Concerns about Anthony Joshua’s weight?

[Enlightened-One]

Less than a week after his victory against Klitschko, Anthony Joshua returned to gym and started training again. His reason for doing so was because he felt he was too heavy when he faced Wladimir, which he said affected his stamina and mobility during that bout.

Over the last two weeks, Eddie Hearn made some bold claims about AJ weighing up to a stone lighter for his ring return against Takam.

I was deeply impressed with the intelligence of Joshua’s words and I was also very pleased about Eddie Hearn superficially confirming that AJ will deliver upon his promise.

So guess what happens? Joshua weighed-in 4lbs heavier than his previous outing in April!

He’s 24lbs heavier than his pro debut four years ago… and probably 35lbs+ heavier than his amateur days. His weight continuously seems to rise as time passes by and I’m not convinced that it’s an age thing, because my eyeballs see extra muscle on his massive frame, rather than the by-product of maturity, whereby he’s simply growing into his “natural” weight.

Anthony Joshua persistently claims that he’s a student of the game and that he analyses his flaws after each bout… and wisely told iFL TV several months ago that he won’t enter the ring ever again weighing as much as he did against Klitschko, so why on earth has he contradicted himself?

Does he underrate Carlos Takam? Is he not as disciplined as the media portrays him to be? Is his team providing him with the wrong diet and training regime?

If you’re an opponent of AJ, wouldn’t you formulate a strategy that exploited his physical flaws? If a fighter continuously gets heavier, then surely this would have a detrimental impact on his stamina, mobility and work-rate?

Could we see a situation where an opponent “plays possum” during the early rounds, to compel AJ to expend a lot of energy trying to close the show… and then try to exploit his state of exhaustion during the second half of the bout?

We saw AJ in a highly vulnerable state against the likes of Dillian Whyte and Wladimir Klitschko, when he punched himself out, so we know for certain that this situation is entirely feasible.

I can’t help thinking that Anthony Joshua could place himself in a similar situation as the similarly muscular Frank Bruno did when he faced James ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith?

In my mind, it seems inevitable that AJ (at some point during his career) will somehow suffer a shock late stoppage defeat to an underdog possessing a sturdy beard, despite the Brit being comfortably ahead on the scorecards.

Thoughts?

[candyslim]

I wouldn't have been concerned by the weight increase had not team Joshua identified it as something they intended to correct. The fact that his weight has increased despite their professed intention to reduce is at best curious and at worst a concern.

That would seem to highlight the potential of surviving the early rounds with a view to exploiting any stamina issues in the later rounds however the survival part is a lot more difficult in the execution than it is in the planning,.

I'd be interested to hear what Josh has to say about the increase.

[Ricky_]

That's alot of paragraphs about a heavyweight weighing 4lb more than his last outing. He probably takes shits that weigh more.

[Tony1244]

People always talk about weight when they should be talking about body fat %. It's rarely talked about or measured.

Has AJ's % of body fat increased?
How is his stamina?
Is he "relaxing" in the ring?

Foreman had better stamina when he was fatter. I realize GF was an exception to the rule.

[candyslim]

That's alot of paragraphs about a heavyweight weighing 4lb more than his last outing. He probably rakes shits that weigh more.

The polite way to describe EO is "thorough"

[Ossyrules]

If Joshua is hitting his targets in training and performing at a high level then we really shouldn’t care too much about his weight. He doesn’t have to make weight so just needs to be in optimum condition.

The weight won’t be a problem vs Takam. He gets blasted out there

From a visual point of view I thought he look too hence vs Wlad, who at the same height was 10lb lighter, looked more fluid and mobile

[SaadOffTheDeck]

None, he's a huge man.

[SFW]

Yes it is a concern. I don't know if Takam is the one who can exploit it, but Joshua is clearly still a work in progress and has been let off the hook multiple times by guys who didn't capitalize on his stamina/recovery issues. Heavier than his last fight, where he was already too heavy.. doesn't sound smart, or easy to dismiss.

[greg]

..if I were his management, I'd be concerned...

