The mainstream boxing pundits (TalkSport, SkySports) are saying that AJ needs to KO Wallin in order for the win to have any credibility. Personally, I think that's mad. Wallin is tough as nails, a southpaw, a good boxer, on the rise, who AJ has already fought twice and failed to KO both times in the amateurs. I favour AJ to get the win but it's not going to be easy. I'd have actually picked Wallin to win before AJ beat Helenius, which I thought was a decent performance and will give him some confidence. Personally, I pick AJ to win on points, and I think a win over Wallin is a better win than wins over Parker or Whyte. If it's anywhere near close AJ will get the nod. It may also be really boring.
Reasonably entertaining and the win would do, Wallin is tough as you say and people remember him giving Fury more than a few problems. I suppose showing enough offensively (combinations, utilising the jab effectively) to make people think he’s got a real chance of landing on Wilder. If he’s tentative and edges a decision win I think people will see a Wilder KO as almost a formality. That’s assuming Wilder gets Parker out of there …
Wallin has to knock out Joshua to avoid a possible robbery, Wallin could pull out some kind of hard-fought SD, but then it all depends on the judges, somehow I don't see a way in which he can knock down Joshua, let alone knock him out...
I'm more interested to see if AJ is still deteriorating mentally. I have some concerns about that guy.
A stoppage following a dominate performance cements him back among the top guys. He needs to show the power is still there and that he is not afraid to throw when the opportunity comes up.
Joshua suffers from the high pedestal he was on before the Ruiz loss and because of that he gets held to a higher standard. He visually lacked confidence in the Franklyn and Helenius fights but he was also comfortably out boxing both guys. He just won't get the credit for it. Another uneventful points win for Joshua with the same question marks after.
Joshua needs to outbox him cleanly for 4 rounds before brutal KO in the 5th. That’d be ideal - never really rated Wallin, he’s been overhyped after he was competitive with a loser to a mma fighter who had fought with one eye
TalkSport are good at getting interviews and information from industry big players, but their actual boxing knowledge is ****ing **** AJ 'needs' to win. Wallin is a tricky guy - a stoppage or a wide points decision or even a close points decision with a knockdown is fine. Obviously a loss or an iffy split decision is bad but that goes without saying. AJ could win a 115-113, 116-112 x2 UD, not get cut, and look either better or equal to Fury AJ NEEDS TO KNOCK THIS DUDE OUT!!!1 AJ has been Black Klitschko for years now. When will people learn?
Just win clearly..................and look better than Fury did beating him, he doesn't even need to stop him.
Joshua just needs to do his best, be competitive, show he's still in the mix and has the heart for it, that's all he can do. People need to support their champion instead of abandoning him just because they judge him for this or dat. Have they walked a mile in his shoes? Now trying walking '8 Mile' everyday, wrong side of dem tracks, just like he did growing up. He's in a rebuilding stage after two brutal KO losses to Usyk, brave fights he took as a massive underdog, no less. What do people expect? Do they really want him to jump in with Wilder when he needs to get his form on track and his head where it needs to be? He's done the sensible thing, taken something challenging fights but ones he had a good chance of winning, to get himself back in the mix. Then because they aren't pushover fights, people criticise him for not looking his best. Guy can't win! Joshua may have beaten Wallin in the ams, but Wallin is a different fighter now, a hungry young Swede with a victory over Fury and Gassiev (who survived Usyk). Wallin is true SHW with stones in his fists, cracked Fury's head open like a raw egg. Not even Wilder could do that. Furthermore Wallin already had Covid years ago, so isn't going to be compromised like Pulev. And people are demanding Joshua KO this guy, who has never been KO'd? This could be a title fight, especially when some people won titles fighting the likes of Charles Martin. Be reasonable!