Just a reminder: Joshua saved us from a moribund heavyweight division and deserves credit

Joshua is the very essence of the moribund heavyweight division. The dull fake bland persona, the greed, the carefully manufactured image, the overly managed career, the preference for past it names instead of other contenders, the 2 fight deal, PPV everything, lack of technical progress, inability to adapt, low volume safety first approach, it goes on forever

 

So not only do I have to give AJ credit for fighting mandatory challengers..

I now have to give him credit for saving us from a "boring" division.



I'm actually starting to wish AJ won, these AJ fans cope sessions are getting too much, it's too much, it's just too much

 

Joshua was a proper champ & a warrior
& deserves his respect.

 

AJ's best fights were his near disaster against a shot Klitschko, his humiliating destruction against a last minute replacement, and his most recent defeat against a guy who fought the vast majority of his physical prime at cruiserweight.

 

He was an ok titlist. Maybe along the lines of Callum Smith, maybe less.

 

that a touch harsh.
He has his flaws but he also has the better resume in the division, that has to count for something.

 

I hated him before the Ruiz loss, only then did I come to my senses and realized he was fighting top contenders consistently, unlike anybody else involved the division. He has a boring, bland personality, but he’s tough and a true fighter.

 

Skill and talent wise I feel the HW division is more shallow than many of the other popular divisions.

Joshua lost to last minute replacement Andy Ruiz, went life and death with an old coming off a loss all but shot Klitschko, fought super carefully and timid in his rematch against a mega obese Ruiz, and just lost to a career cruiserweight.

Smith had a close fight to Ryder, and lost to Canelo.

Also Ive rated Fury over Joshua for a while. And after Joshua lost to Ruiz I dropped him down to #4. I've never had Smith below #2.

 

Ruiz was a cherry pick gone wrong, Usyk he was forced to fight being his obligation.

 

Well said and I'll admit I am more than guilty of bashing Joshua and ignoring what you laid out.

Kudos.

 

There are a lot of champions who don't so sad as it is, yeah, you do.

 

Well said.

 

I like your post, between all legendary champions, you need the stop gap guys. Joshua, for me, now falls into this category. Wilder, was and I suspect, will always be a fraud. Fury is a talent but boxing would not survive if it relied solely on him. He's unreliable. Joshua has taken his fans on a great ride, probably got chin checked a lot later than he should have. However, he's been good for the game and has some good wins. I think he's been a good champ while we have waited for the 'next big thing', if Usyk was younger it would for sure have been him, probably still will be. Boxing needs the Anthony Joshuas of this world, they are not the best but they will sure as hell have you believing the might be before the truth hits you and them in the face.
He reminds me a bit of Riddick Bowe, for a short moment in time, they look like the bees knees but history will leave them out in the 'greatest' conversations.