Is AJ the one we've been looking for?

Maybe he's the best HW out there atm, but to call him HW's Neo is a stretch.

We have to wait how he deals with the huge step up when he fights Wlad, and deals with strict drug testing, because nobody can deny he looks anything but natural.

And even then... if he easily beats Wlad and VADA testing, then we still don't know how much Wlad has declined and if he can actually beat the new batch too.

 

Wlad and AJ will both beat the drugs tests.
That doesn't make them drug-free.
They just have a lot of money behind them.

 

I'd say the fact that we know he wasn't always perfect, did the odd dumb thing when he was young but matured actually makes him more relatable for a lot of people.

 

AJ is boring outside the ring. But he's violent inside it, he knocks people out. And he's got muscles.
That's probably enough for most people.

The average fan knows nothing about the art of boxing and doesn't really care about the level of opposition, as long as fights go past 5 or 6 rounds sometimes they will be happy. Too many 1st round KOs leave them feeling cheated.

 

Well when you are talking about image I'd say it's pretty relevant when he has a conviction for dealing drugs. I'm not focusing on it I'm just saying I don't believe someone who is a convicted drug dealer has a particularly clean image. Particularly when guys like Khan and Fury are deemed as not because they have road traffic convictions or said something deemed homophobic.

 

He's good for boxing, HW division needs a big star that is actually going to fight often and against quality opposition now that Klitschko is on his way out. Wilder and Fury had their chance to try and become the face of the HW division and they didn't do it.