Is AJ the one we've been looking for?

Every hype job gets exposed eventually.

 

I'm still not convinced Joshua is good. It's just that our truly good boxers are in a bad place.

Fury can't hack it mentally, Wlad is old and shot, Povetkin and Ortiz are becoming old.

Fury was really the chosen one for this generation. He would've clowned Joshua.

Such a shame.

 

None of this would have happened if Vitaly didnt ****ing retire.

 

Wladimir is old, injured and if they fight in April he would have been inactive 17 months.
He showed nothing against Fury, and was not exactly impressive against Jennings in April 2015.
The last time he looked good was 2014 against Pulev.

This fight will get big exposure but if AJ wins the same question marks about his abilities will probably remain.
If AJ loses, it will be a nice success for old Wlad but will prove how pathetic the state of boxing is.

 

Maybe he has all the prerequisites. Looks the part being the most physically intimidating heavyweight since Mike Tyson, Gold medal from the Olympics, media savvy with a relatively clean image for a boxer, big draw with an exciting style. If he can actually unify and become a dominant champion he may very well be the new face of boxing, at least outside of the US.

We know he can draw outside the US and doesn't need the US market to make multi-million dollar purses but the question is can he crack the US market? He has beaten a few US heavies already and his fights are aired by Showtime which is a good start. He has a target in Wilder that can be a big fight in the US to help break the market but we don't really know if he can be a PPV star in the US.

 

Do people want the "clean image" these days ?

 

Depends upon the market. In the UK I still think the clean image thing still sells well, Bruno, Hatton, Froch etc. All had clean images, even Hamed for all his boasting and arrogance had a clean image. Brits don't like villains we want to root for the hero or the underdog. But then look at Khan, the repeated driving offences, the anti-muslim sentiment in general combined with well published accounts of cheating on his wife and Khan despite his success, Olympic medal etc has never become the big star he could have in the UK. Fury as well, beating Wlad but is a clear villain in the eyes of the British public and is a poor draw because of it.

US might be a different case, they like the heel, the anti-hero, the villain.

 

Gents, I think that the UK really hit the jackpot this time. They have a young heavyweight warrior who is the total package. He has the size, the looks and the demeanor of a true gentleman but knocks busters out like it ain't nothing. He's the heavyweight 007 to the Brits. He is very likable and it will spread to the states/ He is half of the face of boxing. Wilder is the other half, he also has the size and looks and demeanor ( that appeals to Americans ) He's brash, confident and he knocks busters out. I am telling you gents. Joshua and Wilder is a mega PPV in the making. A lion and a Tiger coming from two different directions but heading to the same place. The hype will be intense.

 

Basically yeah it looks like he's going to be a pretty big star in boxing. This is boxing though, things can change quickly, anybody can lose, especially at HW.

 

Aj is far from a hype job. true, all "hype jobs" eventually get exposed, but Aj is the polar opposite of a hype job, he's the GGG of the HW's.

Fans that don't fully grasp what they're watching are the ONLY ones calling either of these 2 once in the history of the sport talents.

These 2 will NEVER be exposed and for either to be upset before their late 30's it'll take a special talent with luck and perfect timing.

 

Not sure I'd class a convicted drug dealer as having a "clean image".

 

Yeah, let's focus on what he did years ago and has left behind rather than what he has been for the past 5-6 years.

 

Hence why I said relatively clean image. Fact is he got caught with a bit of weed, more than you'd expect for personal use but not a large amount at all, lets not paint him as the British Pablo Escobar. You've got politicians and other very high profile people who have done things far worse than get caught with a bit of weed.

He's well spoken, respects his opponents, is generous with his time with fans, doesn't say anything controversial, you don't see him cheating on a GF or partying hard like an animal or at least you don't hear about that. He's pretty much squeaky clean. I'm sure it's all for show, he comes off a bit fake but most people will eat up this clean image he portrays.