PS: not about this opponent though:

[Ossyrules]

Yes it is a concern. I don't know if Takam is the one who can exploit it, but Joshua is clearly still a work in progress and has been let off the hook multiple times by guys who didn't capitalize on his stamina/recovery issues. Heavier than his last fight, where he was already too heavy.. doesn't sound smart, or easy to dismiss.

Multiple times?

- Wlad let him off

Who else?

Don’t say Whyte. He got pinged by a counter left that stiffened his legs, that’s it. That gets overstated cos he’s been cleaning everyone else out no bother. Whyte threw the kitchen sink at him for a round but got nowhere. Joshua head cleared and it was back to business after.

[Thomastearns]

Yes these concerns are valid, but not for this fight. He probably can't help not being100% motivated. He doesn't need to be.

Frank Bruno was like a world class sprinter wrongly entered for long distant events, especially against US fighters. Terry Lawless should have let Frank go for it for 5/6 rounds. Can't see anybody surviving that.

AJ is a better boxer, so its fair to say, a more accomplished version of Bruno. Furthermore right now there is no one better than Klitschko out there. Still, there have been concerns about his speed and its difficult to see how more weight will help.

Regarding his chin and stamina, well we saw good recovery in both regards in his last fight. I doubt any other heavyweight today could have recovered the way he did.

[Mimmy]

IMO AJ will have learned a great deal from the Klit fight. I'm guessing tonight he will put on a fine show and knock out Takam inside 7 rounds.

AJ has had 19 fights up to date so still learning. But he stopped a recognized ex world champion in his last fight. Not many boxers could have done what he did, Lets not forget AJ was almost gone in that fight but his will to survive and battle on won him the fight. I think from now on depending on the quality of boxer and lets face it they arent there in 2017 AJ will show you how good he is. 19 fights for Christ sake.

[jamamb]

People always talk about weight when they should be talking about body fat %. It's rarely talked about or measured.

Has AJ's % of body fat increased?
How is his stamina?
Is he "relaxing" in the ring?

Foreman had better stamina when he was fatter. I realize GF was an exception to the rule.

his weight gain over the years seems mainly muscle and hes talked about being into bodybuilding. he clearly is ripped but he was only around the 220s just a few years ago i think. but being super muscular means your muscles need more oxygen to support and it can hinder stamina. last fight he nearly got kod because he gassed badly after being in control for first 4 rounds and a bit. hes only 27 and the trajectory is constant muscle and weight gain. hes good enough that it wont be an issue against most, but i think he keeps getting bigger its not optimal and gives higher level opponents more of a chance, even if its slim. what would wlad have managed against him if he didnt gas like that?

but i see a lot of ppl acting like nothing is a problem till a fighter loses! wrong attitude. although ajs team has said that theyre trying to get him lower. hearn said aj would be in 240s for this but now hes career high.

[Enlightened-One]

People always talk about weight when they should be talking about body fat %. It's rarely talked about or measured.

Has AJ's % of body fat increased?
How is his stamina?
Is he "relaxing" in the ring?

Foreman had better stamina when he was fatter. I realize GF was an exception to the rule.

his weight gain over the years seems mainly muscle and hes talked about being into bodybuilding. he clearly is ripped but he was only around the 220s just a few years ago i think. but being super muscular means your muscles need more oxygen to support and it can hinder stamina. last fight he nearly got kod because he gassed badly after being in control for first 4 rounds and a bit. hes only 27 and the trajectory is constant muscle and weight gain. hes good enough that it wont be an issue against most, but i think he keeps getting bigger its not optimal and gives higher level opponents more of a chance, even if its slim. what would wlad have managed against him if he didnt gas like that?

but i see a lot of ppl acting like nothing is a problem till a fighter loses! wrong attitude. although ajs team has said that theyre trying to get him lower. hearn said aj would be in 240s for this but now hes career high.

I agree with most of the things you've said in that post.

[punchoutsb]

People always talk about weight when they should be talking about body fat %. It's rarely talked about or measured.

Has AJ's % of body fat increased?
How is his stamina?
Is he "relaxing" in the ring?

