The thread about Boxing

RodneyCharltonTrotta said:

bobmunro said:

RodneyCharltonTrotta said:

MrOneLung said:

I don’t think AJ really wants to fight Fury 

After the way he made Klitschko and more so Wilder look I don't blame him.

I like Joshua and would like him to be remembered as a great but for me he would need to face and beat Fury and sooner rather than later to have any chance of that prospect.

I always thought he was the best in the world above wilder and fury but seeing what fury did to wilder earlier this year changed my mind. 

Sad thing is there really doesn't seem to be much of a new generation coming through behind them but I suppose there are far more appealing routes to making a living these days without risking brain damage each time you go to work.

Wilder is a very limited boxer who won his fights because opponents stood off him in fear of his over hand right. The problem with that is standing off gave him the room and time to throw bombs - Fury walked him down and showed Wilder up for the poor boxer he is.

For me, Fury/Joshua is a pick'em fight - no reason why either should fear the other.

On your last point, most boxers come from a background that see boxing as their only chance to make a serious living.

Historically without doubt yes and in parts of the world still yes but I imagine there a vastly more options open to many potential boxers these days than 30 or 50 years ago.  So few make it to earn a living above what could be earned elsewhere for far less required discipline, dedication and hardship, certainly in the UK these days.

Most who come through in the UK these days will likely be through choice rather than necessity/ only way to make a serious living and early on they'll know very early on in their pro careers if they have enough hype and promotion and ticket selling ability behind them to get on the track to have a chance of earning silly money. 

Of course in many parts of the world that hasn't change of course.

Yes, certainly for heavyweights. In the US for example I have always said that it's likely many potential heavyweight champions are playing linebackers or offensive line in the NFL.

blackpool72 said:

McBobbin said:

Went the distance with Parker as well who isn't a mug. Until Fury fights Joshua, both imo will just have unrealised potential, neither has really shown anything special

Fury well and truly beat both Klitchko and wilder. 
When they fight he will smash AJ.
Then his legacy will be sorted. 

Absolutely. Despise Joshua and cannot wait to see the day Fury boxes his face off.

bobmunro said:

MrOneLung said:

I don’t think AJ really wants to fight Fury 

Why would he not want to unify the titles? I can't think of any reason he wouldn't but mi££ions of reasons why he would. A two fight deal would make both of them very, very rich.

The problem is that it isn't the boxers who decide this, it is the money men - those who make fortunes out of boxers for decades whilst never knowing what it's like to take a punch.

Want to, yes. Believe that he can? Maybe not. Fury is for better or worse the best and most dangerous challenge out there at the moment, he's shown he can mix it with technical skills and beaten up the most powerful puncher in the division - he's got answers for anything Joshua can bring, in theory.

AJ has shown he can outbox someone like Ruiz but the closest thing he's fought to Fury was probably Klitschko who even past his best did knock Joshua down. A fit and motivated Fury could very well do the same.


That said, I do think that the fight could go either way but Fury is very good at the head games and psychological aspects which AJ has not really faced yet.

ShootersHillGuru said:

Next question. Why isn’t AJ very popular ?

Hearns poster boy and the nice guy act doesn’t wash with me at all. Cannot stand him.

blackpool72 said:

McBobbin said:

Went the distance with Parker as well who isn't a mug. Until Fury fights Joshua, both imo will just have unrealised potential, neither has really shown anything special

Fury well and truly beat both Klitchko and wilder. 
When they fight he will smash AJ.
Then his legacy will be sorted. 

They both beat Wlad and I agree Fury wins against AJ most times. The winner of the probable trilogy will be undisputed champion. Until then neither of them are imo

bobmunro said:

RodneyCharltonTrotta said:

bobmunro said:

RodneyCharltonTrotta said:

MrOneLung said:

I don’t think AJ really wants to fight Fury 

After the way he made Klitschko and more so Wilder look I don't blame him.

I like Joshua and would like him to be remembered as a great but for me he would need to face and beat Fury and sooner rather than later to have any chance of that prospect.

I always thought he was the best in the world above wilder and fury but seeing what fury did to wilder earlier this year changed my mind. 

Sad thing is there really doesn't seem to be much of a new generation coming through behind them but I suppose there are far more appealing routes to making a living these days without risking brain damage each time you go to work.

