I'll start out by saying Parker isn't what I'd call very good or great, but he is a solid top ten heavyweight, undefeated and in his prime. As such this win will add something to Joshua's legacy. It will also set up the possibility of Joshua facing the winner of Wilder vs. Ortiz to unify the belts. So what does Joshua need to do? He needs to win cleanly, and what I mean by that is Joshua has shown a pattern of righting dirty or rule-bending when he's buzzed. Joshua was only really tested in two fights. Once vs. Dillan Whyte, who Rocked Joshua in round two. This prompted Joshua to land a foul shot after the bell and do some less than clean work in the clinches. The other time was vs. Wlad. After being floored and on shaky legs, Joshua chose to spit out his mouthpiece, with the referee giving him well over 10 seconds to fully catch his breath. I don't think Joshua's brand of dirty pool altered the outcome vs. Whyte, but indeed prevent him at his weakest moment vs. Wlad. If the ref did not call for a stoppage, might the Wlad vs. Joshua fight have been different? Impossible to say, but the odds of Wlad lading something serious would have gone up quite a bit if not for that break. Parker is a pretty durable guy. I think Joshua unless he lands an early bomb is in for a fight, and if that's the case, he needs to win cleanly as the very talented fighter is perilously close to tarnishing his legacy if he keeps winning his toughest fights outside the rules.
He's not a particularly dirty fighter imo and he is not close to tarnishing his legacy at all. Sometimes fighters have to bend the rules a little to get the job done. It's better to spit out the gum-shield than get KTFO.
A bit early to be talking about Joshua and the word legacy. He's not long out the gate and will have to beat the Wilder Ortiz winner and Fury. Parker is a stepping stone he might fail at even before then.
So you think fighters should start to spit out their mouth pieces with their promoter's ref to save them? That is NOT boxing. Joshua has only had two tough moments, and he rule bent his way quickly. If that is his MO, his legacy will suffer as people begin to ask what if he didn't foul or fake something to win. I hope he changes course quickly.
If that's what needs to be done, then that's what anyone with half a brain would do. I doubt it. Boxing fans generally aren't that sensitive.
It wont.. People won't remember that unless they go looking for it...Does anyone talk about him spitting the gumshield?? Er noo they talk about how he came back from the brink, would a younger wlad have finished him etc etc There's been some proper dirty fighters over the years Hopkins had a rep for it at one point but does anyone mention it now? Nah, just how good he was how long he lasted. If Joshua bangs out Parker and Wilder all people will talk about is do you remember when that tank unified the division.
You're saying Hearn needs to stop stacking the deck in Joshua's favor to appease you? Sorry that's not gonna happen. It will continue until AJ gets beaten or fights outside of UK. Parker knew what he signed up for, AJ is a cashcow like Canelo so rules don't apply sadly.
Whats sad about it? Anybody who fights AJ is set to make one of the biggest purses in the sport. Parker and his team were very happy with the deal they got.
Joshua its not actually a dirty fighter looking at his career so far, what i see is that he stands more like a bodybuilder this reduces his activeness as a boxer so taking the right stand as a boxer has always been an issue compared to other heavyweight fighters(past and present). I see Anthony Joshua winning that bout but it wouldn't be as easy for him because Parker also has a record at stake and definitely won't want to loose cheaply to Joshua. I am not expecting a knockout but i won't be surprised if it happens cos this is a much anticipated fight that both fighters are bringing their A-game but the weakness of one fighter might be an edge for the other to win. I wish them success and those who have their tickets should have fun also.
It depends on the level of fouling/cheating. I don't care much if any fighter spits out their gumshield to avoid getting KO'd or holds a bit too much etc. If what their doing isn't dangerous, isn't enough to get them DQ'd and they're not doing it excessively then it's not a big deal and happens all the time in boxing.