Should Joshua lose some weight?

[dominik]

What do uon think? He has big power but his handspeed looks rather slow compared to other tall guys like fury and even old man Klitschko.

I think it could help him to go down maybe below 240 to get a little faster. He is a good boxer but he could use a little more speed.

[Ally-M1]

I've been having this discussion with my brother and Dad for a while now.

To answer the thread; yes I do. He looks like a bodybuilder currently. He is for the most part, naturally tall and relatively slim and I feel he should be nearer 225-230. He'll grow weight wise naturally with age.

I feel his continual weight/muscle adding will do him no favours and to a degree, negate his strong boxing skills and athleticism - both of which are some of the very best around.

I can't see a bodybuilder version AJ getting past the likes of Haye and Fury. He needs to lose some of the added muscle and allow himself to be him. The athletic AJ is a different league to the bodybuilder AJ.

That's my take in any case.

[Ricky_]

Imo AJ has much faster hands than Fury and the current version of Klitchko.

I would say though his handspeed is likely to drop of drastically in fights, maybe due to having too much muscle or mads or perhaps investing too much in bombs early on.

[ikorolev]

No, he is built well for a HW and doesn't have extra weight. He just didn't have much experience of people fighting back, so that was a very useful fight.

[crusader]

Imo AJ has much faster hands than Fury and the current version of Klitchko.

I disagree, and I've seen many people state that AJ has fast hands but I'm not seeing it. Is there a fight where his speed really stands out?

Stamina was a problem last night, as after just a few rounds he was flagging and had to significantly drop the pace. Stamina is usually a concern with heavily muscled physiques and if he doesn't drop muscle he'll probably need to pace himself differently to avoid some of the spells he went through. To his credit he showed an ability to settle down and choose his punches more carefully as the rounds went on, but having to do that so early in the fight makes me suspect that he has engine issues.

[Lackeos]

Being muscular and strong doesn't slow down your hand speed, and any anecdotal evidence to the contrary is invalid. Muscles are the source of speed and power. You don't become an elite sprinter or high jumper by having a lack of muscle. But the truly greatest influencer of hand speed is just genetics. There is a genetic component to how quickly you can enervate your neurons to perform instantaneous movements like throwing a punch or jumping. If you've seen a buff boxer who couldn't punch quickly, it is likely that he lacks the genetic gifts to be a successful boxer and have quick hand speed, and it is probably his strong muscles that are the only thing keeping his career afloat whatsoever. You've also probably seen some buff boxers who neglect doing endurance exercises, and it is less their large muscles that make them tired, and more their lack of commitment to endurance training. Of course, if you have something like a 5' 11", short-armed, bodybuilder heavyweight, then he should probably drop 90 pounds and fight at LMW, because he's just the wrong dimensions for heavyweight.

[crusader]

Muscles need oxyginated blood and the more muscle you have the harder your body has to work to get blood to them. I think the link between muscle mass and stamina is very strong.

[Monte Fisto]

He's just so robotic and upright and i feel like his physique lends itself to this. Id agree with those who think he needs to be lighter and nimble. Have thought it for a while, but he seems to have gotten slightly bigger.

[campfire]

Joshua looked a work in progress and I think if he gets any more muscle put on his frame he''ll be the next Frank

[Lackeos]

Muscles need oxyginated blood and the more muscle you have the harder your body has to work to get blood to them. I think the link between muscle mass and stamina is very strong.

Thanks. That helps explain why 246-pound Lebron James could never be an elite athlete at a sport that requires a lot of endurance. It's an interesting coincidence though that the last 3 kings of the heavyweight division have all weighed 246 +/- 1 pound. Anthony Joshua also weighs within 1 pound of 246. But I suppose that Joshua, Fury, Wlad, Vitali, and Lennox Lewis are all doomed to failure, because they're all fat slugs. If only they all trimmed down to the same size as that well-known 215-pound 6' 6" undisputed heavyweight boxing champion from the past. What was his name again? Was it Nobody McFictional?

[zorndeslammes]

"Muscles need oxygen!" was the same rationale that was pushed for years as for why boxers would never use steroids, and testing was thus unnecessary. In retrospect, we know a ton of the 90s boxers were using PEDs and that it has probably continued unabated to this day.

To answer the question: I don't think so. Nothing about his physicality suggests to me that he'd be much better leaned out to 220 or something. The total opposite seems the case, actually.

[crusader]

Muscles need oxyginated blood and the more muscle you have the harder your body has to work to get blood to them. I think the link between muscle mass and stamina is very strong.

Thanks. That helps explain why 246-pound Lebron James could never be an elite athlete at a sport that requires a lot of endurance. It's an interesting coincidence though that the last 3 kings of the heavyweight division have all weighed 246 +/- 1 pound. Anthony Joshua also weighs within 1 pound of 246. But I suppose that Joshua, Fury, Wlad, Vitali, and Lennox Lewis are all doomed to failure, because they're all fat slugs. If only they all trimmed down to the same size as that well-known 215-pound 6' 6" undisputed heavyweight boxing champion from the past. What was his name again? Was it Nobody McFictional?

So are you disputing what I claimed in my previous post?

