If Miller comes on above 300 lbs, it's over in two at most. We'll find out if he's there to win or just get paid at the weigh in.
Thank goodness you're not a trainer. Spare me the rationale. I know what you're saying, and it's dumb.
I favor Joshua to win this handily but for the sake of this thread 1) Head movement: I find Miller to have decent head movement and even some decent upper body movement. Takam bobbed and weaved a little and it gave Joshua some issues 2) His size: He is a big fighter who knows how to impose his size and wear down other fighters. Joshua's oh **** moment came when he got tired vs Klitschko and it took him a few rounds to refuel. Miller does not give his opponents much time to breathe or think. If he manages to go rounds and push Joshua maybe he will tire 3) Combinations: I find Miller to be a pretty fluid combination puncher. He puts his shots together well. Always a good thing 4) Style: I think he has a good style and sort fights like a lighter weight fighter despite his being a very big fighter. I think this can help him The Negatives 1) He can tire: He has a high work rate but it definitely slows and he loses snap on his punches down the stretch and gets to arm punching 2) Not a huge puncher: Joshua is a big puncher, in exchanges this might be the difference maker 3) Jab: I think Joshua has a much better jab and suppose it will be the difference maker 4) Experience: Joshua has way more title fights and has fought way better competition Wild Card: Home field advantage. The fight is on Miller's turf and Joshua is used to fighting at home. Not that Joshua is dependent on being home aka the way people talk about Sven Ottke but some times fighters do not travel well. This isnt the 90,000 people at Wembley all on his team I figure this goes rounds but Joshua wins
Look, don't buy into the promotional headliand and BS they say to sell this fight. Talent and skillwise they arent even playing the same sport, so based on those two fa tors they certainly shouldbt be facing each other in a championship fight. That said, you're only ever beaten, trapped, lost, helpless, etc., etc. If you actually believe you are. The power of the mind is far greater an asset in anything, from a championship fight or other athletic contest to war. If Miller truly believes and KNOWS to his core he can and will win, and knows hes going to have to walk through he'll to do so(and willing to do so) and if he can maintain the focus needed to do so......... Thats his ONLY shot he has in pulling this off, as improbable it is. But if he believes wholeheartedly in himself and wants it enough, and he throws caution to the wind, steps in that ring middle finger waiving in the air and goes straight at AJ like a man possessed, channeling all the fear inside him into defeating the far more skilled and talented boxer, he undoubtedly has a very live chance of shocking the world and launching a hellfire missile right onto AJ's chin and sleeping him.
Miller only beats Joshua if Joshua stands square in front of him. If he keeps a range and uses movement he can volley off straight right hands, hooks and jabs off Miller's head as soon as Miller comes foward.
I have a feeling miller can take a shot. And it is going to be tough for AJ to put a guy of that size down easily, meaning it’s unlikely to be a one punch KO. Joshua tends to gas slightly between rounds 6-9 and lower his pace. If I was miller I would pressurise the first 2 or 3 rounds. Then try to get to the mid rounds and throw everything I have at it.
Miller can't fight like Povetkin though. Povetkin is far quicker on his feet, darts in and out, disguises his shots so much better than Miller. He also has far better head movement to go with his quicker feet. Povetkin could get in, create angles to land and get out, Miller in contrast will just plod forward taking shots behind a high guard, he can't keep coming forward without shifting a ton of punishment from arguably the biggest puncher in the division as he's very easy to hit. Miller's gonna need an epic chin if he's to make him work rate count because the more he presses the more he's going to get hit hard. Nobody so far has been able to stand and trade with Joshua, Breazeale got battered, Takam decided not to even try and become a counter puncher/mover, Parker too chose to not engage in exchanges, Povetkin got KO'ed as soon as he traded and was dropped by a left hook, usually you don't hook with a hooker but Povetkin came off second best when they traded left hooks. Whyte's the only one who traded with Joshua and had any real success and he got battered for a round and a half for it before finding a left hook that only delayed the inevitable. I suspect Miller is gonna come out like he usually does, Joshua will box behind the jab looking to just take a look for a round or two, but Miller will pressure him too much and force Joshua to open up earlier and that's not a good thing. Miller will take a few hard shots and he will either start to back off which just makes Joshua go at him harder and breaks him down over a few rounds or Miller grits his teeth and keeps pressing only to get brutally KO'ed early. I suspect it will be the latter.
Think it could be the other way around if the bodybuilder Joshua can't stop the big blob from coming forward. I look at the Wach fight, to see how Miller dealt with a big strong foe. Didn't have no problems taking those shots against a strong puncher on the inside. This might be the first fight where Joshua has to be very defensive early on. Miller has got power, but prefers to ground his opponents down, he doesn't throw alot of power punches. Just hope Joshua survives the early onslaught, I don't want to see Deontay's million dollar payday ruined by big baby.
He was rocked slightly by Gerald Washington, to my recollection, and has been hurt by CroCop in the past. He's not impossible to hurt.
Just by getting the fight to begin with.... I’d consider it a win. But to answer your question he should go out on his shield.... maybe he catches AJ cold?
So, in other words, become a totally different boxer? Miller's options are limited here because he simply doesn't have the skills, physical abilities or mentality to fight in any other way to what he does. I agree that body shots might be a (slight) key to victory here, but in order to land them he'd need to walk through a firestorm of jabs, right hands, uppercuts and brutal left hooks, and if anyone's going to be the worse for wear after a couple of rounds it'll be him, not Joshua. Miller needs to hope that his chin can hold up to Joshua's onslaught, keep up the pressure and hope something gives. That's more or less his only realistic chance of winning here.
