Entourage. A champions downfall?

Part of the problem was that AJ had slimmed down for 12 rounds so he only had 18 lbs on Usyk; this wasn't a Fury-Cunningham situation with an absurd size disparity. AJ never threw a combination and McCracken never instructed him to, such was the fear of gassing. AJ could have rushed in and let his hands go as Chisora did but Chisora slowed down considerably after 2 rounds and AJ would have been no different. In hindsight we can say that AJ/AJ's team made the wrong choice but they couldn't see the scorecards. Maybe they'll send AJ in hell for leather next time and he'll gas out and get chinned but that was clearly the nightmare scenario they were trying to avoid the first time around.

 

Yeah, this was one of the few fights where Joshua's weight loss was completely the wrong strategy. But still, 18lbs is better than nothing. Usyk's not used to fighting 240lb guys. If he had 240lb Joshua leaning on him for 12 rounds, eventually he would have tired. This was Klitschko's strategy for many years and he used it to peak effect against Povetkin and, more importantly, David Haye who used to be a cruiser just like Usyk.

Yes but they could see the fight and, like you said, could probably have guessed what any result resembling reality would have been

 

It didn't hurt Mayweather or Pacquiao.....

Ultimately you have the desire, skills and commitment or you don't......

For instance, poverty is a great motivator. Joshua has never tasted it in Watford. Nor the street life, despite selling small packets of weed on his bicycle to his school mates

 

We'll find out in the rematch if AJ goes for it but AJ isn't Wlad and Usyk isn't Povetkin or Haye. The levels are very different and Usyk (who we know gave Wlad massive problems in sparring) is stylistically very different.

Chisora was 255 lbs and an inside fighting veteran with a hard chin and he was gassing after 2 rounds against HW green Usyk. Chasing Usyk around the ring and walking onto counters is going to get AJ fatigued and hurt, which is why it wasn't the gameplan and was never even considered in the fight.

Many who are clued in to boxing were worried even after 12 rounds that they were going to rob Usyk. Hardly anyone would have been certain that Usyk would win. There was a horrific robbery on the undercard, a near-total inversion of reality. They could have very easily given AJ a draw like Castano, saying that "many of the rounds were close/hard to score", "Usyk didn't rip the title from the champion" etc.

 

Ali had Drew Bundini Brown to constantly tell him how good he was. Probably not a really good idea depending on the fighter