Legit question - Was that fight stopped prematurely?

[j0zef]

Possibly, but I can't blame the ref. He wasn't really getting hit in that corner.

Wlad looked bad after the 2nd KD, then went down again. You can't get KD'd twice in a minute span then be in the corner not returning fire. 10/10 refs stops it there.

[The Gambler1981]

Wlad looked like he was done, Joshua did the right thing and forced the issue on a hurt tired man.

He might not have landed anything but it was clearly fair enough.

[.!WAR MIKEY!.]

Yes, not a single punch landed on Wlad in that last run AJ tried when Wlad got up, it looked like he was putting pressure but wlad was able to see it coming and feel/sense it and was slipping all those punches not a single punch landed (THIS IS EFFECTIVELY PROTECTION YOURSELF).

No reason to stop that fight at that time. Not saying the ref is bought or anything was just a bad premature call the ref got caught up in the SENSE/FEEL of the fight that AJ had wlad at his mercy but when you take a look at it it was just wlad slipping punching trying to recoupe and AJ trying to pull a Oscar De La Hoya with his punches that dont matter to get it called adn it worked. AJ worked the ref for the victory didnt take it from wlad.

[Jarisleif]

Wlad was finished, nobody wanted to see him in a sorry state on the canvas. I'm sure we all respect what he's done for boxing over the years.

[sunny31]

No because Wlad was not throwing back and had already been down twice in the round. He put the referee in a position to call it, and he did. Always better safe than sorry in those situations.

[Uncle Rodge]

Yes, not a single punch landed on Wlad in that last run AJ tried when Wlad got up, it looked like he was putting pressure but wlad was able to see it coming and feel/sense it and was slipping all those punches not a single punch landed (THIS IS EFFECTIVELY PROTECTION YOURSELF).

No reason to stop that fight at that time. Not saying the ref is bought or anything was just a bad premature call the ref got caught up in the SENSE/FEEL of the fight that AJ had wlad at his mercy but when you take a look at it it was just wlad slipping punching trying to recoupe and AJ trying to pull a Oscar De La Hoya with his punches that dont matter to get it called adn it worked. AJ worked the ref for the victory didnt take it from wlad.

Blind/Biased/dropped on head at birth.

[Skip Bayless]

a little bit, personally would have let it go on because wlad still had his wits about him but its better sooner than later.

[!! Shawn]

I thought it myself and I'm reading a lot of people online saying the same.

AJ was not landing when Wlad was on the ropes - why did the ref stop it when he wasn't being hit? Especially after allowing him to continue after the second knockdown.

Discuss...

I think so given that Joshua wasn't really landing anything before it was stopped, there was no exclamation mark punch where its like ok step in.

And given how badly Joshua punched him out the first time he went after Klitschko, and how well he came back from that, I think it would have been fair to give him the benefit of the doubt.

[!! Shawn]

Wlad looked like he was done, Joshua did the right thing and forced the issue on a hurt tired man.

He might not have landed anything but it was clearly fair enough.

I don't think Wlad looked that tired. He got clipped with a really good shot, he was recovering and joshua looked like he was starting to punch himself out a bit again.

[Reloaded]

I think it was, Klit wasn't getting hit hard when it was stopped and AJ would have stopped throwing in a few more seconds, that's how they fight in 30 second spurts, it could have quite easily been a case of AJ starts blowing and Vlad weathers it and comes back for his 30 second burst that nearly had AJ out earlier.

Yes I thought the bout was stopped prematurely.