Is Anthony Joshua a robotic fighter?

Good post.

What Joshua does, he does well. His power is off the charts.

 

He seems robotic in the sense he doesn't appear to have a high ring IQ and isn't a 'natural' talent.

 

He's a good combo puncher but he's slow getting off single punches

 

This is a great post.

I'd also add that he seems to be a guy who's quite fluid from the waist up but stuck in mud from the waist down. Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but his footwork is still very plodding compared to the overall sophistication of his other skills. It's not a huge problem yet, though it often makes him whiff counter shots because he's not in a position to land them after successfully parrying or slipping the shot.

I like the way he's developing though, and expect to see improvements in this area as time goes on.

 

I think you've nailed it: robotic feet, fluid hands - but still improving...

 

No. That succession of hook uppercut hooks to body and head that floored Wlad sideways is as fluid and smooth as you get.

Outside Fury and Povetkin I haven't see a HW deliver seamless body and head combos like that in a long time.

 

I'd say his ring iq is one of his strengths. He's not in Fury's league, but he doesn't just go through the same pre-planned routines every fight out either. There are genuine tactics at work in every one of his fights, and you can see him adapting and modifying them as the fight goes on.

I'd also dispute that he isn't a natural talent. He seems to be a very astute student and consistently makes improvements every time out. No one is just born to fight at that sort of level.

 

He's not Ali but he's not a Bruno either somewhere in the middle. No need to be that big imo.

 

I think he is a "natural talent", the small defects people see that make them think otherwise are actually a result of starting late in boxing.

 

Exactly. Considering how late he started it's amazing how much he's able to intuitively pick up and use. That definitely points to a natural athlete.

 

He is without doubt a amazing natural athlete. But in terms of pure boxing talent, I'm not sure. Maybe his incredible athletic prowess explains his rapid development as opposed to ring craft. Even AJ himself says he might not be great but what he can do, he does brilliantly. I think that's a fair summary.

We will really only know how good a boxer he is when he's older, has slowed a little and the athletic advantage has been stolen by time. I don't think he will be around at the top for as long as he imagines because - as of now - his whole game is based around being the far superior athlete and one day, he won't be...

 

It's pretty much impossible to be as huge and muscular as AJ and not be a little stiff. In his case I think the pros of being that size and so heavily muscled outweigh the cons.

 

Double jab AJ??

 

He showed great stamina in klitchko fight getting bashed up in 5th and 6th the rounds he took off he never lost his shape or composure really. Then 11th closed the show. Great burst of energy late on.

Would like to see his legs and arms a bit smaller as they will tire out with some like Tyson fury who has great stamina and movement (when not a whale)

 

yeah, I got lazy...