Why did Anthony Joshua exhibit such poor defense?

MarkusFlorez99 · Jun 3, 2025 at 1:46 AM

Cleaver said: ↑

I don't understand why people were so surprised by Joshua losing like he did against Dubois.

Sure. Pre-fight it was not unreasonable to figure maybe Dubois would be on the receiving end of an AJ KO. But at worst it was 50-50 for Daniel, or thereabouts.

The Joshua myth should have died years ago.
Just because a boxer holds some belts and they call it "world title fight" doesn't mean a whole lot. Wilder had about 10 world title fights wins and AJ supporters were always quick to see through Wilder's resume. For some reason the blind spot concerning AJ persisted for so long.

A month ago there were STILL people saying Joshua was the best heavyweight on the planet.
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Barrf · Jun 3, 2025 at 4:08 AM

Slyk said: ↑

It's shocking that a fighter I was told has the best resume in boxing has such crude, amateurish defense. What gives? Did Anthony Joshua slowly unlearn his ability to avoid punches?

There are some folks on this forum who would claim his career was largely a manufactured one, with big names added to the leger at strategic times. A calculated effort to maximize profit from a mediocre product. I'm not that cynical.

I think what happened on the night against Dubois is that Joshua was concussed. That's right, folks. A professional boxer was punched and it rendered him unable to do his job. You may find this a curious excuse, but the truth is that it happened before against Andy Ruiz Jr. It's not Joshua's fault he couldn't perform; he got concussed. If you're wondering why you haven't heard this excuse used for another fighter ever in the history of the sport, quit being a hater.

Is the inability to defend yourself from a long overhand right a liability against a fighter like prime Wilder? No. Joshua would have won that fight. Wilder, Fury, and many others ducked Joshua. The idea of making career high money in front of millions against a timid fighter with poor defense turned them all into ducks.

I think Joshua needs to keep active, and keep learning from the brilliant boxing minds he has surrounded himself with. Ben Davison and Lee Wylie have dissected the game in a scientific manner. It will take time for Joshua, who is still a work in progress despite 17 years in the game, to digest all the knowledge. If he can refine his defense a bit (and hopefully avoid getting concussed), he has a real chance to get his offense going like he did against Usyk.

I am backing him to do the job in February 2025. Who is with me, ESB?
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he threw a lead right uppercut with his left hand down. That’s what happened and got him knocked out. He’d actually hurt Dubois, then that happened.

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Why did Anthony Joshua exhibit such poor defense?

MarkusFlorez99 Boxing Junkie Full Member

Barrf Boxing Addict Full Member