Foreman had better stamina when he was fatter. I realize GF was an exception to the rule.

his weight gain over the years seems mainly muscle and hes talked about being into bodybuilding. he clearly is ripped but he was only around the 220s just a few years ago i think. but being super muscular means your muscles need more oxygen to support and it can hinder stamina. last fight he nearly got kod because he gassed badly after being in control for first 4 rounds and a bit. hes only 27 and the trajectory is constant muscle and weight gain. hes good enough that it wont be an issue against most, but i think he keeps getting bigger its not optimal and gives higher level opponents more of a chance, even if its slim. what would wlad have managed against him if he didnt gas like that?

but i see a lot of ppl acting like nothing is a problem till a fighter loses! wrong attitude. although ajs team has said that theyre trying to get him lower. hearn said aj would be in 240s for this but now hes career high.

A lot of good points here but also a few that are off.

The trajectory of constant muscle gain is not going to be an issue because muscle mass is not something that can simply be added in an unlimited quantity. It is also extremely difficult to maintain (let alone gain) high levels of muscle mass when performing high amounts of aerobic based exercises, which he must be doing during training. There is cause for concern if he is so "into bodybuilding" that he is neglecting his aerobic work in favor of anaerobic work, but that would be a lack of cardio conditioning as opposed to holding too much muscle mass. His frame is maxed out from a boxing point of view. He did not gain four pounds of muscle since the Wlad fight, when you weigh over 220 pounds it is extremely easy to see 5 pound shifts without doing anything differently.

[SFW]

Yes it is a concern. I don't know if Takam is the one who can exploit it, but Joshua is clearly still a work in progress and has been let off the hook multiple times by guys who didn't capitalize on his stamina/recovery issues. Heavier than his last fight, where he was already too heavy.. doesn't sound smart, or easy to dismiss.

Multiple times?

- Wlad let him off

Who else?

Don’t say Whyte. He got pinged by a counter left that stiffened his legs, that’s it. That gets overstated cos he’s been cleaning everyone else out no bother. Whyte threw the kitchen sink at him for a round but got nowhere. Joshua head cleared and it was back to business after.

That's what we call selective memory.. AJ 's legs were gone for 2 rounds after Whyte nailed him, he was zombie walking. Thank goodness Whyte is average at best. So yeah that's twice.

[marvelous marv]

Joshua looks slower and more plodding every fight. If he has genetically has the type of body that keeps adding weight delaying a fight with Wilder is not going to suit him well.

[Ossyrules]

Yes it is a concern. I don't know if Takam is the one who can exploit it, but Joshua is clearly still a work in progress and has been let off the hook multiple times by guys who didn't capitalize on his stamina/recovery issues. Heavier than his last fight, where he was already too heavy.. doesn't sound smart, or easy to dismiss.

Multiple times?

- Wlad let him off

Who else?

Don’t say Whyte. He got pinged by a counter left that stiffened his legs, that’s it. That gets overstated cos he’s been cleaning everyone else out no bother. Whyte threw the kitchen sink at him for a round but got nowhere. Joshua head cleared and it was back to business after.

That's what we call selective memory.. AJ 's legs were gone for 2 rounds after Whyte nailed him, he was zombie walking. Thank goodness Whyte is average at best. So yeah that's twice.

He got pinged midway thru 2, had it put on him thru 3, by 4 he was ok. Whyte weren’t close to getting Joshua out of there. It was a troubled moment for Joshua to get thru, that’s it.

So when you say let off multiple times, who has let him off?

[SFW]

I just explained it, how can you not get this? If Whyte was even a halfway decent HW, he at the very least drops AJ during that time. Because of his lack in almost every department, Whyte didn't. That is being let off the hook. Thanks to a substandard opponent. Old Vladdy let him off the hook even worse. It should be a grateful thought that AJ didn't go out like Price, exhausted and battered, could have easily happened against a good finisher. Old Vlad nor Whyte qualify as that.

In closing, AJ is a work in progress with every aspect tilted his way. He looks juiced out of his mind, probably hgh, so that issue may pop up at some point. Be foolish to think it couldn't, he doesn't look natural at all. He should fight Wilder NOW, no waiting. He'd be favored for sure. But if he gets caught like he did by Vlad or Dillian, Wilder will finish him.

[caldo2025]

Concerns over AJ's weight are ridiculous. The guy just fought arguably the 2nd toughest fighter in his career and pitched a shut out until getting the KO. He looked fresh throughout the fight and was throwing his best combinations and punch count in the last round so what the hell are people concerned about?

