Anthony Joshua's boxing style - Simplicity & effective

So you're saying that if there's no threat of Joshua punching the other guy real hard, the other guy would instead punch Joshua real hard? Boxing fans take this whole "sweet science" thing way too far.

 

Hmmmm. To me, Peekaboo is all about adapting. It is sophisticated system that requires years of perfecting. Tyson did it better than anyone.

Anyone calling it "one dimensional" simply doesn't understand what that technique is about.

 

Tyson could somewhat adapt but he didn't stylistically change against Holyfield, Douglas, or Ruddock when they nullified his offense to an extent. He just kept coming at them and sometimes he eventually got to them, and sometimes it didn't work out. The style isn't necessarily one dimensional, never said it was, but Mike Tyson is. Lennox Lewis for example could box at range behind a jab and then get drawn into a brawl and he'd completely change up his tactics and become an infighter if he had to, or he could become a pressure fighter against opponents with a height advantage. Ali dances but if he gets pinned down on the ropes he could go toe to toe if he had to.

I might be too harsh calling him one dimensional. What i mean is Tyson has a crapton of tools in his arsenal, pivoting into an angle, throwing punches from different angles with his side to side head movement, switching stances, setting up counter shots that his opponents can't see by jabbing and/or slipping, deadly midrange combinations, etc. but if being his usual agressive counter puncher self isn't working for him then he isn't one to try and change up and counterpunch on the backfoot or jab and move around or get in the pocket to exchange. He struggles when he can't set his normal pace

 

Of course, but if you compare heavyweights to any other division, their styles are pretty basic and often times don’t have same the complexity or adaptability. That’s why I think CST’s argument is ridiculous. AJ has a complete offensive arsenal and proved that he can box/move behind his jab. He’s very skilled for a heavyweight but CST is just letting his estrogen take control. Be prepared to see all the negative comments he’s gonna post about AJ when he beats Usyk

 

I think AJ's a decent enough boxer, there are better pure boxers in the division like Fury and Usyk but outside of them I doubt many if any could out box him from range.

He has a good jab, one of the better ones in the division and in recent fights he's started using it more which he tended to be complacent about in earlier fights. He's a decent counter puncher, he just doesn't rely on only being quicker and rangier and getting off first and running away, he can also catch and counter and also mix it up, he's one of the better inside fighter inside fighters in the division, not the best as the first Ruiz fight proved, but definitely the best big super heavyweight when up close right now.

To me he's not the best at any one thing, Wilder hits harder, Fury is bigger and also is the better pure boxer, Ruiz better inside, Usyk the better mover, Joyce the better jab, etc. But he's very good all round.

His biggest weakness for me is his defence. Yes he has the high guard but it's literally the most basic defence going and one usually adopted by fighters with little to no head movement. It's why he's looked vulnerable at times and been hurt so many times in fights. He's still open to the left hook we saw that the first time vs Whyte then again most recently vs Ruiz Jr. He still drops the right hand when throwing it and that exposes him to being countered by the left hook. He's tried to overcome this lack of head movement by coming in lighter and moving more in recent fights but that won't work vs Fury and Usyk who are better out boxers. If he's forced to chase an opponent we could see his lack of head movement and that weakness to the left hook counter once again being revealed.

Overall I'd grade his boxing ability as a B+, good but not great. Luckily for him he's A- when it comes to natural physical ability and generally very consistent.

 

I don't know. I had watched some rep from Pulev vs A.J, Pulev ofc was 39 and for me looked that this old version had lost vs Okolie for sure if they had fought.

Ofc HW division is very stagnant, even gatekeepers are approx the same as in Klits era and ppl are talking how bad Klit era was.
Boxers are barely active etc, majority of these top 50 ranked HW boxers.

 

AJ is more complete than Wlad, and even Lewis I'd say. Of course he isn't as fluent as a much smaller fighter like Canelo, but he looks very good for a man his size.

 

Not likely because for him it took 9 rounds to finish 39 y.o Pulev. For Uncle 38 y.o Wlad it took 5 rounds vs 33 y.o undefeated Pulev who weighted more than Wlad and sorry, Pulev was and is not fat, he is stocky type body build.
Yeah, Wlad was not cocky, he paid for training to western coaches and had learned a lot, especially clinch game from western ppl.
Then he not rarerly had looked boring but he was not more chinny than Lewis or Mike Tyson nor also gun shy.
Ofc looks that he did not had chin even close to Vitali or Ali, still not that bad chin, approx the same like Tyson and Lewis and Holmes had.

The stuff called " complete " is usually misunderstood.
Foreman had been called crude and unskilled while he was Olympic Gold Medalist, even soviets did not had doubted that he is gold medalist, like the same with Ali, Patterson, Frazier, DLH.
Foreman had tools for Frazier and Norton: boxers who were absolute hell for Ali and actually Ali with different ref and judges might had ended with being 1-2 vs Frazier and 1-2 vs Norton.

Ofc, Wlad looked boring and crude when he was 38 and older.
Lewis had retired when he was 38, Ali was boxing corpse when he was 38.
Ring rusty 41 y.o Wlad had gave more problems to A.J than anyone else and A.J fans are praising this because A.J is huge specialist to stop 35 y.o and older opponents.
Parker and Ruiz appeared not enough old for A.J to stop them.

 

Do you understand the concept of being technically complete? Because nothing in your rambling suggest you do.

AJ may well never prove to be as good as Wlad, but he is more complete from a technical standpoint. Those aren't the same.

 

Just because he's more complete than prime Wlad doesn't mean he would beat him. And Joshua is not more complete than Lewis

 

You're not wrong but there's also no need to denigrate him for using the tools at his disposal.

 

That's not a counterpoint Mark, you just went off topic.

 

He's not unskilled, just not that greatly skilled either. He's got mediocre skills combined with good power.