They're heavyweights, ofcourse he's a chance, albeit a small one. Don't think Mayweather training him will help him overcome Usyk. He needs the Kronk magic, which he won't get. I'd be over the moon if Fury - Whyte gets made, along with watching Joshua and Usyk duking it out within the next 3 months.
Would be good if he could finally get Joshua to use some head and upper body movement. I've never liked his catch and counter style or his simply trying to maintain distance style, that's fine when it works but when it doesn't as we saw vs Usyk you just become a sitting target who eats punches. Joshua has always shown an ability to learn and add things to his arsenal since he turned pro but I just don't think he'll have enough time to learn whatever he is trying and be adept at it in time for the rematch and even if he does he's up against a fighter with such versatility and high ring IQ he might find all his new tricks taken away by Usyk.
It's a pity Wilder didn't spend a couple of training sessions with Mayweather before the Fury fight. He could have put on a boxing masterclass and schooled the gypsy king
He needs a damn Sandy Saddler to teach him how to break bodies in a ceaseless stream of roughing up bordering on fouls. The one advantage he has is judges favor, so he ain't getting points deducted so fast.
I thought the change for the next fight was to channel the famous American drug dealers AJ watched documentaries about and enter the ring to BMF
All Joshua needs to do is combine his styles, make himself unpredictable. He needs to be aggressive and box, spend some time on the inside being rough, spend some time counterpunching from the outside. Joshua’s biggest flaw has always been that he’s predictable, if he changes that he can certainly beat Usyk.
I am with you on this one, Joshua best chance is making himself physical, stay in the pocket and throw combinations, there is no doubt he can hit. He should focus on use every physical advantage he has. Joshua mental resilience isn’t what it once was, therefore over complicating things could make Joshua overthink when he is in there, he was ponderous in phases last time. He just needs a simple game plan to follow, Mayweather style was anything but simple to master. I like the idea of training with a lot of world class trainers when you are 21 and learning the game, but 31 he should be looking to refine not dramatically change, which I hope that’s what he is trying to do.
While I feel the rematch is a foregone conclusion I think Joshua has room to improve and at least be more competitive I also am curious to see what Floyd can do as a trainer, he understands the sport so well and has so much experience and comes from a family of trainers. I'd like to see what he has to offer. I think bringing in Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko is probably the best thing he can do to be honest. Lennox and Klitschko were great at using their height and managing the fights to be fought at their pace on their terms. Joshua looked clueless on how to use his height and weight advantage to his benefit. I think he needs to slim down like he did in Ruiz rematch so that he does not tire and can move more fluidly. I also saw him have success to the body when he put the time in and he did catch Usyk's attention in the middle of the fight with a couple of right hands down the middle in the few rounds he actually won. He may have the power to knock Usyk out so if he can manage to slow the pace and not get tired he may be able to land the punch that changes the fight. Before the Usyk brigade jumps all over this post please jump back to the first sentence. While I think Joshua can improve I don't think he will make the necessary adjustments. I also would predict Usyk to expect something different and prepare accordingly.
Especially if Joshua weighs in at 249lbs and spends the first four rounds trying to bull Usyk to the ropes and get a stoppage, only to run out of gas and become a sitting duck.
For the rematch, Joshua will probably pimp strut to the ring dressed like Iceberg Slim. And then immediately after this, will once again be begging Clifton Mitchell to help him.
What he should do: the same plan Rob McCracken created last time, with minor tweaks combined with a bit more luck. What he shouldn't do: Mess around with 100 different trainers and recklessly go looking for a knockout.
To be fair to Mayweather, this doesn't look like a publicity stunt - he has publicly said that the Usyk defeat wasn't an upset, so I imagine he commands the respect needed to tell AJ straight if he was still harboring any such delusions. If AJ didn't change anything and insisted that he just needed to be more 'aggressive' and show more 'heart' or expressed similar sentiments along those lines, he'd rightly be derided as a fool and would probably get knocked out in the rematch. I see a beaten fighter who is professional and humble enough to actively try something different and to learn from others including a generational fighter and certified ATG. No crying, no 40lb costumes, no conspiracy theories, just working on his craft. Say what you like about Mayweather, but that guy lived, and still lives, in the gym and successfully implemented a variety of styles throughout his career, necessitated largely by his glass hands which forced him to be more careful in his shot selection and punch output in general. Most boxers even at world level fail to master one! In boxing terms, you can't really get a better role model. It's not like he has gone to him for relationship advice or tips for responsible spending. I think some of you are forgetting that there are intangibles that even a world class fighter can take away from having somebody like Mayweather around (if they're willing to listen), such as a greater sense of discipline for the work you need to put in to improve, the necessity to have a plan B, C etc. in case there's something in the first few rounds you didn't anticipate. He needs to have multiple game plans because you can be certain that Usyk has several and can make adjustments in fight with ease, which is the hallmark of a truly world class fighter. Best of luck to AJ and hopefully he can make some meaningful improvements. If he comes up short again, I'd still like to see him in with Fury and Wilder at some point, there would be no shame in a high level heavyweight career with few spells as a belt holder and a few losses here and there. Usyk is a heavy favourite at this point though, needless to say.
Floyd just stopped by to see him train while in Dubai…. They’ve become friends and Floyd’s over there to set up some future events and exhibitions.
