Classic Forum Chat: Size isn't the only factor.

That fight has completely changed the narrative, on how a big man should fight a smaller man!

We have gone from "it's almost impossible for a small heavyweight to outpoint a superheavyweight", to "why didn't he take the fight to him?"

 

Later on, I agree. But in the opening rounds I think he could've done it. Like Fury says, you've just got to have the "balls" to do it. And when Usyk punched him hard right in the nose in the opening round, you could almost see Joshua back off. (Whatever is going on with him psychologically is a whole other thing.)

I was just pointing out in mythical matchups, we all tend to assume guys will fight the way they should fight and attack the way they should.

Most mythical matchups don't start with "he'll fight differently then he ever has before" and end with "and he'll regret having given up all the advantages he had."

But, in real life, they don't always do what they are supposed to do.

Like if we had Hagler in a mythical matchup, most of us wouldn't assume he'd begin a fight boxing orthodox until he's a couple rounds down. Yet, he did that against Leonard.

That's why you never know what "brain fart" some of these guys are going to experience until they actually fight the fights.

That upset Saturday was great fun.

 

This would be good analysis if Usyk wasn't the GOAT cruiser.

Why didn't AJ steamroll Usyk if it was such a great plan? Because his team lacked CONFIDENCE in AJ's ability to pull it off!

AJ isn't 255 lbs like Chisora, doesn't have a good chin, footspeed, engine, confidence, heart or inside fighting skills. He took 7 rounds to KO Breazeale; the slow as molasses punching-bag who Wilder KO'd in 1. He couldn't KO 37 year old, 12 days notice Takam legitimately over 10 rounds at 254 lbs! Prime Takam had previously been KO'd (as in totally iced) by a prime Povetkin in 10. He couldn't put a dent in Parker, whereas Whyte dropped him and Chisora dropped him in the first 10 seconds. At 40 years old, 18 months inactive and coming off a defeat, Arreola hurt Ruiz more in one fight than AJ did over 2. He took all but 9 rounds to stop a way past it inactive Pulev, when 38.5 year old Wlad iced the prime version in half the time without even throwing many punches. A 41 year old, 17 months inactive, defeated Klitschko took him to the end of the 11th when he was prematurely stopped (after taking AJ's uppercut flush: the most overrated punch in boxing). Usyk has proven durability (Briedis, Gassiev, Chisora, AJ) and AJ is clearly not the puncher that the spin doctors and fanboys claimed he was.

AJ is also not an effective inside fighter. If he's aggressive and goes for Usyk early he will start to gas very quickly chasing the faster man, walk on to tons of flush counters to his shaky mandible and either go into survival mode or get seriously hurt and dropped. AJ will become demoralised and quit a few rounds later.

The analysis that AJ was having huge success in the mid rounds is bogus Matchroom spin, he was doing a little better but Usyk was never in trouble and worked him out quickly. AJ didn't have the stamina to keep up with Usyk for sustained periods. Every time a fighter was rocked or wobbled in the fight it was AJ. Usyk is actually the puncher between them relative to the strength of their chins and this will be in more true in the rematch as AJ's confidence is in the toilet and the pressure is even greater.

If you are picking AJ to win the rematch by anything other than potential robbery then you do not understand boxing. This is not the first time he has been exposed and the first time he was exposed was by a pudding, not an elite fighter like Usyk who absolutely has his number.

 

Why wouldn’t the argument be the same for all fighters? Or is it just ok to criticize that small guy? For some odd reason other fighters don’t get this argument.

 

So was Chisora.

Why are you #1: comparing how Usyk did against Hunter to how he did vs Joshua, when I never made that comparison, I made compared Hunter to Chisora. And more specifically, why are you comparing how Joshua did in the mid rounds to how Hunter did?

What are you hoping to accomplish?

Furthermore, what I'm saying is almost exactly the same as what you're saying. Just the opposite. Just because Usyk never got the chance to show he could fight someone the size of Joshua a few years ago, doesn't mean he couldn't. Especially when he was doing it for years in the amateurs. If he could do it in 2011, and can do it in 2021, I think it's perfectly reasonable to say he could it in 2016.

I never once said this. I used those two specific fights as examples.

Well he's being doing it absolutely fine since his first twelve rounder, so whether he taught himself quickly or could do it naturally, is completely irrelevant to me.

He can do it, and has been able to as long as he's had to.

 

Never once said that. I said he could do it in the middle of his title reign.

That is absolutely NOT the same as saying he could do it when he was 1-0.

Please stop putting words in my mouth.

 

Perhaps now people will believe me that a primed, flat-stomached John L. would outbox all today...while slightly tipsy.

 

I'm certainly not criticizing that small guy,but isn't that who most of the size argument centres around ? Perhaps I've got it wrong? I don't see a 6feet 3in 221lbs man as a small guy.Small guys would be 6 feet tops and under 200lbs for me.

 

YOU'RE BACK!

EDIT: Also, yes, there is now universal agreement on the point you mentioned.

 

I'm talking solely about Walcott whose best performances were under 195lbs . You said over 195lbs

 

Yes, Joshua is no Chisora. Chisora is an unranked journeyman with nearly a dozen losses.

Chisora lost to Whyte. Joshua knocked Whyte out. Chisora lost to Pulev, Joshua knocked Pulev out. Joshua beat Parker, Chisora lost to him.

Far be it from me to defend Joshua, but don't be an idiot.

It was a brilliant performance by Usyk and he closed the show. But it was a close fight until round 12, a round in which I though Usyk nearly had him out.

Joshua opened a 10-stitch cut over Usyk's eye. Nearly every round was close. Joshua doing well in the middle rounds wasn't "Matchroom spin." I watched the fight live. That's when Joshua was winning rounds and Usyk was finally feeling his power.

After 12 rounds, Usyk ended up landing about 25 more punches (an average of TWO more a round.) But Usyk's face showed the effects of Joshua's power.

It was a clear win for Usyk. I thoroughly enjoyed the fight.

But I don't expect Usyk to fight more than one more time. He's already said he's going to take nearly a year off and come back when he's almost 36.

He's at the end of his career. We're not looking at a long reign here.

Fury could bowl Usyk over. So could Wilder. Frankly, if Joshua gets his head right, so could he. He does have the power. But Joshua clearly isn't a "hard guy" like Fury and Wilder. They have no dog in them. Joshua does in spades.

But Joshua, for all the armchair psychology going on, CLEARLY fought the wrong fight. No one can say that was a "good" strategy. Even still, he was in it the whole way and was only outlanded by a couple shots a round.

If he came out fast and tried to overwhelm Usyk, like most thought he would this time, he'd certainly find more success than trying to "outbox" Usyk.

That was a terrible idea. There has been near universal agreement on that.

https://dailypost.ng/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Usyk.jpg

 

We also shouldn't overlook him beating the 255 pound Chisora at a weight of 217. That's some serious poundage difference right there.

 

Very true but Chisora is a gatekeeper. Ali also beat 6'3, 255lb Buster Mathis so it's not like it's never happened.