I don't think anyone can blame Joshua for this TBH.
Ever since he was essentially gifted the Olympic Gold medal, he has been surrounded people creating a very specific image and careful career trajectory.
He never had the tough upbringing that his spin doctors promote, in reality he is a bit of a mommy's boy and obviously not particularly reflective in his personality.
Can't blame the guy for making an absolute fortune and becoming one of the most famous boxers of recent times, but the mask slipped after Ruiz beat him and it's clear to see.
He will never win another HW title and perhaps he should retire and live a very comfortable lifestyle.
Stay humble young Femi...
You choose who you surround yourself with
If you're a grown ass man and you've surrounded yourself with yes men then it's your fault and you lack perception skills.
Even if he had a hand selected bunch of people who are perfectly aligned to help him become a better person or boxer then would he be able to process the information that is being given by them? probably not.
Robert Garcia turned into a yes man for him...says everything you need to know about AJ. He is dumb & stubborn just like Wilder.
Now that's a good take right there...however is he happy and secure for life? probably and that's the real win. His mental break against Usyk shows that he isn't content though.
The problem with not fighting Usyk is there wasn’t another bigger standout fight on the table at the time. So it wouldn’t been seen as a very blatant duck, there would’ve been no amount of PR spinning to make it look like anything else.
You can get away with ducking a fight if there’s a bigger fight on the table at that moment in time, but Wilder and Fury were tied up fighting each other a month after the first Usyk fight. Who else could he have fought where people would’ve accepted it as a far better or bigger fight? Nobody really.
They were pretty much backed into a corner and it was fight, or completely duck a fight with no way of spinning it.
It's a mandatory... you can always spin that. Eddie actually did quite a good job of it (he made it fairly clear he didn't think Joshua should fight Usyk).
And he could have done what they all do... say he's building towards a mega fight with the winner of Fury and Wilder. Just as Fury did recently. As Wilder did for years. As Joshua himself has done. The chance of a mega fight excuses the making of all kinds of fights.
He's BEEN derailed lol. He was knocked out my guy, hello =---> anybody home?
You literally don't think for yourself. You just go with what the media says and lock onto it. AJ looked terrible in the rematch and the fight was less competitive.
He got knocked out by a flat blob, stepping in potholes, flopping around like a flounder out of water.
He didn't use any rough house tactics though lol. :dunno:
What is Andy Ruiz Junior doing now? How long did he hold onto the title? Not very long.
Anthony Joshua beat him in the re-match, Joshua avenged his loss. Now this does not change the fact that he was beaten, but when a fighter steps back inside the ring with a fighter who has beaten them before 'They are testing themselves, and Joshua passed that test'.
Sitting here right now? We know that Anthony Joshua has the ability, to avenge a loss and rectify himself.
History shows, that Joshua win or lose fights better in rematches. He lost vs Usyk II, but he fought a considerably better fight.
Skill for skill, that was one of Joshua's best performances. Usyk vs Joshua II, was a higher level fight skill for skill more than Wilder vs Fury III.
Note: I never stated that Joshua used rough house tactics. I stated that Robert Garcia understood, that Joshua needed to develop inside game, and acquire the ability to use rough house tactics.
Against Usyk II, there were signs that Joshua's inside game had improve ever so slightly, as he did produce some good body punching from mid-range and on the inside 'And this work did have a effect of Usyk'.
Joshua momentum has not completely been derailed. He has not suffered that type of loss, people that know boxing? Know what I am saying is correct 'Anthony Joshua is still a very capable fighter'.
He's a yes man himself. You always end up in the pocket of society's elite past a certain tax bracket. comes with all those sponsorship deals etc no such thing as a free lunch.
An example would be his timely anti white business owner tirade around the time the blm movement was picking up steam. He was told by handlers to participate I'm sure of it. He was also named most marketable (advertisable) athlete a short time before this which ensures a widespread audience for the intended message he was to deliver.
Yes, and I said it at the time. The smart move was to not fight Usyk. It was defensible too - he'd just fought mandatories and a rematch.
But the reason I respect Joshua is that he's been consistent. Said he wanted Undisputed and fought who he needed to fight.
The problem with not fighting Usyk is there wasn’t another bigger standout fight on the table at the time. So it wouldn’t been seen as a very blatant duck, there would’ve been no amount of PR spinning to make it look like anything else.
You can get away with ducking a fight if there’s a bigger fight on the table at that moment in time, but Wilder and Fury were tied up fighting each other a month after the first Usyk fight. Who else could he have fought where people would’ve accepted it as a far better or bigger fight? Nobody really.
They were pretty much backed into a corner and it was fight, or completely duck a fight with no way of spinning it.
