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I thought Wallin would put up more of a fight but I expected AJ to be less of what he displayed today. Will we get AJ and Hrgovic next? Perhaps Wilder finally faces off against Ruiz?
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I think you need to define what you mean by "boxer" and "fighter" ...
Because as far as I'm concerned, and I think most people, being a better boxer means being better at using the skills of boxing, which I broke down in at least a little detail for both of them. By that metric, Usyk is demonstrably a better boxer. He's a better fighter too, as evidenced by his pair of wins over AJ. You keep saying "textbook" as if that's supposed to just end conversation. What exactly do you think is IN the textbook, if not boxing skills?
On what planet is a good but limited boxer like AJ a better boxer than one of the most technical heavyweight boxers out there?
The two things that AJ has over Usyk are size and punching power. He doesn't have anything else.
He was a destroyer up until he got KOed by Ruiz. Then he got his belts back by being a boxer and outskilling Ruiz on points. Tried that against Usyk and got schooled. Came back and tried to be a bigger man, and got another lesson. Why? Because Usyk is more skilled. Eg, he's a better boxer. He's not bigger, he's not stronger, he doesn't hit harder. He wins because he's got more boxing tools in the toolbox. He's a better boxer. So you seem to have a very different definition of boxer, and I'm curious what that is.Comment
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I did already. A boxer is someone who relies on their boxing skills to fight. The textbook is the standard skills of boxing, basic things like footwork, punching, defensive techniques and being defensively responsible. Within those categories, you have more skills, like footwork includes cutting off the ring if you're a pressure fighter, or advanced skills like cutting angles to attack or defend and close distance and exit. Defensive skills include head movement and slot changes, blocks from various kinds of guards (typically high or Philly Shell, and more rarely long guard or cross guard), and more advanced skills like parries, body defenses, hand fighting. Punch skills include setting up shots, feinting with hands and feet, intelligent punch selection, having more punches in the arsenal that you can be effective with and knowing when to use them and how to set them up. There's a variety of clinch skills. Basic stuff like just how to crash the distance and tie up, slightly more advanced things like being able to turn your opponent or land offense from the clinch, and advanced skills with positioning, head and arm placement, using your opponent's reactions to set up offense and restrict their ability to hit back, using weight if you're bigger, or how to use their weight against them if you are smaller, etc. That's just a sample of the various boxing skills. The more of these skills you are able to employ effectively, the better boxer you are.
A fighter is a person who fights. There's nothing more to it. A puncher relies on their punching power. A pressure fighter relies on footwork and typically a high guard to walk opponents down. A boxer relies on boxing skills. An outfighter relies on being able to use footwork and long weapons like a jab and countering to keep the range long. Infighters use footwork and head movement to get inside and rely on their clinch fighting and inside shots to break opponents down. Etc.
Usyk has demonstrated a much larger skillset than AJ, so he's a better boxer. AJ is kinda like Spence. He does the basics well, and even that much is rare at heavyweight, which is usually the least skilled division. So he's a good solid boxer-puncher.
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lol you need to release your brain from its straight-jacket, sounds like the buckles are too tight.Comment
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