AJ is not an Elite boxer we all knew this, that is why he is always stating he is learning. He hasn't been using his strengths in his last 4 fights he has been trying to be too technical and it has failed him miserably, he should be going in as a 6ft5 heavy hitter taking it to his opponent and bullying them with his size. Put it straight on them if he gets KOed by a counter oh well it happens move on but going in trying to outbox Usyk was a silly game plan.... A morbidly obese Ruiz survived 12 rounds of AJ 'boxing' and tbh i wasn't impressed by it. AJ need to start again with a new team he has so many nut huggers around him telling him he is an ATG boxer and he has to improve in that aspect when in reality he is 32 years old you cannot teach him how to box and he cannot learn how to box at this stage. AJ needs to become vicious and just go in for the kill from round 1 he is not elite and never was, guys like Fury and Usyk will always have AJ's number as they are elite boxers. I have always stuck by that against those guys AJ has a punchers chance but he didn't throw any punches with bad intentions this is where he need to improve he needs to get that killer instinct back as without it he is finished at the top of the sport and he just becomes another contender like Whyte Parker Ruiz ect. Last night AJ didnt seem to be trying to land any heavy shots and in the championship rounds just seemed to concede defeat, he didn't ever go looking for Usyk and didn't bite down on the gum sheild and empty the tank i personally dont think his heart is in the game anymore he seemed to just be going through the motions. I take nothing away from Usyk though he is a top class guy with elite skills and and great personality just what boxing needs at the moment.
You're never going to "bomb out" Usyk, regardless of your size. Add to that that AJ isn't built for endurance, no matter how much he works on it. He isn't genetically gifted for it and won't ever be, regardless of how much armchair fans think he needs lots of roadwork. AJ's size/strength will work on the guys outside of the top 3, maybe even Wilder. But the days of doing that are gone. That's unless he fights an Ortiz or Parker type guy (Mid range HW's).
I agree on some points there but my point is guy like AJ shouldn't be trying to box an elite boxer like Usyk, he should have stuck it on him and tried to 'bomb' him out if he gassed so be it. He still lost wide on my cards i think the judges we looking to give AJ the close rounds when in reality i struggled to give AJ 3 rounds. I just dont think he put it on the line in front of 70000 fans he seemed like he just accepted he was going to lose from round 2 i dont think he got a 'second wind' as i dont think he even used his wind in the first place. I think Usyk started fast and took a couple of rounds off in the middle so he didn't gas towards the end and the judges gave AJ those rounds because of that not because AJ really out landed and out scored Usyk in those rounds. I just feel very disappointed by AJ's performance but as stated above i take nothing away from Usyk it was a very good performance by him and he deserves everything that comes with it he is going to be very hard to beat and i see Fury swerving him for a while yet.
Usyk controlled the fight from round 1 he was more static round 2 but 3and 4 he was moving and doing all the upto round 8 I had Joshua with 2 close rounds to usyks 6. Aj then just looked terrified the last 4 rounds. He talks about wanting a rematch but tbh he doesn't look like a guy with any heart left.
Your first sentence - I knew it, others on here knew it but 95% of the public including the PPV Mugths had no idea.
I hear you, but he was knackered either way. Empties the tank but gets nowhere? Quick loss. Holds back? Gets schooled.
I tend to agree but very easy for a guy like Joshua to believe in his own hype and the hangers on around him.
Exactly, Joshua was ****ed either way. He's been built up to be this heavyweight monster that he clearly isn't and never will be. Tonight we saw the levels of both fighters.
He was so cocky and confident about Usyk too, promising all the mugs he’ll take care of him, not being realistic about his complete lack of skills and natural fitness. Not very clever is our Femi. He’s never had great boxing skill, and has always had worries with his stamina, or lack of.
I doubt we will see much more of AJ after this. He will probably take the rematch but if anyone is improving the second time around, it's Usyk and I reckon he stops AJ.
Joshua seems to have neglected his inside game since the first Ruiz loss. He was always a mid range fighter, neither relying on outside and inside fighting solely on it's own. That's why Lennox Lewis was so successful, he could change it up mid fight when he was losing. Like when he was losing on the outside to Vitali he went for the inside. Or when Mercer was beating him up on inside, he'd change it up, with jabbing him up on the outside. Maybe it's how his training camps go nowadays. But Joshua should incorporate all skill sets in the gym, rather abandoning them, when he fights a specific opponent. I noticed alot of things he did in previous fights were missing in this one. Can he only fight one way, when it's been drilled into his training regime?
I've criticised Joshua's skillset and the hype around him for years on here. Yet I can't help but defend him today. He genuinely boxed really well for 8 rounds. He won some and lost some. It was the right tactics imo and hope he could catch Usyk with a big shot. He very nearly managed to land big a couple of times and on another night they may have landed. I just feel that the criticism of Joshua detracts from what was an absolutely beautiful performance from Usyk. It was elite level in the end....but not in terms of athleticism but of boxing brain. Joshua could not sustain the mental side of the fight for more than 8 rounds. He was mentally drained by the constant footwork and movement from Usyk and started to get sloppy and unravel. Usyk makes his opponents drain their energy tanks with the most intelligent educated pressure I've ever seen from a heavyweight. He had Joshua unwittingly dancing to his tune for 8 rounds knowing that he could do it for the full 12.
Brilliant and accurate post. Any fighter who stands in front of Usyk is going to struggle with the movement and feints not only from his jab but his head, shoulders, hips and feet. He has his opponents focusing on so many aspects. Joshua acquitted himself competitively against an elite fighter and came up short against an unbeaten Olympic, unbeaten undisputed cruiserweight and now unbeaten unified heavyweight champion.
All we saw last night was confirmation that there are 2 possibly 3 elite HW's - Fury, Usyk and maybe Wilder with AJ, Whyte, Hunter just outside that and then a good selection of possible heir apparent's like Joe Joyce, Hrgovic, Yoka, Sanchez etc. AJ 's career has been 90% smoke and mirrors up to now some of us knew it others suspected it but now we know it was. Clever, well timed matchmaking and a 24/7 news channel banging out unchallenged propaganda and hype but it's all clear as day now and IMO there's not much AJ can do he's just a level below the elite and always will be this isn't like avenging a loss to a 280lbs 5'11 Oliver Hardy lookalike, it's beyond him both talent wise and mentality wise.
