IF AJ beat Rico...

By your metric if AJ isn't a power puncher, then who is?

You're also deliberately discounting the fact that Usyks style when he faced AJ was primarily to outbox rather than hurt his opponents, which he only really started doing against Dubios.

But if that's the hill you want to die on that's your prerogative.

 

Joshua is a power puncher, but joshua isn't the hardest puncher in the division like people make him out to be. You say Dubois took joshuas shots but he got floored by Wardley. Lerena, Joyce, that doesn't automatically mean they hit harder than aj. Lerena himself has power but he isn't really a KO puncher and his KO ratio is like 50% but he had Dubois down 3 times.

Styles make fights. Dubois already bashed up Joshua in sparring. And Usyk landed numerous full power shots in both fights walking joshua on to counters just like he did to Dubois.

Why are you ignoring that Dubois quit against Usyk. Usyk does not hit as hard as someone like Fabio Wardley, he's just levels above Wardley in the skill department and has the superior delivery system

 

Dubios quit against Usyk twice. I'm very vocal about that, but he still dropped Dubios where AJ and Hrgovic failed. That indicates that Usyk has the power when he wants to use it. Against AJ, Usyk didn't really seem concerned with stopping him and was much lighter on his feet.

And yes, styles make fights, but we also have to disband this notion that Usyk is a light puncher because it evidently isn't true. He hits pretty damn hard, and seeing Fury 2 confirmed that when Fury adopted a high guard because he couldn't take the punishment/was scared of a Usyk/Fury 1 repeat.

 

Or it indicates that Usyk had Dubois figured out and that Dubois struggles with southpaw angles as shown against 48% KO ratio Kevin Lerena, by this logic Lerena hits as hard or harder than both Fabio Wardley and Anthony Joshua but he clearly doesn't, He couldn't even hurt Okolie or put a dent in Ryad Merhy. Usyk has power yes, he cannot be classified as featherfisted, but he isn't really classified power puncher especially given how many times he hit joshua flush. He was 34 and a solid 220+, his power has not increased significantly since then, and you're wrong. Usyk was not holding his punches back, he walked joshua onto numerous flush power shots in that rematch.

Not a power puncher ≠ light puncher. He has power/pop, but he ain't a true power puncher like Moses Itauma or even Dillian Whyte despite being levels above them and i doubt he even hits as hard as Kabayel. Ali is not a power puncher neither is Holyfield or Holmes but they clearly had power to hurt bigger guys so they aren't light punchers at all.

 

Plenty of guys without belts have better resumes than Wilder though. Especially prior to the four belt era. Jerry Quarry has better wins relative to his era than Wilder despite never holding a belt.

Quarry has wins over Shavers, Lyle, Mac Foster, Middleton, Patterson. I don't think Wilder has anything to match that

 

Dillian Whyte couldn't KO Jermaine Franklin, an opponent you used to diminish AJs power, and apart from an ancient Povetkin, a last minute Chisora KO (who "featherfisted" Fury stopped 3 times in quicker fashion) who else has Dillian Whyte really KO'd?

Again, you don't seem to recognize that Usyk was not sitting down on his punches against AJ because he needed to be light enough on his feet to constantly move around. I'm not claiming Usyk is the next George Foreman in terms of power, but he can clearly pop well above average.

 

Nice try comparing being kncoked out cold and brutally to being stopped via accumulation.

This is irrelevant because I never said aj wasn't a power puncher. I just said you're overrating his power especially if you think joshua not dropping Dubois means anyone who can drop Dubois is considered a puncher by your logic. Lerena did it 3 times he isn't a big puncher. I already Usyk has power, but calling him a power puncher is like calling Holyfield or Ali power punchers because they have stopped or dropped durable guys before. I don't consider these guys true power punchers, they certainly have pop and can't be featherfisted. Saying that Usyk isn't a power puncher is not saying that Usyk doesn't hit hard

Usyk was not sitting down on any of his shots lmao what kind of nonesense it this. Usyk was moving against Dubois is the second fight too, and just like he sat down on his counters there, he sat down on many of his shots against aj, even in the first fight he sat on quite a few shots with that left hand

Also how hard do you think the average heavyweight hits ? Many heavyweights could have the power of aj but just have a much worse delivery system. Cunningham dropped Fury and wobbled him 2 times, does this mean Cunningham hits as hard as Usyk ???

 

I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at here, as your argument seems all over the place. My main point is that Usyk clearly hits harder now than he did when he faced off against AJ.

 

You think he hits harder because he knocked Dubois out while joshua couldn't but Dubois quit and Usyk already knocked him out 3 years prior he had him figured out. And Dubois was always a bad match up for joshua he knocked him out in sparring already. There isn't a significant difference in his power then compared to now is my point. I never called Usyk featherfisted and said he had power, but calling him a power puncher compared to the rest of the heavyweights is a bit of a stretch. I don't know of any examples of fighters becoming power punchers past age 365

 

I never called him a "power puncher" in the sense that you're inferring, I simply said he hits harder now because he appears to be working on it.

And if sparring held relevance in who would beat who in a professional fight Martin Bakole would be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world lol.

 

But we saw what happened, dubois destroyed him it wasn't remotely competitive. Bad match up by phyical evidence. I don't think he hits harder compared to 2022 and 2023, Lerena dropped Dubois 3 times, and his KO ratio is 48%, Usyk is just levels above Dubois and had him figured out. If he were to stop Kabayel or something I'd believe you.

 

Personally, I think AJ beats Dubios in a rematch. It's just a case of who lands first.

I also think Usyk can stop Kabayel as well, so hopefully that fight is next because it'll be a barn burner.

 

Nah man, Dubois smokes him every time, joshuas had him hurt and then choked a second time

 

AJ got hurt early by being stupid. I'm sure he can make the right adjustments, but that's neither here nor there.

 

Joshua stops Rico in round 5 and the ref isn’t needed!