Comments Thread For: Joshua: I don't respect Fury, little respect for many at heavyweight

[Rubber Ducky]

Joshua needs to get his back end back into training. He has been slipping into some areas lately on twitter and in interviews which tell me he is getting distracted. He needs the outlet of an opponent to focus on, and the Parker fight is legit enough to do the trick.

He has never been the top dog before. Now, he is the payday everyone wants. I am not sure he is handling it well. 2018 has the potential to carve out where he will be perceived historically. He may have a chance to unify all the belts and fight the lineal HW champ. (I don't care about that at all, but tons of boxing writers and fans of the history of the sport still do.)

He needs his focus. One opponent, one fight, move on. I would favor a focused Joshua over any of the current crop of foes. But this version of Joshua, being all defensive? Not sure I like that.

Interesting points you have brought up and I suspect you're right. Being the man on top is harder, it's always better to be the hunter than the prey.

Many fighters have lost some of their drive once they get the money and the adulation and recent events might be a sign of that.

Hopefully with him planning to fight 3 times a year next year he'll have less time to be distracted and focus on the boxing.

[hugh grant]

I'm sure fury respects any top fighter but seems to have eye on selling fight

[b d w]

Does that bother you??? When he says that???

Not really dude, it’s called making a joke.

[springfiels]

Joshua needs to get his back end back into training. He has been slipping into some areas lately on twitter and in interviews which tell me he is getting distracted. He needs the outlet of an opponent to focus on, and the Parker fight is legit enough to do the trick.

He has never been the top dog before. Now, he is the payday everyone wants. I am not sure he is handling it well. 2018 has the potential to carve out where he will be perceived historically. He may have a chance to unify all the belts and fight the lineal HW champ. (I don't care about that at all, but tons of boxing writers and fans of the history of the sport still do.)

He needs his focus. One opponent, one fight, move on. I would favor a focused Joshua over any of the current crop of foes. But this version of Joshua, being all defensive? Not sure I like that.

Have to agree with this...

I think the fact he has a management company already and is actively co-promoting Okolie vs Chamberlain also points towards massive distractions and money-grabbing...

Someone mentioned Mayweather and DLH when I said this, but both were well established and deep into their elite level careers when they got on the promotional bandwagon... and even then only as a vehicle to take more of the pie for themselves, not actually as active proper promoters.

Think there is a danger of AJ and Hearn being sucked into believing their own hype here...

[Carlisle]

All of these super heavyweights are just as sensitive as they are big. Fury couldn’t handle the press, Wilder can’t handle the press and Joshua can’t handle the press. They all want to be recognized as the best but this ain’t Facebook. There’s no friend or like button in the squared circle. Earn your respect in the ring not on social media and in the press.

[Holler]

Have to agree with this...

I think the fact he has a management company already and is actively co-promoting Okolie vs Chamberlain also points towards massive distractions and money-grabbing...

Someone mentioned Mayweather and DLH when I said this, but both were well established and deep into their elite level careers when they got on the promotional bandwagon... and even then only as a vehicle to take more of the pie for themselves, not actually as active proper promoters.

Think there is a danger of AJ and Hearn being sucked into believing their own hype here...

I think he's doing the right thing, preparing for life out of the ring. Time will tell, but I think you're overestimating the level of distraction. He'll spend a couple of evenings at a boxing event, do a couple of interviews, lend his star power to raise the profile of his fighters and all of the legwork will be done by others.

Of course if he loses in the ring observers will point to this of his other commercial activities as evidence of him taking his eye off the ball, but there's little evidence of this being a factor so far.

[soul_survivor]

The division is stacked full of fat guys, so yeah, why should he respect them?

With regards to Fury, AJ doesn't have to respect the man, honestly who would respect a drunkard, a drug addict and a man who has wasted his millions on addiction?

But AJ does respect Fury the fight. Make no bones about it.

[springfiels]

I think he's doing the right thing, preparing for life out of the ring. Time will tell, but I think you're overestimating the level of distraction. He'll spend a couple of evenings at a boxing event, do a couple of interviews, lend his star power to raise the profile of his fighters and all of the legwork will be done by others.

Of course if he loses in the ring observers will point to this of his other commercial activities as evidence of him taking his eye off the ball, but there's little evidence of this being a factor so far.

Yeah possibly, and as you say time will tell. If he looks devastating against Parker and blasts him out, it’s irrelevant and everyone is back on AJ being the biggest thing in boxing...

Just a bit surprised he’s looking at these kinda ‘life after boxing’ moves when he is literally at the start of his world title career with 3-4 huge unification and domestic scraps there for him.

Now is the time to be hungry af and only thinking of boxing, boxing and more boxing IMHO...

[Holler]

Yeah possibly, and as you say time will tell. If he looks devastating against Parker and blasts him out, it’s irrelevant and everyone is back on AJ being the biggest thing in boxing...

Just a bit surprised he’s looking at these kinda ‘life after boxing’ moves when he is literally at the start of his world title career with 3-4 huge unification and domestic scraps there for him.

Now is the time to be hungry af and only thinking of boxing, boxing and more boxing IMHO...

If I were advising him I'd tell him that the time to begin planning for his post boxing career is now. His promotional activity becomes a part of the wider building of his brand.

I also think he may not fight on as long as some may think. Again, if I were advising him I'd tell him that unification would secure his legacy and after a couple of big defences he would conceivably be tempted to hang up his gloves as one f the greatest, richest and healthiest of all the heavyweights.

[Boksfan]

Nobody respects Fury, he's a drug cheat clown who's riding on his one and only notable victory in entire career.