It would be better for boxing if Joshua loses, because otherwise he will get a chance to fight for the belts, although Zhang and Parker deserve it more, but they have to go the hard way...
Absolutely, if Zhang wins he would have beaten Joyce twice and Parker (and imo Hrgovic as well). If Parker wins he would have beaten Wilder and Zhang back to back. These wins greatly surpass beating Wallin and Ngannou and clearly make the winner of this fight more deserving of a title shot. Unfortunately this is boxing and I think AJ will leapfrog them. Ideally we get the winner o Zhang-Parker facing the winner of Ngannou-AJ for the vacant IBF belt and then going on to face whoever wins the Usyk-Fury fights.
I'm not sure it's necessarily a bad thing for Joshua to be back in the belt picture... Hearns a bellend, but they do typically get good fights made. It wouldn't be a catastrophe for the division in the way that, for example, Wilder getting hold of belt/s would be. Parker and Zhang have some decent recent wins, and Parker deserves to be in with another title bout... If Zhang can beat Parker he would too, but his resume as it stands is rather thinner than his reputation suggests. The biggest problem with Zhang having to wait would be his age - but that's nobody else's fault.
Aj is the biggest name in the division along with Fury. He has/had a massive following in the UK for a long time We may not like it, But he's 100% getting the next should he beat Francis Everyone knows boxing is a business first and sport second Of course Parker/zhang deserves next shot, but it isn't happening
Agreed. Joshua has spent the year taking easy fights, based on recent performances he doesn't deserve a shot. But money talks and he is still the biggest draw in the division, but God knows why, he's become a safety first bore.
There would be no point in having a 3rd Usyk/AJ fight. If Fury wins however I'd be pretty keen on an AJ/Fury matchup.
AJ got whooped by the way smaller Usyk x 2, the first time of which in his backyard in front of 65,000 + of his rabid home fans when Usyk had been very inactive after only having fought twice in 3 years and one of those fights wasn't even decent sparring because his very late notice sub opponent only came to shell up and survive And the second time of which when Usyk had to contend with the huge distraction of his country being at war. AJ had everything stacked in his favour but bizarrely his fans and others are still making excuses for him Then he bounces back by beating Jermaine Franklin in a stinker Next up a washed glass-jawed late notice Helenius who has beaten one fringe world level opponent in over a decade Then he fought former 2 x amateur victim and former sparring partner featherfist Wallin who was coming off his biggest ever win over an injury-ravaged inactive shell of Gassiev who hadn't fought anyone with a pulse in five years and had only seen 8 incomplete rounds of action in all that time Now AJ will book himself a crack at undisputed for beating a 0-1-0 MMA fighter If Big Bang beats J-Park he will have beaten Big Joe Joyce x 2, J-Park and many feel Hrgovic too. AJ should be fighting Big Bang, Hrgovic or even rematching J-Park not Ngannou who AJ's own promoter say can lose to anyone in the top 100 So if Usyk beats Belly next AJ will be afforded yet another shot at trying to beat him which he categorically does not deserve. One of the judges came awfully close to robbing Usyk in the first fight and one actually did rob him in the rematch. That rivalry is over. That chapter is closed. Usyk whooped his ass x 2. Done. Game over. The end. In what alternate universe or reality does AJ ever have to fight someone he soundly beat twice a third time? He won't even given anyone he beat a rematch once even when he's 1-1 against them and they bounced him up and down off the canvas like a yo-yo and stopped him in the first fight and he ran like a thief in the night from them in the rematch. That score is settled, no need to revisit that one anymore ReMatchroom think AJ deserves as many rolls of the dice until they achieve the desired result but his opponents only ever deserve one roll Essex Boy creep you make me sick This content is protected
Its Saudis idea. Imo they cross finger for Fury and that's the fight they want Joshua vs Fury. I dont blame them for this. They wanted Wilder vs Joshua but Deontay destroyed it. Last gigantic possible fight is Joshua vs Fury. Other is not even half of that If You dont want it just cross finger for Usyk. If he win I doubt they want Joshua vs Usyk 3. And if Usyk will win, Fury have reematch (other way not). Then there is possibility to at last IBF being free belts.
If the belts don't get split up and if Zhang dismantles Parker, then Zhang deserves a shot more than AJ. Also, Zhang's got less time left in his career and I think he's earned the right for at least one big payday to retire on. AJ's got more time left, and he's already got at least $100 million bucks in his bank account. (And if Usyk is undisputed, do we really need AJ USYK 3?). Zhang deserves the opportunity. AJ can kill 6 more months fighting someone in the bottom of the top 10 or 15 for a $30 million payday. But if the IBF belt is up for grabs, as it likely will be, then Zhang vs AJ makes sense, assuming Zhang is victorious over Parker.
I was going to reply agreeing w/the OP. But you stated my views so well I'll leave it at that. I'll only add that Usyk-AJ 3 makes much less sense than Fury-Wilder 3 (Fury-Chisora 3 was ridiculous). You also addressed an issue that has bothered me for years. Why do some fighters get 2 (or more) chances to get the desired W (AJ being the no. 1 example), while most others don't. Why not AJ-Ruiz 3? Aren't they 1-1 and Andy w/the stoppage? I'd favor AJ but that's besides the point.
Best of Asia (Zhang) v Best of Oceania (Parker) Best of America (Wilder) has already fallen to Oceania. Best of Africa (Ajagba) v ??? Best of Europe (Fury v Usyk) v ??? One fighter. One name. The World's Warriors. Fight. This content is protected
