Why didn’t Wlad finish Joshua in rounds 6-10?

The strongest conventional theories are:

1. Wlad was 41 years old and less athletic than he had been in years gone by

2. Wlad had generally fought cautiously in his previous 23 fights and 13 years post-Brewster 1, so these conservative habits were too deeply ingrained

But there’s another theory worthy of consideration: Wlad didn’t want to KO Joshua with every fibre of his being as Andy Ruiz did

1. Wlad and Joshua had a close relationship several years prior in training camp, with Wlad and Joshua calling each other “little bro” and “big bro” respectively

2. Wlad told Joshua post-fight “The more you shine, the more I shine”, believed/hoped that Joshua would go on to become a long-reigning champion who would unify all of the belts, "represent the heavyweight division better than Fury" and “avenge” his humiliating loss to Fury for him if Fury returned

3. Wlad said several months later that “I would never change the outcome” and “I won a lot of respect that I never won even when I won my world titles”, rejecting the opportunity to avenge his loss to Joshua, even with a reported £22 million on the table in what would have been his 30th championship fight and 70th overall (as well as a huge trilogy fight at 42 if Wlad won the rematch) and while acknowledging that Joshua was vulnerable

4. Wlad wore grey trunks; the colour associated with ageing and monotony (The passing of the torch? Didn’t want to take any of the shine off establishment golden boy Joshua?) rather than his usual red

5. If Wlad had taken Joshua the distance, outboxed him and was controversially denied a decision win in London, he would have won a moral victory while preserving Joshua’s unbeaten record, motivation and confidence

 

That doesn't solve the problem because Wlad used his better judgement and ignored Vitali before: Vitali implored him to retire post-Brewster and Wlad banished him from the camp preparing for Peter. So it's still a mystery why Wlad listened to Vitali. He was more experienced than Vitali as a boxer in his own right and must have known that there was a good chance of being robbed in London even if Joshua didn't catch a second wind, which was always a possibility.

 

"whose opinion he clearly did value"

I have no doubt that's true but if Wlad had strong convictions about finishing Joshua then he would have ignored Vitali in this crucial instance as he did before. For one reason or another he lacked that conviction.

It's often said that a fighter "didn't leave it all out there". I don't believe that Wlad wasn't trying to win but there are degrees of trying to win or trying to win by KO. Ruiz clearly wanted to stop Joshua with every fibre of his being but I don't think Wlad did. It has implications for future matchups where the opponent will want to beat and KO Joshua with every fibre of their being.

"I thought it was a strong showing from Wlad. It was the type of loss that seemingly enhanced his reputation."

Considering his age and the expectations going in, it was a strong technical and athletic performance from Wlad. But there's a lingering feeling that he snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. I think it's a loss that has aged badly and may well continue to do so. Ruiz took rounds 4 and 5 off but he was back on Joshua in round 6, he didn't take his foot of the gas for four consecutive rounds as Wlad did. Usyk comprehensively outboxed a far more experienced version of Joshua twice. And if Wilder KO's Joshua it will look even worse for Wlad as he would have two mutual opponents with Wilder (very arguably Wlad's best two opponents) and have performed worse against both.

Not taking the rematch was also a very questionable decision considering that it was a winnable fight for huge money and another shot at redemption. He wanted to clear Joshua's path and boost his legacy rather than thinking selfishly about his own personal legacy.

 

Yet he ignored him on other occasions, which shows that Wlad lacked the personal conviction to finish Joshua. That's where the speculation comes in.

 

That's in line with:

"The strongest conventional theories are:

1. Wlad was 41 years old and less athletic than he had been in years gone by

2. Wlad had generally fought cautiously in his previous 23 fights and 13 years post-Brewster 1, so these conservative habits were too deeply ingrained"

I agree with these theories but I think there's more to it. I don't think Wlad had the burning desire to finish Joshua that Ruiz did, that Wilder will have (assuming the fight gets made). I think he was in two minds to some degree.