Can You Imagine The Beating Holyfield, Moving Up Gives Joshua!?

You're exagerrating a lot.
Holyfield most likely wins on points, not by a KO.

 

Holyfield would take over at some point culminating in a stoppage IMO. Joshua would have to work pretty hard and i think he'd get worn down.

 

AJ not KOing Smith
Smith = very durable
AJ can beat Smith on points but if he tries for KO he will probable get KO'd himself

 

Exaggerating?
So you reckon the Holyfield that put it on Bowe, Joshua could have got through to the final bell.

 

You know what, on reflection you’re probably correct…he was pretty hard to stop in his prime days. I forgot that the bulk of his stoppage defeats were when he was over 40.
The dangerous Ruddock and a past prime Holmes stopped him however, so it would be possible, if not so likely for a hard puncher like AJ to do it.
But I make you right…i can see AJ boxing clever like he did against Ruiz in the second fight tbh. Toe to toe with a prime Smith could be a very risky venture.

 

The man was an animal, I remember the right uppercut lead followed by the left hook he landed on Bowe it was beautiful to watch, Joshua would have gone over from that alone.

 

Much of my take on this fight, is based on an underlying opinion I hold that Joshua doesn't deal with pressure and pace too well.

 

Absolutely fella, and do you know what thinking about it, i reckon the Bert Cooper that put up such a great fight against Holyfield would kick AJs arse.

 

As others have suggested, the problem wasn't that Holy lacked boxing skill (he was very, very skillful) but rather the discipline to keep it a boxing match instead of a brawl. Usyk is more disciplined in that sense, I'd say.

 

Assuming we're talking about AJ at his best v. Holy at his best, the only way I can pick AJ is to imagine an AJ I don't remember (my memory sucks) ever seeing.

That is, AJ's weight *could* be a tremendous advantage, but I don't remember (my memory sucks) him using it that way, like, say, the way Fury used his weight on Wilder in their last fight. I seem to remember that Fury made a similar point after Usyk, something to the effect that AJ doesn't fight "like a big man."

And: I don't remember (my memory sucks) ever seeing AJ having to deal with the ridiculous amount of pressure that Holyfield at his best would put on him all night. Usyk put a very different kind of pressure on him, one which did not lend itself to Joshua's strengths (e.g., his power), but it seemed to me to cause AJ to lose focus. I suspect that having Holyfield's forehead in his face all night may have a similar effect.

 

Holyfield never put it on Bowe, Bowe was better.
The second fight was very close and Holyfield was lucky with the circumstances (fan man).
Now, I see Holyfield as more skilled than Joshua, but not strong enough to KO him.