And Hearn I suppose. Made no excuses thus far. Didn't blame the change of opponent, didn't blame the ref, didn't make up an injury or illness. None of that would wash of course but we hear it all too often. They seem to be taking the result on the chin. Also, stop worrying about AJ smiling post fight. He done the right thing, kept positive, talked well and didn't give anyone added satisfaction. One thing is for sure, he'll give his return 110%. With the ridiculous hype bubble burst, I may be able to appreciate AJ a bit more. I just couldn't take to him with the crazy hype surrounding him and the forced humble persona. Things will hopefully change after last night. He's been humbled for real.
Tbf Joshua has conducted himself well since the defeat. Taking an immediate rematch would be reckless though, unnecessary pressure. If he loses where would he go from there?
I agree. Few Tom Schwartz' would be the way to go. Tighten up the defence, try improve stamina and build confidence. Problem is AJ is the cash cow and Schwartz' don't bring in the big bucks
He's been classy in defeat. I kind of expect that the excuses will come out in time though. Tony Bellew is probably at home right now writing a whole load of them to pitch to Eddie Hearn and Adam Smith .
Joshua and Hearn have handled the defeat with class. No excuses. Additionally, Respect to Tyson Fury for the tweet he put out.
Fair play to the guy, came across well in defeat.I nothing against him, just the cretins who fall for and drool over the hype spouted from the media.
He’s got to take the rematch or Harmon and co will have ALL the belts under wraps for years. It’s all or nothing. Back to AJ and the way he’s been conducting himself, he has been brilliant but has anyone else noticed a few little bits of road man seeping through? This could be the heal change.
Ok he takes rematch next and loses. What next? The rematch is a legit 60:40 shootout in Ruiz’s favour because Ruiz proved he can take Joshua’s shots better than Joshua can take his. It’s an incredibly risky fight. Another defeat and his career could go the same way as David Price’s.
I have to say I’ve been very impressed with how Joshua has dealt with this. He’s certainly gone up in my estimation.
Thing is though, it's easy to control 1 corrupt organization and fix ratings/mandatory. If Wilder beat Ruiz he'd have immediate mandatory lined up and Haymon can't fix 4 different rankings for him.
If I was hired unqualified by beating an American dumbass in the interview, then winged a job whilst earning loads and taking non stop plaudits for years I’d behave with similar grace when I was found out and demoted.
It's quite sad when a professional athlete acts like they are supposed to, they get mad respect. It's like saying "oh he's a great person" because he visited a preschool and didn't touch up any of the kids ! Given how much they are getting paid, it is a base expectation that a professional athlete acts professionally after a loss Not much to ask
Yeah I think it would be crazy to do so. He'll get another opportunity but he needs to rebuild starting by working on his stamina problems as he is carrying too much muscle. One of the other concerning things is his reaction to getting clipped. It was David Price level of concerning against Ruiz.
Exactly. He needs to shave off 15lbs of mass at least. Then he needs one or two tune up fights to get used to having less power and less strength in the clinch again. I don’t see why people are so adverse to tune ups and interim bouts. It’s largely casuals who are against that. Fury is so smart. Imagine how much sharper and even better conditioned he will be when he goes back in against Wilder.
