Anthony Joshua has a huge following in Europe. But I see through right through it. He may even be the best HW right now. But in today's HW scene that's not saying much. All the best big athletes are playing other sports. If you are 6'5" why would you box? Who wants to get punched in the head and body for a living and in all likelihood make peanuts? When the alternative if you're 6'5" and remotely athletic is to play basketball or football and go to college for free? And if you're decent enough you can actually go pro and play in a modern NFL where they can't touch you (god forbid brain damage) or just play in the NBA where even role players make millions to ride the bench and shoot 3's? Again without the brain damage and punching in the face part. The good HW's of the past like Vitali, Lewis, Sanders, Holyfield, etc. They are still around today. They just play wide receiver or small forward somewhere. Joshua's just an ok fighter. If you actually watch him there is nothing special to him. He went life and death with a 41 year old man. Who was blown up in his prime by an old and fat Corrie Sanders. Then dropped hard and finished again by Brewster. And couldn't lay a glove on Tyson Fury of all people. Come on, if Wlad wasn't 41 years old and had any type of gas tank or reflexes left he would have finished Joshua without any doubt. And this was a guy who was really never good anyways and took advantage of all the best fighters being in the NFL and NBA. Which leads to Joshua's problems. He has no tank at all. Even a bum crusher and total unproven fighter like Deontay Wilder could ice him. If Wilder makes into the middle and later rounds all that muscle that Joshua carries is going to be weighing him down like a sack of bricks. His skill isn't that good either. He looks like a guy who has bullied low level opposition and past prime fighters with sheer size and power. I don't see it.
https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/27.../2013/11/20//1384973830000-USATSI-7537395.jpg This guy Jimmy Butler has a good chance at being the best HW in the world for all we know he just never trained. Decided going to college for free and making millions to put a ball through the hoop made more sense. 6'6" 220 pounds. Long reach. Lead the NBA in minutes. Engine never stops. Tough guy too.
Anthony Joshua has holes in his game but which heavyweight on the current landscape right now doesn't? He's clearly improving every fight and has a good skill set, punch selection, and power that makes watching him very entertaining. He's clearly the best HW right now.
its incredible brand new sports invented just 15 years ago have sucked up all the possible heavyweight talent in the usa. as to the 99.9 % who are not good enough to play pro football /basketball ?
He's got better skills than most at heavyweight which isn't saying a lot. He's definitely a physical specimen and it's an advantage against smaller guys especially but it also is a disadvantage because it takes a toll on his reserves. He does gas faster because he's weighed down by all that muscle he's carrying around. He's got bulky muscle mass...not lean which is easier to carry for big men. It looks good but not the ideal physique for a heavyweight. I believe out of all the heavyweight champions, Joshua is the best from a skills perspective....but he is beatable and fighters who can take him into the later rounds have s greater chance to take advantage of his lack of stamina.
98 percent of people dont even go in to sports. So many other professions exist that suck up all the possible athletes. Some people could have been great at boxing, but decided at a young age to be a mathematician. Some people could have been an Astronaut, but they decided to be a Tennis player. Some people could have played Soccer, but decided to become a University professor. This whole “ athletes are playing other sports” nonsense is pathetic and makes no sense whatsoever, some people decide to live normal lives or become a local cashier, a local cashier could have been the greatest Ping Pong player on Earth, but it wasnt to be. 99 percent of the human population on Earth were ONCE very active athletes, physicality was an imperative attribute to survive, we all HAVE that innate instinct laying dormant within all of us. Our progeny would ALSO have those genes, waiting to be active if the time comes. 98 percent of people over 6’4 live NORMAL or sedentary lives, this whole nonsense has been debunked several hundred times but I guess it couldnt get through to everyone. If sports were the ONLY occupations around, we would have SO many new elite competitors around, the sporting talent pool would be stacked with more talent. This is basic math, common sense. Good luck even trying to perform mental gymnastics on this one. Also being a good basketball player doesnt mean you will be a good boxer and vice versa.
Good answer,so many of these so and so no good,we seen re GGG and Canelo who put on an elite show of boxing for twelve rounds and so it is with AJ who was involved in a high level fight with a true great boxer who has always used his height better than AJ,had a great jab and immense power and just more experienced and yet the guy who could of lost but picked himself up and won by KO gets stupid comments like this about not being very good. I’ll bet to op has rose tinted glasses about previous HWs instead of just stopping and thinking what you’ve just said about his skill set,punch selection and power and if Wlad only landed one huge right hand over 11 rounds what makes folk think wilder could land even one cause way I see it if Wilder ever steps up any decent boxer will look to take away that big right hand and if they do I’m not sure Wilder has anything else
Let me just stop you there. You realise he's not american? We don't play basketball or american football for the most part, nor do we have the same college system. In response to the thread. In fact he is quite good. He did win the gold medal at the olympics and silver at the world against genuinely good fields of boxers. And yes, yes, I know he may not have deserved every decision, but he is still quite a good boxer to do what he did. The problem with him is first he was made a superstar before he actually achieved anything as a pro, which always takes away the hunger to work harder and improve. Secondly most of his fights have ended in double quick time giving him less rounds of experience than would be usual for someone with 20 odd fights. And thirdly he seems not to realise hes a boxer not a bodybuilder, and hes already big enough to KO anyone whos going to be KOd, and at this point all the extra muscle is doing is slowing him down. Oh yeah and hes a racist @**h***
Yep. All that nonsense in the OP is just the sound of a butthurt American fan(an armchair fan at that, cuz anyone who ever got in the ring even for sparring knows that 3 mins of boxing tires you more than 10 mins of basketball) who's angry at the HW division because It hasn't had an American for the #1 spot in the division for like 20 years.
