Thoughts on Joshua's place in HISTORY

[Willow The Wisp]

Vitali didn't toy with an old and unmotivated Lennox Lewis who had his eyes on Hollywood, did he?

He certainly aint gonna toy with somebody with the right-had of Wilder or the size & skills of Fury.

The Klitschkos were lucky to be in the era of big stiffs or overmatched smaller guys like David Haye & Eddie Chambers.

Well said! You've got this thing fully understood where many are in some form of denial, on and on about Furys physique or Wilders footwork or other irrelevant criticisms that simply don't follow them into the ring. We all have our favorite fighters, that's how you get hooked on this sport.

But the reality...... is that we are in the middle of a GREAT Heavyweight era right now, and only a handful of the heavyweights who primed during the Klitschko era would squeeze into today's top 15. That era (those eras) was comparatively Weak!

Furthermore......

Tyson Fury AND Deontay Wilder would, In my considered opinion, outfox or smash up each of the following former top heavyweights of recent vintage, Prime vs. Prime:

10. Evander Holyfield, US
11.Vitali Klitschko, Ukraine
12.Anthony Joshua, UK
13.Ken Norton, US
14.Rid**** Bowe, US
15.Jerry Quarry, US
16.Jimmy Young, US
17.Ron Lyle, US
18.Earnie Shavers, US
19.Tim Witherspoon, US
20.Gerry Cooney, US
21.Andy Ruiz Jr., US
22.Mike Weaver, US
23.Gerrie Coetzee, South Africa
24.Joe Bugner, UK
25.Michael Dokes, US
26.Ike Ibeabuchi, Nigeria
27.Frank Bruno, UK
28.Oleksandr Usyk, Ukraine
29.Joe Joyce, UK
30.David Tua, New Zealand
31.Michael Spinks, US
32.Alexander Povetkin, Russia
33.Luis Ortiz, Cuba
34.Pinklon Thomas, US
35.Donovan Razor Rud****, Canada

Roll em' each right up and Smoke em'!

[Marchegiano]

He has time to become relevant in terms of ATG but as it stands I don't think he's fit to mention next to ATG names. Not at HW, not at p4p, and not at h2h. He's a slapnuts, brothers.

I like that he's trying different trainers, trying to change up his game, but he should give some new management a thought too. Nothing, not his losses, has made him look weaker than the excuses made for not being part of the few big fights available in this era.

[QueensburyRules]

He has time to become relevant in terms of ATG but as it stands I don't think he's fit to mention next to ATG names. Not at HW, not at p4p, and not at h2h. He's a slapnuts, brothers.

I like that he's trying different trainers, trying to change up his game, but he should give some new management a thought too. Nothing, not his losses, has made him look weaker than the excuses made for not being part of the few big fights available in this era.

- - AJ righted the ship of fools run on the rocks of boxing left by Blubbeth. Unified the belts and gave the great champ Wlad a crack at them in a FOY performance.

Made more money than any fighter ever for the number of fights he's had, and the collective ducked purses by top heavies scared to fight AJ is another new record for him. Promoted UK Olympics with $$$ and time.

He could retire tomorrow and not miss a beat no matter what his critics think of him.

[Willow The Wisp]

- - AJ righted the ship of fools run on the rocks of boxing left by Blubbeth. Unified the belts and gave the great champ Wlad a crack at them in a FOY performance.

Made more money than any fighter ever for the number of fights he's had, and the collective ducked purses by top heavies scared to fight AJ is another new record for him. Promoted UK Olympics with $$$ and time.

He could retire tomorrow and not miss a beat no matter what his critics think of him.

I'll bite. You can't be serious all the time, so this comes strictly from my inner child:

Much of what you're saying here is true.
But the same could also be said of Jake Paul, another media created fighter.
I suppose the biggest distinction between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul, aside from Paul winning his fights; is that Paul has enough balls to fight a member of the Fury clan!

