Is Anthony Joshua surrounded by yes men?

[El_Mero]

Like we all accused Wilder of being?

Just as Wilders was, AJs is, definitely.

[deathofaclown]

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.

[Gideon lock]

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 *** 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.

[PRINCEKOOL]

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.

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'.

[Toffee]

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.

[PhillyShellSlick]

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.

Except the real threat, BOMB SQUAAAAAAAAAAD.

AJ should retire immediately to avoid the shame.

[miniq]

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.

[alexguiness]

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...