Though i will say that Takam was the perfect fighter to come in heavier for but against a fighter like Wilder, where AJ will be sacrificing speed significantly, he should be lighter for that one. AJ deserves a grade A- for that performance yesterday in my opinion.

[Ossyrules]

I just explained it, how can you not get this? If Whyte was even a halfway decent HW, he at the very least drops AJ during that time. Because of his lack in almost every department, Whyte didn't. That is being let off the hook. Thanks to a substandard opponent. Old Vladdy let him off the hook even worse. It should be a grateful thought that AJ didn't go out like Price, exhausted and battered, could have easily happened against a good finisher. Old Vlad nor Whyte qualify as that.

In closing, AJ is a work in progress with every aspect tilted his way. He looks juiced out of his mind, probably hgh, so that issue may pop up at some point. Be foolish to think it couldn't, he doesn't look natural at all. He should fight Wilder NOW, no waiting. He'd be favored for sure. But if he gets caught like he did by Vlad or Dillian, Wilder will finish him.

Don’t say he’s been let off multiple times then when only one opponent had it in there locker to finish and let him off due to tactical error.

No problems just don’t exaggerate a point and not expect to be called on it

[Enlightened-One]

That's alot of paragraphs about a heavyweight weighing 4lb more than his last outing. He probably takes shits that weigh more.

Anthony Joshua and his trainer, Robert McCracken, stated that they needed to be lighter for their next outing, because they both felt that AJ was far too heavy against Klitschko. They were looking to lose anything between 10lbs to 14lbs.

A week prior to Joshua’s bout against Takam, Eddie Hearn stated that AJ would likely be somewhere between 10lbs to a stone lighter than he was when he KO’d Klitschko.

So Team Joshua’s expectation was that he’d weigh around the 236lbs mark for last Saturday’s contest, but he weighed 254lbs instead.

I don’t know about you, but none of my túrds have weighed roughly 18lbs!

[Ricky_]

That's alot of paragraphs about a heavyweight weighing 4lb more than his last outing. He probably takes shits that weigh more.

Anthony Joshua and his trainer, Robert McCracken, stated that they needed to be lighter for their next outing, because they both felt that AJ was far too heavy against Klitschko. They were looking to lose anything between 10lbs to 14lbs.

A week prior to Joshua’s bout against Takam, Eddie Hearn stated that AJ would likely be somewhere between 10lbs to a stone lighter than he was when he KO’d Klitschko.

So Team Joshua’s expectation was that he’d weigh around the 236lbs mark for last Saturday’s contest, but he weighed 254lbs instead.

I don’t know about you, but none of my túrds have weighed roughly 18lbs!

That's because i said 4lb. It's entirely possible that after 20 minutes on the john AJ could lose 4lb.

You are probably a 130lb tùrd.

[Enlightened-One]

That's alot of paragraphs about a heavyweight weighing 4lb more than his last outing. He probably takes shits that weigh more.

Anthony Joshua and his trainer, Robert McCracken, stated that they needed to be lighter for their next outing, because they both felt that AJ was far too heavy against Klitschko. They were looking to lose anything between 10lbs to 14lbs.

A week prior to Joshua’s bout against Takam, Eddie Hearn stated that AJ would likely be somewhere between 10lbs to a stone lighter than he was when he KO’d Klitschko.

So Team Joshua’s expectation was that he’d weigh around the 236lbs mark for last Saturday’s contest, but he weighed 254lbs instead.

I don’t know about you, but none of my túrds have weighed roughly 18lbs!

That's because i said 4lb. It's entirely possible that after 20 minutes on the john AJ could lose 4lb.

You are probably a 130lb tùrd.

My point has been made. I'm glad you conceded the error of your ways.

[littlepug]

Joshuas actual boxing technique doesn't seem to be getting any better, all he keeps doing is proving he can suck it up and go toe to toe which is all well and good until he finds himself in a fight where some actual skills and a bit of ringcraft is needed, oh and lose the weights and get back to actual "boxing" training and lots of it, loads of sparring, loads of padwork, loads of bagwork and loads of footwork, wanna be a better fighter ? then do loads of fighting training