PARKER Beats JOSHUA - Proof Inside

I might have some sympathy for your view if you weren't one of the major culprits for this type of behaviour. Look at the way you've downplayed Joshua's last two wins, calling Wallin a soft touch and Ngannou a joke fight. That wasn't the way people were talking about either man in the run up to the fights and you know it. You can't moan about people not giving credit to one guy when you fail to give credit to another. Or maybe you always thought Wallin and Ngannou were pushovers for Joshua, in which case kindly quote your posts here. Because as far as I remember the whole forum was completely split (something like 60/40 in favour of Ngannou) over who would win. So it'd be nice to see which side of the divide you fell on.

 

It was horrible fight to watch no thank you for rewatch

 

No, everyone did not think Parker would get knocked out by Zhang inside six. That's a false narrative you're trying to peddle to push the idea that everyone but his faithful kiwi fans have got it in for Joe and won't give him any credit while you guys who stick by him through thick and thin know the real score. No you don't. You just back him against everyone he fights and claim the spoils in victory and make excuses in defeat. See aftermath of Joyce fight.

In truth lots of people gave Parker a great shot at beating Zhang, myself among them, because his attributes matched up really well with Zhang's, and lots of people, again myself among them, gave him full props for executing his gameplan and forging the win. There's no great conspiracy to downplay Parker's achievements. That's just pathetic victim mentality for the sake of saying I told you so to a mostly nonexistent enemy.

 

How does your point still stand when it was just disproved? Joshua and Wilder were supposed to fight after beating their respective opponents. This was contractual. Not some pie in the sky stuff. Wilder lost and hence failed to hold up his end of the contractual obligation. Maybe they could have fought on that card had they hashed out a different deal that didn't require both men to have build up fights beforehand, but the fact remains that they were still scheduled to fight.

As cheesy as it sounds Joshua needed to fight Ngannou to restore the reputation of the sport, which Fury had sullied with his pathetic (and losing) display. Had Ngannou never fought another boxing match can you imagine the sort of black cloud that would hang over boxing, that an MMA guy could just waltz in and beat the baddest man on the planet. And you'd still have idiot boxing fans themselves imagining how he would smash AJ into next week and run rampant through the division with his awesome power and grit and athleticism. It was a nonsense fight, but it was also a necessary one, and one I'm grateful Joshua took. As should every true boxing fan.

 

When was the last time AJ took a hit from someone like Zhang? He hasn't. It's perfectly reasonable to predict he'd have trouble with Zhang in a professional bout. Hopefully we get to see it.

I didn't call Wallin a soft touch. I'd consider Franklin and Helenius soft touches, Wallin (top 10 at the time) and Ngannou (joke of a fight then, joke of a fight now) ex-Fury opponents. Admittedly I thought Ngannou would of had more success against AJ based on the Fury fight, but it doesn't change the fact I think both fights were a disgrace regardless of outcome.

False narrative my backside. Triangle theory came into full swing and many considered Zhang the second coming of Christ for beating Joyce. You don't have to look far to see people claiming both Zhang and Wilder were both old and shot.

My point still stands because it's boxers with promoters that make fights. They don't "have" to wait for the Saudis to bless them with more money than they'll ever need to do it. They absolutely are capable of agreeing to fight each other without "his excellencys" blessing. It's not as though the US or UK have had any venues to host is there?

No. AJ fighting Ngannou wasn't necessary. He didn't do it to "save boxing". It's perverse logic and only gives more legitimacy for Ngannou to fight other top boxers now. It's an opinion I've held since they announced it and if Parker or Usyk fought Ngannou I'd give them crap for it as well.

I gave AJ a lot of credit earlier in his career for consistently fighting top opposition, but ever since he lost to Usyk he's been taking the Mickey with his fights with they exception of Wallin. If his next opponent isn't a mandatory or top 5 then there's a real problem.

 

Aj fanboys only like using common opponents when it fits their agenda

Wilder stopped Helenius in a single round and Parker took a clean sweep vs Wilder. Parker also beat the dangerous Zhang who killed the juggernauts momentum

People are giving Aj too much credit for Wallin and Ngannou because Fury looked like a bum, especially against Ngannou

The fact of the matter is, Wilder and zhang are much, much better wins than any of Joshua's recent wins and that's a fact

Whether Parker beats him or not remains to be seen, but his improvements under Lee and the right gameplan could see him through

Aj is taking the easiest possible path to Fury/usyk, but because he knocks these guys out? He gets a pass

Gun to head? I would back Parker to beat him on points right now

 

I've never seen you pick against Parker tho


Even a broken clock is right twice a day

Inevitably your gonna be right at some point

 

Given that Parker only has three losses so far that's a good run.

 

I favor Joshua but would not be surprised if Parker beats him. He’s been fighting much better competition than Joshua that’s for sure.

 

Just as a side note, this has been a great discussion everyone. Even if we disagree I do value the engagement and differing opinions.

 

Likewise. I had to eat humble pie that day for sure.

 

Wlad maybe? Regardless, Joshua is way more patient and cagey than any of the guys Zhang has fought in the pros, not to mention having already beaten him in the ams. He's not going to just walk into one of Zhang's counter lefts. I actually think based on styles alone he'd destroy Zhang and make it look easy. Maybe I'm wrong in that assertion. We'll find out if they ever fight again. But to say it isn't competitive or that Zhang would blow him away holds no weight at this moment in time.

Fair enough on Wallin. But then why was he a disgrace in your eyes?

Yeah, many did. But not everyone. I already mentioned that I picked Parker to beat Zhang and I was far from the only one. Sure, there was a large number of guys that picked Zhang simply because he'd KOed Joyce twice, but you always get predictions like that when someone looks like a killer in the last couple of fights. It's just symptomatic of the rather shallow and fairweather mentality of a lot of boxing fans who can't grasp how important stylistic differences make in fights.

Re: the old and shot point, yes, again many fans always pull that stunt when the fighter they picked to win gets beaten. But then didn't you pick Ngannou to KO Joshua? If you didn't then I know a ton of people did who have now done a complete one eighty and are calling him a joke. So complain about Parker's lack of respect in victory all you want, but also acknowledge that the same is true of Joshua as well.

Yeah they can, but that was the deal they made, and if both fighters were as good as advertised we'd have seen the fight by now. Blame Wilder for firstly, not fighting Joshua years back when it would have still held relevance, and secondly, losing when the fight was as good as made.

He might not have done it to explicitly save boxing, but that's what he did regardless. Fury made an absolute mockery of the sport and without this fight MMA fans would still be gloating now. Joshua laid all that nonsense to rest and brought legitimacy back to boxing, and I for one am thankful for that. Plus it was little more than a stay busy fight for Joshua, one of four he'd had in a twelve month period. Not his only fight in a single year, as a champion, while other much more worthy fights needed to be made. So I really don't see it as comparable to the Fury fight. Fury has obligations which he was refusing to meet. Joshua doesn't.

Also, I don't see the problem with Ngannou fighting other top boxers here on out. He might get blown out and show up Fury even more, or he might turn out to be alright after all (and raise Joshua's standing). He's still a huge powerful guy and in the heavyweight division that can sometimes be enough to have success. It's impossible to really rate him. He's had one great performance and one terrible one. Maybe the truth lies somewhere in the middle?

Yeah, I'd like to see Joshua fight a Hrgovic or Parker or someone of that calibre. I wouldn't even mind a Wilder or Zhang fight (though that'd obviously get criticised in the aftermath if he wins).

 

Ruiz and Zhang are the obvious names I'd say. Zhang especially.