in trouble.