Remember when you thought AJ was gonna be the best HW of this era?
Didn’t you say he was gonna be one of the greatest heavyweight’s of all time?
:lol1: :lol1:
Loooool.
He also thinks Hrgovic is the next big thing.
Do you think it would have been a wise choice for him to vacate some of his belts and let them fall where they may? Chart his own course in terms of who he fought, like the great Floyd Mayweather chose to?
Yes, and I said it at the time. The smart move was to not fight Usyk. It was defensible too - he'd just fought mandatories and a rematch.
But the reason I respect Joshua is that he's been consistent. Said he wanted Undisputed and fought who he needed to fight.
Wilders entire career is controlled by a little old white guy ( though it’s Wilder accusing others of slavery in boxing lol ) and a boxing advisor who fires anyone who dares try and make a fight with Joshua so I’d say you have to really be out of touch with reality bringing this subject up as though Wilder and Joshua’s careers are even comparable .
The only thing Wilders allowed to do himself with permission is pick who he puts in his training camp , coaches ,sparring partners etc but it ends there .
Remember when you thought AJ was gonna be the best HW of this era?
Didn’t you say he was gonna be one of the greatest heavyweight’s of all time?
:lol1: :lol1:
I don't rank Joshua as number 1 now, but? When you analyse his resume.
Nobody has really truly derailed his momentum yet.
Ruiz Junior beat him once, but then Joshua avenged that loss.
And he fought Usyk twice back to back, lost on points. The second fight was more competitive, probably skill for skill Joshua's best performance.
A points loss is not as dramatic or catastrophic as people and even Joshua himself is making out.
Joshua has not been brutally knocked out, and even during his worst loss? He was still competitive, he decked Ruiz Junior etc.
I liked Robert Garcia as his trainer, because he understood that Joshua needed to improve his inside game 'And the ability to use rough house tactics'.
Joshua out of all the current active heavyweights, has the most experience of fighting at World & Elite level.
I think he has a big entourage, which is maybe unnecessary. And I think he should simplify his training template.
Ether Joshua wants to be a boxer 100% or not. All this business talk needs to decrease, just train and fight 'Simplify the template'.
I am not really impressed with his up and coming potential fight vs Whyte, but I understand match making wise why his team want it to happen.
I don`t know. But I know I pick Usyk to beat everybody in division, except Joyce and Fury and these are 50 -50 fights.
Joshua losing to Usyk doesn`t mean he sucks. He still beats the most of other guys.
Ruiz loss was a fluke and he revenged it.
Ruiz ruined him psychologically. He hasn't been the same since.
I don`t know. But I know I pick Usyk to beat everybody in division, except Joyce and Fury and these are 50 -50 fights.
Joshua losing to Usyk doesn`t mean he sucks. He still beats the most of other guys.
Ruiz loss was a fluke and he revenged it.
I suspect Joshua was the yes man. Sheffield was comfortable for his team - so he stayed in Sheffield. He should have changed things up a long time ago but that advice was never coming from his team. Turkeys don't vote for Christmas.
People on here massively underestimate his ability. He could still be at the top of the sport... think about it, don't take the replacement after Miller popped, and certainly don't fight Usyk. He was all wrong for Joshua. There's a raft of top 10 guys Joshua would continue to beat.
I respect his approach. He charged after Undisputed. But if he wasn't chasing that there's every chance he'd still be number one, undefeated and holding at least one belt.
Do you think it would have been a wise choice for him to vacate some of his belts and let them fall where they may? Chart his own course in terms of who he fought, like the great Floyd Mayweather chose to?
I suspect Joshua was the yes man. Sheffield was comfortable for his team - so he stayed in Sheffield. He should have changed things up a long time ago but that advice was never coming from his team. Turkeys don't vote for Christmas.
People on here massively underestimate his ability. He could still be at the top of the sport... think about it, don't take the replacement after Miller popped, and certainly don't fight Usyk. He was all wrong for Joshua. There's a raft of top 10 guys Joshua would continue to beat.
I respect his approach. He charged after Undisputed. But if he wasn't chasing that there's every chance he'd still be number one, undefeated and holding at least one belt.
Anthony Joshua was surrounded by too many yes men and focused on technology rather than old school training.
Epic fail!
Anthony Joshua made a huge mistake by surrounding himself with yes men and focusing on technology rather than old school training. As a result, he suffered a humiliating defeat. This just goes to show that sometimes the old ways are the best.
I dunno. His problem with his losses so far has really been his inability to adjust or grit his teeth and persevere when the going gets tough. That could be a training problem or it could be an inherent flaw. Maybe a mix of both. I don't know if heart is even something you can teach, and if you can it's surely not something done easily.