What do you all think would be best for Joshua?

I think if he went for the KO, Usyk would let him punch himself out and take him out in the mid rounds.

 

Went for winnable tune ups/change style/trainer.

Those tune ups will still be big events, but without that pressure of everything on his shoulders. He's had that, along with the boxing success of a nation now for 6 years. Think if he does that, builds up his confidence, it could be AJ 2.0 (not in terms of improved, just revitalised)

 

Take the loss , accept you can't beat the guy and move on.

Listen to what Matthew Macklin says. He sums the situation up nicely. Basically AJ has to become somebody he's not in order to win. He has to play a game of Russian Roulette. Blow him out or get blown out. .

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There is that but he could take him out early , dangerous game for Joshua but it's heavy weight boxing and Joshua's only option , he has to be balls out for the win if he's to remain relative in the division imo mate .

 

I didn't say he has done it before but the way I see it it's his only chance .

 

I don't even think AJ goes all out in sparring. You never hear of sparring partners getting knocked out or sent home and he always looks very pally with them in pictures.
Klitschko used to brutalize sparring partners. Joshua would benefit from employing the same attuite.

 

I’m not so sure tbh what Joshua should do next,for a good while now it seems like he has lost interest in boxing and just feels obligated to just keep fighting on. I’m not a Joshua hater as he has achieved a lot in a relatively short space of time and he is the money man in the division at the moment,but if for what ever reasons his heart is no longer in boxing then he really should consider what he does next. Joshua is at the top end of the division and there are no easy fights out there for him. Everybody around him wants the big money he brings so he will be matched as such just like being forced back into an immediate rematch with Usyk. Imo Joshua should just step back,re group with new trainers etc and have a few fights at a lower level and see if his heart still truly is in boxing,if this goes ok then go after the big fights again.Joshua is a very wealthy young man and has his hands in a lot of pies so in his shoes it’s very easy to lose focus as well as the fact he has a mountain of pressure on his shoulders from the way he has been promoted and then there all the sponsorships and endorsements he has obligations to. Joshua needs to do what’s best for him and if he truly does want to fight on then he has a lot of baggage to let go. jmo

 

a few easier fights, fight the winner of the whoever comes out on top of Wilder/Fury/Usyk.

 

Take some time off and then fly to the states and get a world class trainer (Roach or JDJ would be a great fit for AJ, especially Roach), get some world class sparring, hire a legit S&C coach like Joel Jaimeson, come back against Miller, Ruiz or Helenius, then fight Whyte, Then take on whoever is No.1 at the time.

 

Anything but the rematch.


As much as I believe he has been overrated, he's still a top 4 HW and if Wilder loses again I'd put Joshua at 3. He'd still be the favourite against anyone outside that and has plenty of good fights in him.


Lose to Usyk again, as he surely will, and his career might be doomed. Not only in terms of public perception and draw, but also in terms of confidence, damage taken, and possibly other elements of his boxing ability. It's hard to recover from a loss like he had against Usyk, the disillusionment, but a second L could spell his conclusion.


Even if he thinks he can make enough adjustments and win the rematch, the smarter option is to take some other fights in between to regain some confidence and credibility and of course get some more experience.

 

Fire McCracken immediately. Hire a trainer who can teach him how to fight big. James Ali Bashir could be a good option as he’s worked a long time with Emanuel Steward and Wlad. Take a few tuneup fights to get his confidence back and workout the kinks in his style.

 

Your first line is something not many are talking about but it is a great point. I also agree with the rest of what you said.

But most are talking tactics and about the physical side but not many are talking about the mental side of things.

Mentally AJ hasn't looked right since Ruiz I, maybe even after Wlad decked him, throw in all the tales of him getting stopped in sparring by the likes of Okolie and he might just have a serious confidence issue.. he just looks mentally brittle if he isn't in total control, even Ruiz II he didn't impose himself and once he was touched was on his bike all night.

Against Pulev who AJ ended up punching around the ring and stopping, it went far longer than it should of because AJ looked to lack confidence to step in and finish the job.

Maybe that's why McCraken in the corner was shouting "brilliant" while AJ was getting boxed up, maybe McCracken has to try and keep him in the fight mentally. Maybe that's McCrackens fight, keeping AJs confidence high.

Because AJ gets this look on his face now, he has a little bit of Victor Ortiz about him in my opinion, he shows out, he starts smiling, the tongue comes out and and then he starts to look like he is feeling sorry for himself.

Against Ruiz in the first fight, he was on the floor, shaking his head at the corner, sticking his tongue out, smiling.. it's not exactly "poker face" with AJ.


I personally think this defeat is far worse than Ruiz I, against Ruiz he could say he was hit with a big shot and he never really recovered, it happens, AJ called it "a punch from the Gods"... The Gods? OK whatever but we got the point.

This is far more difficult to explain away, this was nearly 36 minutes of domination, AJ was never really in the fight, never looked like winning the fight, was hurt multiple times and when the final bell went he was done.

I really don't think the rematch is a good idea, I think AJ needs to repair his mind and rebuild his confidence more than he needs a new set of tactics.

But with big money TV deals, endorsements and the fact AJ would be on the outside looking in I can't see what else he can do, I don't think he has much choice but to roll the dice and Hearn has basically said as much.

 

Fury doesn`t have the power Usyk has in all his shots, his punches are messy some of them are solid because of his size but a lot are just slaps.

 

He is the tallest and heaviest HW currently. He can hit very hard if he wants. He one shotted Wilder by body punch.

Only Wilder hits harder than him.

 

take time off. go back to doing what he thinks is best for him. Will he change into a boxing genius, a combo of Willie Pepp and Ali...fleet of foot with faster hands and genius ring iq as he cuts off the ring and nails gazelles. No. oddly enough....pump the heavy weight...I suspect that is what he likes and helped him to get the party invitation in the first place. train to knock our your man before the sixth round. then have about three winnable fights. he still has time on his side.
Then go after a belt run.Fury will be gone by then...Wilder too..or sliding down the slope toward the exit. Probably a good chance to pick up a belt then. Fight once or twice...retire.