Anthony Joshua replaces primeLennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko against Ray Mercer and Samuel Peter

Can’t imagine what that version of Mercer would do to AJ’s confidence. Not only could AJ not hurt him, but he’d be capable of outboxing AJ.

 

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lets not get too wound up. mercer was a great pressure fighter with an excellent jab...he also had workrate problem. he couldnt mix up his plan of attack. holmes nailed it. his whole ethics was to cannon his jab and back you up...well im gonna sit in the corner and paw with my jab and land over the top. guy resets and can't take advantage.

 

Mercer can be up and down in performances but for this specific question you are choosing maybe the absolute best version of Mercer that took Lewis to the limit? I wouldn't hesitate picking that Mercer over Joshua. Normal never know what your gonna get Mercer, I wouldn't flat out pick him though he may win.

 

Who knows. We know AJ's weaknesses at this point but the same goes for Mercer and Peter.

 

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also on a nostalgia. you remember the hype about Peters chin being godlike. being able to shrug off some of the hardest puncher in the division.

then he came up against mccline.

 

i think joshua could have obliterated peter. maybe roughed up but maybe would have blasted him out mid rounds.


against mercer...he is much bigger than some of the guys he faced. and could deploy a jab and run if required. mercer is a hard hitter but i think his pressure works when you try to match him. if you jab with him then slip out he was pretty inflexible. this would be a very unatural blueprint for joshua but there is enough there for him to take the win.

 

Joshua vs Mercer is interesting because Mercer was so inconsistent

Joshua would probably beat Sam Peter

Joshua should be favored in both

 

The prime and absolutely ready version of joshua that beat Ruiz jr and the one that Usyk whooped… outboxes both. Wouldn’t KO either, but he’d outbox them.

 

Joshua wouldn't beat ****, he would fold under pressure and possibly be stopped...

 

So we have to remember that AJ in his prime was like Price in his early days, very aggressive and wasn't worried about what was coming back. So the bombs were flying. I think AJ could TKO Peter and Mercer. AJ was a bit better than Lewis. It's only when fighters can take his shots or nail him first that he will fold. If that doesn't happen he can run through a lot of these characters. So it's possible these opponents do withstand some punishment and push him and in that case obviously if Ruiz can turn the fight so could they.
But let's also remember that Helenius one-punched Peter. It's not like AJ couldn't KO him.