Wilder is a very limited boxer who won his fights because opponents stood off him in fear of his over hand right. The problem with that is standing off gave him the room and time to throw bombs - Fury walked him down and showed Wilder up for the poor boxer he is.

For me, Fury/Joshua is a pick'em fight - no reason why either should fear the other.

On your last point, most boxers come from a background that see boxing as their only chance to make a serious living.

Historically without doubt yes and in parts of the world still yes but I imagine there a vastly more options open to many potential boxers these days than 30 or 50 years ago.  So few make it to earn a living above what could be earned elsewhere for far less required discipline, dedication and hardship, certainly in the UK these days.

Most who come through in the UK these days will likely be through choice rather than necessity/ only way to make a serious living and early on they'll know very early on in their pro careers if they have enough hype and promotion and ticket selling ability behind them to get on the track to have a chance of earning silly money. 

Of course in many parts of the world that hasn't change of course.

Yes, certainly for heavyweights. In the US for example I have always said that it's likely many potential heavyweight champions are playing linebackers or offensive line in the NFL.

So true Bob

Both Fury and Joshua say things entirely at odds with my beliefs but I long since stopped taking moral guidance from boxers. They can still show a lot about hard work, determination and tackling their demons. The recent Costello/Bunce podcast with AJ had him talking a lot about the mental side of his preparation

Probably in the minority but I’d back Usyk to beat AJ too

ShootersHillGuru said:

Next question. Why isn’t AJ very popular ?

For some unknown reason when someone who is British becomes successful they are immediately despised by some. 
When they start out people like and support them and when they reach the top they want to shoot them down. Maybe it's the underdog thing.
I'm looking forward to Joshua v Fury. May the best man win.

stackitsteve said:

Probably in the minority but I’d back Usyk to beat AJ too

As good a boxer as Usyk is, he's too small to seriously trouble AJ I would think. 

SELR_addicks said:

ShootersHillGuru said:

Next question. Why isn’t AJ very popular ?

His relationship with Hearn. 

Came up very easy and ducked several challenges on the way up.
The Charles Martin farce of a world title fight (compared to Fury challenging Klitschko). 

Trying to get Joshua/Whyte 2 (until Povetkin ruined it) rather than fighting Wilder or Fury. 

You could argue though that Joshua has fought more bigger name fighters. Whyte, Breazeale and Parker who were both undefeated, Klitschko, Povetkin.

Fury has fought Chisora, Klitschko and Wilder. Can't think of anyone else decent really. If you're going to give Joshua stick for fighting Martin, then why does Fury not get stick for fighting the boxing legends that are Tom Schwarz and Otto Wallin in between the Wilder fights? Joshua would've got slaughtered by everyone if he'd fought those two, so i do feel Fury gets an easier ride.

Hearn isn't daft, his options for pay per views are now limited to Anthony Joshua, if Joshua had got beaten by Wilder it wouldn't have been a boring fight with a wonky decision, he would have been starched. Of course he could have beaten him but I wouldn't give his boxing that credit as organic as Wilder is. Fury fought Klitcshko away from home, everything against him and to get a draw in Germany foreign fighters have to KO their opponent, he won every round bar maybe the last and beat the man who had dominated the division. He then boxed the ears off a guy nobody wanted to fight after doing nothing but eating drinking and doing lines of bugle for months. Gets robbed of a victory but goes back across the Atlantic and just to remove any doubt smashes the stuffing out of the biggest puncher in boxing. 

Joshua looks the part but his boxing isn't very good in my opinion. He is Matchrooms poster boy who sells pay per views against 39 year old for 25 quid they don't want him to lose, even though more is made of a loss in boxing than should be

stackitsteve said:

Don’t be surprised if the WBO don’t grant an exception for an Undisputed fight.
They could insist on the mandatory which would either mean AJ has to fight Usyk next or vacate to fight Fury.
If he vacates it will by Usyk vs Joyce for the WBO.

The WBO should be happy at the prospect of having a unified champion, if the Fury Joshua fight were to happen.

Wasn't the WBO belt seen as more of a joke belt at heavyweight level, when it came in, what with that organisation being years after the WBA or WBC?

For years it seemed that any boxer of any merit had no interest in that belt, other than the Herbie Hides, Michael Bentts, etc.