What is Joshua's status now?

Hearn only wants him in big stadium fights - which are high profile and more pressure - so he can maximise the revenue.

What Joshua needs is more regular fights so build his confidence and profile again.

If Hearn insists on big fights only then Joshua needs that quality sparring day in and day out in the gym to build his character. He's been a pro nearly 10 years now and he's 34 already. A few more years and he is out of his athletic prime and a KO waiting to happen if all his ducks are not lined up properly.

 

He's still a top 5 HW

 

In reality, a good but not great fighter. Was overhyped however still had a good career all things considered.

He is still a dangerous fight for any man in the heavyweight division without question.

 

Depends on the manner in which Fury beats him.

 

Way too inactive since Ruiz I. Needs a career-defining win against either Usyk, Wilder or Fury.

 

Beating Wilder (especially now at his age) is not something a great HW can hang his hat on. Usyk and Fury are top HWs.

 

It has been proven otherwise. No one can say with a straight face that Joshua would beat Joyce.

And on top of that, Joshua tip-tapped Parker for 12 rounds protected by a bodyguard ref barely putting a dent in him, which is one of his best wins. Whereas Joyce mercilessly walked down and battered Parker without breaking a sweat.

Now, Joyce is going to fight the huge hard-hitting 6’6 270lb southpaw Zhilei Zhang while AJ is going to busy himself with gatekeepers Franklin and Whyte.

In 2023, Joyce >>> Joshua and that’s not a debate.

Joshua is 4th at best, and given most people think Wilder beats AJ too, he’s arguably 5th.

 

Glass Jawed one dimensional bodybuilder who is extremely mentally weak has no Ring IQ and mediocre stamina. His loss to Ruiz showed who he is.

 

Currently, I have Joshua as the 4th or 5th best heavy due to having not completely made my mind up on whether he can beat Wilder on not.

#1 Fury
#2 Usyk/Joyce
#4 Wilder/AJ

Even then, after his last breakdown, I bet there's top 10 heavys licking their lips at the prospect of an AJ fight. What aura Joshua had has diminished enormously over the last couple of years.
IMO He needs to KO Franklin early, then challenge the Wilder/Ruiz winner, if he offers enough financial insentive, he'll get that fight.

But we'll get Whyte 2, while Eddie scrounges a loose belt for AJ after the Fury/Usyk fight. And the charade continues....

 

Despite this version of Wilder being out of his prime and raging, it would still hold weight on AJ's record and will be one of his better wins in terms of opposition.

 

Why, because Joyve beat Parker? Parker is 1-1 against Derrick Chisora.

I think Joyce's skills stack up well against Joshua's, but Joyce is already at the age when he might "get old" in one fight.

It is a very debatable proposition.

 

I know it's easy to hate on AJ, and I've done plenty of it over the years both online and IRL, but it's getting to the point where the good of his career is being seriously marginalised. I think AJ's legacy will continue to plummet for the next decade or so before having a slight resurgence. He won't be seen as one of the big dogs of the division, regardless of the trash Eddie Hearn spouts, but I like to think he'll be seen as a solid almost-elite contender who filled the gap in Fury's career/Usyk's ascendance, and who earned his belts one at a time (... against second-rate opposition at home). Really, and I know this comparison is thrown around a lot, but he'll be viewed as a Bruno-like figure. Not in the same way Bruno is seen as this quirky working-class bloke, but more like a politically-correct reformed roadman appearing on True Geordie's podcast between Premier League games sort of thing

Personally, I think AJ has one final 'big' loss coming up, and around that loss he'll get a few reasonable wins against the Franklins and Whytes of the world. That being said though, AJ's stock will rise massively depending on whether Fury-Usyk happens or even WHAT happens in that fight. If Fury batters or easily UDs Usyk, my above point stands, but if Usyk exposes Fury's house of cards, then I see a huge shift in public perception. Let me put it this way, if Fury ducks, loses to or underperforms against Usyk, Fury MUST beat AJ in the ring to cement himself. Proxy a>b>c barber-shop logic will no longer be enough for the GK

 

The problem with AJ is he isn’t being well promoted. Hearn constantly trying to cash him in in big events. He needs to rebuild and get a few wins, then go for a big fight. Isn’t rocket science

 

Don`t want to see him fight Usyk ever again, nobody would watch that.

 

He`s 33 already.