AJ showed signs of age-related decline

Dubois KO'd Joshua in sparring when he was 18 years old. Joshua has never been the best at adapting when someone is getting the better of him.

He's a very basic boxer who's a talented athlete big at the weight and on copius amounts of PEDs. I wouldn't be surprised if it comes out in the wash now that his stock has plummeted.

 

A retirement isn't a duck unless the boxer "un-retires" when that same opponent is out of the way and lines up an easier fight.
Retirement from boxing is a human right.

 

Mike Tyson showed age related decline losing to Kevin McBride

Larry Holmes showed age related decline fighting Holyfield (but still winning a decent number of rounds)

Joe Louis showed age related decline getting KOd by Marciano.

AJ just showed signs of getting his ass kicked.

 

Nostalgia aside Joshua suffers greatly from not having wins over most of his contemporaries
didn't beat Fury
Wilder
Dubois
Zhang
Bakole
Kabayel
Hunter
Hrgovic
Chisora
Joyce
among others.
Given his failure to prove himself in his own era its not surprising people take offense to comparisons with Lewis. We don't even know how Joshua ranks in his own era. Hrgovic and Miller both did better against Dubois than Joshua. Maybe they were better than him all along.

 

"You will never convince Markus that Lewis is not as good as he thinks"

Seriously what spastic logic is that?
Head to head I have lewis as 1, or 2 at worst with Ali

Everything else, resume, longevity, opposition etc, he is still imo top 3, or 5 at worst. Comparing Aj to Lewis is like comparing an out of date lump of rump meat to a prime in date rib eye

Usyk is behind Lewis never mind the bodybuilding bum

 

Lewis had a very respectable chin - he was levelled by big shots.

That he allowed himself to get caught by those shots in the first place was his primary flaw - but an easily corrected flaw - he did reverse those 2 losses - and spectacularly so in the case of the Rahman fight.

 

It's a bit weird cos he was being touted as at the peak of his career and the saviour of the division until Dubois chinned him. I personally would go with Dubois being the better man on the night.

 

AJ has deteriorated.

However, the main takeaway from the Dubois fight was his already known rep for unravelling after taking a big shot - somewhat similar to Ken Norton who came some years before him.

Though possessing some obvious physical gifts (size, speed and power) AJ’s boxing IQ has never been outstanding either.

As has been said many times before, AJ is somewhat robotic, boxing fairly but strictly by the numbers.

Usyk has lost a step or two also but he can still fall back on his uniformly upheld boxing IQ - and tap it even more so as his body progressively can’t quite do what it used to do in purely physical terms.

It’s not true that every boxer has a plan until they get it. There are many who know how to take a hit, remain cool and ride out the storm.

However, it seems AJ is a perfect example of a guy who, once he gets clocked good, loses his **** and forgets whatever plans he might’ve had before first bell.

It also may be bit exaggerated as to current HWs in general enjoying greater longevity than their counterparts from previous eras - at least as far them defying deteriorations that a purely age related.

There are a few HWs whose punch resistance appears to be deserting them at around the same age as the previous eras HWs -

 

AJ seems to dependent on advice and when something is going wrong in the ring he doesn't take his own initiative. At this point in his career, I can't believe how sloppy he was with his defence and his jab had nothing behind it. He still hasn't learnt how to hold properly and when he tried Dubois just out muscled him.

 

Or was it a case of AJ coming up against a stylistic nightmare? He still had a plan which almost worked right up until the fifth round, seconds before he was stopped. Dubois put on a masterclass, let's not take that away from him.

 

Dubois did put on a masterclass but what was Joshua's plan?

 

To do what he always does. This works against big slow opponents, it just does not work against fresh, live opponents who come to win.

 

He didn't do what he always does. That was evident from the first bell. Even before Dubois landed his first bomb. It was a different approach by Joshua and it failed miserably.

 

Well, maybe. Or maybe it was only evident that he was doing something different since he started getting clipped by somebody who wasn't putting up with his nonsense.

 

Joshua came out with his chin up and his left hand low. Lennox Lewis saw it straight away and made the point to Steve Bunce before a punch had been landed. When Joshua started jabbing he was returning his left hand to his chest not his chin. Dubois noticed these things straight away and inevitably threw a big over right, very first opportunity and it detonated on Joshua's skull.

Joshua continued with the left hand low, chin exposed approach and it was just target practice there on for Dubois. Even Dubois' jabs were rocking Joshua.