Debunking the narrative that Prenga is a "serious heavyweight"

Prenga is an exceptional puncher and this is confirmed by the knockouts in the early rounds, regardless of the fact that they were not knockouts in the first rounds, he knocked Joshua down with the first upercut.

 

Because he is all around shite bar very few aspects.

 

Reminds me of that one time Big Josh propaganda machine made Tubby Andy into a huge puncher. As it usually happens, the reality is much more dull - his chin was always questionable, and now whatever durability he did have is completely gone. Also it's now clear why AJ's team never pushed for Dubious rematch - he'd get brutally chin checked again.

 

Damn, this must be one of the most underground narratives of all time if even forum dwelling scum like me hasn't heard of it.

 

No one was saying that. If anyone did, was maybe a couple with redbeard will twist into "All fans said that" type garbage.

 

But what exactly are you trying to prove? That Prenga isn't a top fighter? Well, he isn't, and no one thinks so...
That doesn't change the fact that you don't have to be a top fighter in boxing to cause such a surprise and problems for a fighter who is theoretically two levels higher.
It's been done before. These things happen.

What actually happened? After a long break and some setbacks, Joshua went out for a "warm-up" fight for his mega-fight with Fury.
He went out and foolishly allowed himself to be caught off guard, which caused panic and some problems.
He endured it, took a break, and after the break, came out to fight his own fight – he knocked the guy out with a powerful knockout in the second round.

These things happen. Yes, they're a warning (especially since Joshua's entry into the fight is terrible for the second time in a row and he's easily caught by powerful punches he shouldn't have taken at this stage), but there's no point in immediately assuming that someone like that couldn't have gotten himself into this situation because he's weak...
I bet Prenga would have outplayed his last opponent, Mariusz Wach, quite decisively.
So Joshua chose an even more dangerous opponent, even though he was in a much worse situation.
There's no point in getting worked up about it or getting too picky. Fans and professionals are like pendulums. Especially in boxing. One minor event and they're already ending someone's career, claiming, like Froch, that they shouldn't even be near the ring...
And I'll put it this way:
Boxing isn't a video game where character statistics define 100% of what's likely to happen. They're people.
Is Joshua completely incapable of taking? Should he finish?
They probably wouldn't have such high hopes for a fight with Fury if every punch was so devastating... These things happen in sparring.
Some people thought Ngannou was already unbeatable.
It seems to me, judging by the Dubois fight, that Joshua was incredibly far from being "knocked out" in the Prenga fight. Judging by how long a fighter like Daniel was finishing him off, the brave guy still had a lot of work ahead of him, and not an easy one at that.

And Prenga? We'll see where this guy's peak is. He's not a top-tier boxer, and no one claims that, but it could turn out that his potential is quite solid. Just consider the example of Wallin, who rubbed shoulders with the top contenders and achieved some success thanks to his reputation for good performance in the ring against someone much better.

 

I'll be honest, never even heard of the guy until the fight was on my TV...............

 

I think the core of this disagreement is I am more inclusive with terms like "serious" "elite" etc. For the most part guys with nice records haven't fought each other. Young and old. So we've got like 50 guys who "could be" top 10(an ABC's rankings not the real top 10) or top 20 and we just don't know. Prenga's in that discussion as much as anyone. I consider that to be a "serious HW". Prenga's 10-7 against AJ is more "proof" of being elite then a lot of fancy records have right now.

Prenga's not a top 5 guy he lost to AJ so fast. But why exactly is Hysa serious and Prenga isn't unless you're fixated with the 0? Because Prenga lost a 8 round decision 10 years ago to someone he beat easily the other time? If Prenga had finished the job with AJ everyone would be singing his praises.

Also how on gods green earth do Ngannou and Rico get to be considered serious off one fight they officially lost but Prenga's 20-2 resume is garbage? Ngannou knocked Fury down twice, one was called off but that's why Ngannou's serious. Prenga knocked AJ down twice.

Now you're going to say "AJ's chin is bad, Fury's isn't. AJ's chin is worse than Fury's but Fury's chin is made of a paper for a guy his size. He's no Valuev. When he faces someone with unusual power he usually goes down same as AJ.