I think the movement and footwork from current Joshua is much better, but his 2018 version was letting his combinations go and wasn't as gunshy as he is now. Who would win this match-up? Did Joshua decline in the past 3 years?
His movement and footwork are the same he just uses it more because he knows anyone with a pulse will chin him. The only heavy who has legit shown to be multi faceted in style is Tyson Fury, although now in his end years he will bias towards being an unmoveable juggernaut.
To be fair he got up after being decked by Vlad....it's not like Fury hasn't tasted canvas just saying...
That was almost 5 years ago (how time flies). He’s only 32 now but personally I think he’s declined since then
Anthony Joshua 2018 wins. I think AJ lost his self-confidence after losing to Andy Ruiz Jr. by KO. He had a perfect career and a situation under control until he knocked down Andy Ruiz Jr. and then something he least expected happened; Andy Ruiz Jr. knocked him out. The consequences of that defeat were also seen in the fight with Usyk. That defeat discouraged him even more and we probably won't see AJ from 2018 again.
Joshua’s much better now than he was in 2018, but he’s still inexperienced and became a champion too quick, so he’s still learning and developing as we speak.
I don’t think there’s much of a difference. He just made the mistake of trying to outbox Usyk. He just got schooled but people are acting like he got another Ruiz beat down
2017 AJ - ie: pre-Wlad - would knock out 2022 AJ. The latter version is more technically accomplished but after the Wlad fight he doubted his longevity if he kept having firefights. So he became more pragmatic and in doing so lost that imposing physical and phycological edge he held over opponents. That decline accelerated after losing to Ruiz - a fight which made him even more circumspect and further deviate away from his front-foot aggressive game plan which steamrollered the man in front of him. Subsequently he's lost the fear factor he transmitted to the opposite corner and become more fearful between his own ears. He's roughly three-quarters the way through his career, maybe far more. He's experienced and has learned as much as he's likely to. Yes, he could still smooth some rough edges - but he is what he is. And that's a more well-rounded boxer than he was but worse fighter than the one who stepped into the ring with Klitschko...
This is pretty much how I see it. It's not a physical decline it's a mental break that effects the physical because he no longer uses the physical advantages he has to the max. That doesn't just effect him it makes a difference to the opponent as there less concerned with him pressing forward. We saw this with the Pulev fight when he had him hurt but was reticent to finish and it took a few more round than it should to get it done.
He is the same fighter. Joshua was motherf*cker easy man, cakewalk easy. Y'all sitting up here, y'all praising this dude but it's nothing. I was almost 35 years old when I cooked this dude. Easy. -Oleksandr Usyk
He's the same fighter. Ever since he stepped up and fought Wladimir Klitschko and Carlos Takam people have been coming up with this "gun-shy" stuff. Look, AJ isn't stupid. He knows he can't blast everyone out like they are Gary ****ing Cornish. He was never that good. Even a guy like Carlos Takam is better than Charles "Here For a Payday" Martin, hence the different outcome. As soon as AJ stepped up to legitimate opposition, he couldn't just wade in and blast guys out. He lacks the skill to get it done, and has vulnerability, so he had a harder time but he still beat some decent fighters, even if some were bloody old. He's the same fighter. The only thing he can do different against Usyk, barring a KO punch of a lifetime, is to rough him up a bit. He can't outbox him and he can't blast him out. He'll probably get stopped if he tries either. He's only real hope is to make it untidy and rough and dirty and hope he can throw Usyk off his game.
