My confidence in Joshua has gone down drastically

[LacedUp]

Everyone here knows I basically introduced AJ to this forum when he was ABA champion.

He lived up to my expectations for a long time and then some, but I feel like his last two performances were horrible. But it wasn't like it was new..

He didn't look good against Takam or Parker either, and whilst the Povetkin fight was a decent one, even that wasn't without troubles.

At first I looked past it, but I've begun to see a pattern.

Seeing him run around from the fat mexican still is a bit embarrassing imo. Despite him needing to do whatever he needed to do.

Just a bit comical to see such a big guy afraid of exchanging with a small chubby guy.

Where's your confidence in AJ currently?

[BangEM]

No, you just flow with the weather like yer lil dog, LDBC Slayer. And it’s very typical when it comes to glory hunters.

When has your new hero, Fury, ever looked great against anyone apart from the Fury vs Wilder 2?

He wasn’t fighting bums, so there would be spurts in fights where he would get caught at championship level. And everyone who watched the Ruiz fight knew he wasn’t right for the fight.

I guess Mayweather was also ***** bcos Maidana almost sparked him and was saved by the bell. And he was almost knocked out by an over-the-hill Shane Mosley.

YDKSAB! And your channel is trash. LMAOOO

[KingHippo]

How in the **** was his last performance horrible??? If anything, it established a faith I never actually had in him. Do you like boxing or just fights?

[ramplamp]

I'm with you, OP. Watching AJ fight now, I constantly have concerns over his chin. I'm not even particularly confident he'll get through Pulev, which is a shame because we'd all love to see the AJ/Fury fight.

[removed]

I'm glad these Joshua fans are now seeing the light and realising that they backed the wrong horse.

Tyson Fury is the real deal in the HW division, not AJ.

[VatoMulatto]

I was impressed with the way AJ won the rematch. I think AJ is in a good place and looking forward to see him take on and beat Pulev.

[TMLT87]

His level of opposition is consistently strong, and although hes probably the 2nd best HW overall its not like hes so far ahead of the rest of the pack that he should be beating top 10 level opponents easily. Ruiz and Parker might have the best chins in the division + better hand speed than AJ. Povetkin is Povetkin. Takam headbutted him and broke his nose early in the fight.

[Toffee]

We just saw Joshua make a massive adjustment and win very, very comfortably. That doesn't dent my confidence in him at all.

My only doubt remains how he responds to being buzzed. I didn't like how he responded to Klitschko, even though he eventually recovered. And obviously he didn't recover against Ruiz. More to the point he kept over committing at a time when he needed to just get his senses back.

But I'm guessing he learned a lot from those fights. And should be a better fighter for it.

[The plunger man]

Doubts will always creep in if a fighter gets stopped or knocked out especially heavyweights as it can end with one shot.
Joshua did a shut out on Ruiz in the rematch And showed another aspect to his game and good stamina.....before people were saying he cannot move around the ring fluidly and gases after 8 rounds and debunked that myth
Joshua does have some vulnerabilities in his game that’s just how he is but has also faced off with consistently better fighters than any other heavyweight.
This Ruiz fight was a must win fight and Joshua instead of him going back in the ring heavy and relying on bulk he toned down had a game plan and used his superior boxing ability to carry out a clinic....he’s added another level to his game now and to me that’s a sign of good fighter.
When you look at the level of fighters Joshua has faced off compared with fury it’s a no contest.
December and the pulev fight will give us a good idea on the Anthony Joshua story ...personally I think he destroys pulev and sends a message to fury.
Did you have these thoughts about fury when he almost got beat by wallin ?

[sunny31]

Everyone here knows I basically introduced AJ to this forum when he was ABA champion.

He lived up to my expectations for a long time and then some, but I feel like his last two performances were horrible. But it wasn't like it was new..

He didn't look good against Takam or Parker either, and whilst the Povetkin fight was a decent one, even that wasn't without troubles.

At first I looked past it, but I've begun to see a pattern.

Seeing him run around from the fat mexican still is a bit embarrassing imo. Despite him needing to do whatever he needed to do.

Just a bit comical to see such a big guy afraid of exchanging with a small chubby guy.

Where's your confidence in AJ currently?

I think you obviously went all in early doors which was your first and major mistake.

It is super hard to become a professional boxer, and only a minuscule % of people who try boxing make it to any sort of level. So like most sports to make it to championship level is a super rare. AJ is part of an even more rare group of individuals who has managed to do it as a late starter to boxing. Someone like that was never going to be unbeatable, the habits, and technique just doesnt form the way it does for someone who starts at 10 or under.

AJ is actually a super freak at boxing to come as far as he has. I think he is a freak athlete who processes super well, there is no other way to explain how he has got to where he has. He is never going to have the fundamentals or foundations of someone like Lennox Lewis or even some of today's heavies, it's just not possible.

The main issues is your expectations were too high, he was never going to be the flawless conqueror that you thought he would be, due to that late start. He is what he is, very talented, some things he does exceptionally well, but he has very exploit-able flaws. I think he is an improving fighter, and couldn't disagree more about Ruiz, I was actually super impressed with AJ. He showed a lot of stamina and discipline in the second fight, it's not like he was throwing "stay away from me punches" either. He buzzed Ruiz several times, busted him up with the jab, and yes he moved and used plenty of the ring. Some guys you just cant knock out.

My opinion of him has not changed that much since Whyte. Very good fighter, capable of beating elite fighters, but also capable of losing to less than elite fighters. Everyone is writing him off against Fury, but I expect a pretty close and cagey fight. I think it's a really interesting clash of styles, I would not write Joshua off, although Fury is the better fighter and would have better results through a gauntlet of tough competition, does not mean he beats Joshua on a particular night. AJ can put punches together, has dynamite in his hands, and is smart...if he is able to protect his chin, he is dangerous for just about anyone in history. But at the same time I wouldnt be surprised if Pulev KOd him, that encapsulates AJ for me