When fans wanted Joshua and Fury to fight they were widely regarded as the best heavyweights of the era. That obviously wasn't the case and it's unclear if Joshua was even better than Dubois. So that removes a lot of the appeal that the fight once held. It's not a 1 vs 2 matchup it's a 2-5 vs 3-9 matchup or thereabouts
Apart from Riddick Bowe-Gonzalez, AJ -Dubois was the most brutal (prolonged) beatdown I've seen in HW Boxing. AJ's better off chasing paydays than risking that destructive humiliation again.
And Fury quite obviously has more to lose than Joshua does. Fury only lost to Usyk. Joshua already lost to Ruiz and Dubois. Joshua's reputation is heavily damaged already.
Why are AJ fanboys so obsessed with him? I've never claimed that I am purely objective when it comes to AJ. I'm not obligated to like him and consider him a pos, but unlike a Wilder or a Chisora it is more hidden by media.
I meant the constant need to steer all discussions towards AJ. Like this fight had nothing to do with him but some people on here are talking exclusively about how it makes AJ look. Bit odd, no?
The fight has something to do with AJ, in a similar way to how Joshua-Ngannou or Joshua-Wallin had something to do with Fury. Boxing fans make such comparisons all of the time.
Fury gains little from beating Joshuas whose reputation is shattered. What does he stand to gain besides money which he could make fighting other guys? Joshua doesn't hold a belt either
Oh you mean like he has previously? Get real Poor opposition? But isn't AJ poor opposition? With how you described him
You are right. Fury-Dubois for instance would be more prestigious right now, and in terms of bragging rights there is less to lose, plus Fury can continue to troll Joshua if he rejects him. But Fury-Joshua is the biggest money fight still, that is always the wildcard.
8-4 is exceptionally generous to Joshua. What combinations did Joshua land on Usyk? Dubois doesn't have a strong chin, neither does Joshua. Dubois may go down slightly easier, but recovers far better. It doesn't really matter. Joshua lasted the distance because he fought a closed off, gunshy style that left almost no chance of actually winning. This, to me, is a means of mentally quitting before the fight is over or in any way hopeless. He didn't want the sprawled out, break dancing moment that would eventually come in the Dubois fight, so he didn't take the chances necessary to win. Simple. Dubois took the chances necessary to win, and came up short. Losing is losing. He was able to make the fights a bit more frantic, a bit more messy, and give himself at least a roll of the dice. This is admirable, and this is what we want to see in a fighter. Having the delusion you can box with Usyk is not just stupidity, it's cowardice in knowing that the gritty, hard road is the only one that can lead to a win. I also don't buy the "Joshua got hit with a right hand and therefore forgot how to box" line against Dubois. Did Dubois forget how to box after getting knocked down with big overhand rights against Wardley? Maybe Joshua just isn't what folks want him to be.