Are Anthony Joshua's handlers progressing him along perfectly?

[cupocity303]

He's had his fair share of bums. Then a few over-the-hill former names, and then they took a calculate risk by having him face Whyte, which was a good Test.

And now he is fighting Wladimir Klitschko at the perfect time, with a year layoff and at age 40. Again, another good test with no guaranteed outcome. But should he win, he will be perfectly positioned to take on all the prime heavyweights like Wilder and Fury.

Wilder on the other hand, has been over-protect which will hurt him as his skills haven't progressed from experience against progressively better opposition. He almost has 40 wins.

Both Wilder and Joshua are cherry pickers but i'm simply pointing out which one was more productive and will pay dividends and which will not. Wilder is still getting rocked by second tier heavyweights, not because he is this bum, but because he hasn't been moved properly.

[ShoulderRoll]

The timing of his cycles seems to be immaculate, that's for sure.

[cupocity303]

The timing of his cycles seems to be immaculate, that's for sure.

That too. That's for sure.

[Redd Foxx]

The timing of his cycles seems to be immaculate, that's for sure.

lol

I think he's gone a little too slowly but the UK fans are still ga-ga for him so what do I know.... (then again, search the words "boxing hypejob" and his pic returns the most entries)

Getting a stiffer challenge before Wlad would have been smart, IMO. If Klitschko shows up to fight, AJ will start to look very green for the lack of pressure or adversity in the past.

[cupocity303]

lol

I think he's gone a little too slowly but the UK fans are still ga-ga for him so what do I know.... (then again, search the words "boxing hypejob" and his pic returns the most entries)

Getting a stiffer challenge before Wlad would have been smart, IMO. If Klitschko shows up to fight, AJ will start to look very green for the lack of pressure or adversity in the past.

I think a 39 year old Wlad with only 6 months of inactivity is perhaps too much. You can still take comfort in knowing that he is coming off a loss, but otherwise the erosion of skills is less likely.

On the other hand, a 40 year old Wlad with over a year of inactivity, against a very active Joshua, is the perfect time to strike.

Wilder could've had this experience too had he fought Alexander already (which is Povetkin's fault), but now he is stuck fighting C level skilled guy in his hometown, just padding that record.

Joshua's 18 fights have been more productive than Wilder's almost 40 fights. Wilder has not learned anything new since facing Stiverne.

[SplitSecond]

He's been moved along perfectly. It's how most fighters should be moved along. Every fight he takes a step forward, and he's been busy, which is great for keeping your name and face around long enough to build a following. Some great opportunities presented themselves for Joshua and he took them, all whilst gradually moving forward. 19th fight and he will be a unified champ.

When you also give the fighter the feeling of forward momentum they get into a roll. Joshua has been improving with every fight, and that shows he's on a roll striving for the next level. Padding a guys record just causes him to stagnate or do dumbsht like Golovkin letting people hit him to make a fight out of a mismatch.

[cupocity303]

I'm just taking a broader look at who will do best in the LONGEVITY department and still be a top guy in the next 5 to 7 years. Joshua seems to be best positioned, unless he has a Mike Tyson-esque meltdown and starts abusing drugs, alcohol and fornicating with women, on top of other distractions.

Wilder strikes me as the kind of guy that after the first loss, he will drop off the map completely and start getting knocked out by even lower skilled guys than Joshua.

[juggernaut666]

If he can beat Wlad he can beat anyone.

[juggernaut666]

He's been moved along perfectly. It's how most fighters should be moved along. Every fight he takes a step forward, and he's been busy, which is great for keeping your name and face around long enough to build a following. Some great opportunities presented themselves for Joshua and he took them, all whilst gradually moving forward. 19th fight and he will be a unified champ.

When you also give the fighter the feeling of forward momentum they get into a roll. Joshua has been improving with every fight, and that shows he's on a roll striving for the next level. Padding a guys record just causes him to stagnate or do dumbsht like Golovkin letting people hit him to make a fight out of a mismatch.

This ^^^^^^

[cupocity303]

He's been moved along perfectly. It's how most fighters should be moved along. Every fight he takes a step forward, and he's been busy, which is great for keeping your name and face around long enough to build a following. Some great opportunities presented themselves for Joshua and he took them, all whilst gradually moving forward. 19th fight and he will be a unified champ.

When you also give the fighter the feeling of forward momentum they get into a roll. Joshua has been improving with every fight, and that shows he's on a roll striving for the next level. Padding a guys record just causes him to stagnate or do dumbsht like Golovkin letting people hit him to make a fight out of a mismatch.

Good post. I agree completely. It's almost like plateauing in the gym, being stuck in the same routine. Wilder seems to derive his energy and high from being the "Undefeated Champ", not from having beaten high level opposition.

Once he loses that aura, he will be completely done. Joshua on the other hand with his improving skills from being tested progressively, will not go away from one loss.