Do you think Anthony Joshua would be a top 10 heavyweight boxer if he competed in the 1970s?

Joshua has massive physical advantages over the Heavyweights of the 70's. If we try to just focus on his skill set, I think he makes top 10 .

 

Lol. Everyone knows that there's nothing coming from those headphones. He only wears them at every press conferences and weigh-ins because he is paid big money and contracted to advertise them during those occasions.

 

Imagine Prime Joe Frazier, or Prime George Foreman fighting Anthony Joshua. Possible match ups against the likes of Oscar Ringo Bonavena, and Jerry Quarry, or Ken Norton. Could Joshua's jaw survive against these greats? Or against a Jimmy Ellis.

 

Easily.

Maybe people should take a look at some of the guys who were top 10 heavyweights of the 70's before they drown in their nostalgia.

https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/The_Ring_Magazine's_Annual_Ratings:_Heavyweight--1970s

 

The fighters of the 1970's had pride and prestige, to prove themselves, unlike today, all talk and no action. Fighters in the 1970' were not whining about large purses, it was about showing skill, and satisfying the fans. Don King and his large purses helped to degrade the sport, that we know and love.

 

Joshua would destroy Frazier, Quarry, and Shavers, at the very least.

 

No but Foreman would win mid rounds. Ali would likely win a comfortable decision but the Frazier fight is 50/50, as would potentially Lyle and Quarry be. He stops Shavers (as long as he doesn't get caught) and destroys Norton. Norton never liked punchers and AJ's power is too much for him to deal with.

 

Lol no one with Joshua gas tank destroys Frazier. Especially if he boxes like he did in the Ruiz rematch.

 

imagine AJ on 70s era deca and dbol. he'd be a monster.

 

Of course

Who would beat him outside of Ali and maybe Foreman?

 

I do not know if Anthony Joshua's chin can withstand Prime Foreman, Frazier, or even Oscar Bonavena, if he cannot take Ruiz"s blows?

 

Joshua would probably be around 220 with the steroids they had back then. Any of the mass builders would have destroyed his stamina.

I think he'd do fine in the era provided he was handled right. He's still a large athletic man with a pretty good boxing brain, and that would take him far against some of the smaller men in the division. The problem as I see it would be that he would need to base himself out of the States and as a Brit in a division dominated by Americans he might feel a bit fish out of water with how much is stacked against him. Someone like Usyk would have thrived much better under those circumstances, I think.

 

Not with that glass chin

 

If you consider the 70's better than the 90's early 00's, then the answer is probably no. Joshua is a top 5 now, would be a top 10 two decades ago and top 15 in the 70's.