[Marchegiano]

- - AJ righted the ship of fools run on the rocks of boxing left by Blubbeth. Unified the belts and gave the great champ Wlad a crack at them in a FOY performance.

Made more money than any fighter ever for the number of fights he's had, and the collective ducked purses by top heavies scared to fight AJ is another new record for him. Promoted UK Olympics with $$$ and time.

He could retire tomorrow and not miss a beat no matter what his critics think of him.

He asked ATG not HOF.

Wlad's lucky to be counted as an ATG himself and even then we don't often count leftover wins against a man who was once great as great wins. I just got done responding to Ivich about Jackson-Jeffries and Ivich ain't wrong there. Jackson was a tired win at best.

Joshua unified 3/4 of the belts ... That's not very ATG. That's more great in his era. There's plenty of undisputed champions in HW history.

The money he made is irrelevant. It's not a HOF question. I do think Joshua's a famer, just not a great, yet.

He could retire tomorrow and be well celebrated. Doesn't make him an ATG. His legend won't hold water against the likes of Louis, Dempsey, Ali, and so on.

[kara]

He asked ATG not HOF.

Wlad's lucky to be counted as an ATG himself and even then we don't often count leftover wins against a man who was once great as great wins. I just got done responding to Ivich about Jackson-Jeffries and Ivich ain't wrong there. Jackson was a tired win at best.

Joshua unified 3/4 of the belts ... That's not very ATG. That's more great in his era. There's plenty of undisputed champions in HW history.

The money he made is irrelevant. It's not a HOF question. I do think Joshua's a famer, just not a great, yet.

He could retire tomorrow and be well celebrated. Doesn't make him an ATG. His legend won't hold water against the likes of Louis, Dempsey, Ali, and so on.

Joshua was matched very well to win his belts - old, inactive klitschko, martin and parker.

[Marchegiano]

Joshua was matched very well to win his belts - old, inactive klitschko, martin and parker.

Parker and Martin should have never even gotten title fights tbh. Nor Glaz for that matter.

Joshua's been matched well his entire career and still managed to **** it up.

[QueensburyRules]

He asked ATG not HOF.

Wlad's lucky to be counted as an ATG himself and even then we don't often count leftover wins against a man who was once great as great wins. I just got done responding to Ivich about Jackson-Jeffries and Ivich ain't wrong there. Jackson was a tired win at best.

Joshua unified 3/4 of the belts ... That's not very ATG. That's more great in his era. There's plenty of undisputed champions in HW history.

The money he made is irrelevant. It's not a HOF question. I do think Joshua's a famer, just not a great, yet.

He could retire tomorrow and be well celebrated. Doesn't make him an ATG. His legend won't hold water against the likes of Louis, Dempsey, Ali, and so on.

- - HOF and ATG are totally subjective.

As much popularity and $$$ as AJ has enjoyed, boxing, ie the business of boxing has screwed him over. I know it, he knows it, and it's a bit like Big George when he retired prematurely after getting run around by DKing who ruined boxing then as much as Haymon is now.

George's spectacular comeback showed the lost potential of what he was. Joshua has already shown his potential by all the big money purses a half dozen top heavys have turned down to fight him. Fat Andy and Usyk the only top guys willing to take a chance to rate higher by my standards than the typical hot mess of boxing ratings.

[kara]

Parker and Martin should have never even gotten title fights tbh. Nor Glaz for that matter.

Joshua's been matched well his entire career and still managed to **** it up.

I think they underestimated Ruiz and Usyk is a real talent

[Willow The Wisp]

I think they underestimated Ruiz and Usyk is a real talent

And likewise, overestimated Joshua. I'll always wonder what would have happened if the Joshua team had manned up and took the Big Baby Miller fight inspite of test results. Let's don't forget that Andy Ruiz was brought in as a last minute substitute, and Miller punk shoved Joshua. Not a Mr. Nice guy like, say Parker. AJs best win under 40 or under 280.