Most of your post is drivel and you seem to be addressing arguments I never made. Nowhere did I suggest that a heavily-muscled athlete, even one who was flagging in the third round and had to significantly drop his output, can't have great success in a sport where endurance is important, though I did suggest that there is a link between muscle-mass and stamina. AJ may well become a great champion and continue to add to his bulky frame, but his success wouldn't mean that the amount of muscle he carries is optimal for speed, stamina, or fluidity. Further, based on the examples adduced you seem to be unable to recognize that people can weigh the same but carry very different amounts of muscle, and I don't think any of the other fighters you listed (Wlad has poor stamina by the way and two of his losses were largely due to him gassing) were as muscled at around 250 as Joshua has been at the same weight (nor did any of them have the ripped but distended gut that Joshua is sporting--which is disproportionately common among bodybuilders).

AJ at a little over 248; he's a Fury doppelganger isn't he?



For what it's worth, this helps illustrate what I mean about the distension (and I think AJ is clearly looking more muscular at basically the same weight as Lewis):

[ikorolev]

So, Mayweather (if he was still fighting) and Bradley should get rid of some of their muscle too ?

[davie]

So, Mayweather (if he was still fighting) and Bradley should get rid of some of their muscle too ?

No, of course not

[ikorolev]

So, Mayweather (if he was still fighting) and Bradley should get rid of some of their muscle too ?

No, of course not

So, why should Joshua? He is just a bigger version of Bradley. Being lighter or less strong doesn't seem to be a benefit at HW. Yes, he may get tired sooner if he puts all his power in almost every punch, which is what he was doing in the first rounds of his last fight. He just needs to fight smarter.

[Bard of Boxrec]

i agree with Crusader. I think Joshua will rule the division, but I can't help but feel like the bulky muscles are an impediment to him being even better than he will be.

[Tarkus]

Imo AJ has much faster hands than Fury and the current version of Klitchko.

I disagree, and I've seen many people state that AJ has fast hands but I'm not seeing it. Is there a fight where his speed really stands out?

Stamina was a problem last night, as after just a few rounds he was flagging and had to significantly drop the pace. Stamina is usually a concern with heavily muscled physiques and if he doesn't drop muscle he'll probably need to pace himself differently to avoid some of the spells he went through. To his credit he showed an ability to settle down and choose his punches more carefully as the rounds went on, but having to do that so early in the fight makes me suspect that he has engine issues.

I think that was not an inductor of his stamina problems. He got hit in the 2nd and was recovering in third. Starting from 4th till the end of the fight he went from strength to strength and it as Whyte who was gassing. Joshua was not breathing in the end of the fight.

That said, no doubt heavy musculature is a drain of energy. And although I think his handspeed is great, demonstrated in the last fight, it does restrict his movement and agility.

He would be better off with less muscle mass. However I dont know if he can do much about it. He has said he doesnt do weights and it is his natural appearance resulting from general boxing training.

[Bard of Boxrec]

pretty sure he does weights

[keirw]

It's tough to say, on the one hand if he lost a bit of his muscle mass it could help him to be a bit more flexible as he does look very stiff at times.

But on the other hand one of his main attributes is his immense physical strength, losing muscle mass could reduce his strength and work against him.

[caldo2025]

Watching Joshua fight for the first time the other day reminded me of one of my favorite heavyweights ever, Evander Holyfield. I know that Holyfield was only 6'2" and Joshua is 6'6" and more than 20 pounds apart but their body types are so similar. I wouldn't change a thing about this kids physique. Of course, if weight lifting is eating away at his ring training then i'd reign the back more but i love what i saw in this kid. Holyfield proved that "too muscular" theory to be false.

[Batley18]

I think what was clear was that Joshua doesn't move his head and body enough. He looked fairly static. He used a lot of energy in the first round, and when he couldn't get the job done he labored a bit. When I look at the head movement of Fury against Klitschko, it was in a completely different league. Fury conditioned himself incredibly well for that fight as he was reasonably hard to hit until the final round perhaps. Is that head movement because of stamina or style, probably the latter.

I don't think he needs to lose weight, he just needs to work on head movement.

[PredatorHayds]

Technically Joshua is sound. He has very good fundamentals and you can tell McCracken at the GB squad trained him well.

I don't feel his fantastic physique will let him down. He's such a naturally athletic guy that it shouldn't effect his stamina and if anything will help the bank balance a bit due to endorsements and some lady admirers.

I have often compared his shape to Bruno but whilst with Bruno I always thought he suited more weight as opposed to being chiseled and it may of affected his stamina.
Joshua is more naturally athletic than Bruno.

I will never forget superstars on the BBC IN 2012. Joshua won with ease and looked like a guy who could turn his hand to any sport.

[jamesmcdonnell]

What do uon think? He has big power but his handspeed looks rather slow compared to other tall guys like fury and even old man Klitschko.

I think it could help him to go down maybe below 240 to get a little faster. He is a good boxer but he could use a little more speed.

I think so, whilst his stamina is ok, I think losing some of that bulk will help with speed and stamina, he's definitely a bit too bullky. If he gets taken into the last 3rd of a fight, I think he could struggle.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Imo AJ has much faster hands than Fury and the current version of Klitchko.

I disagree, and I've seen many people state that AJ has fast hands but I'm not seeing it. Is there a fight where his speed really stands out?

Stamina was a problem last night, as after just a few rounds he was flagging and had to significantly drop the pace. Stamina is usually a concern with heavily muscled physiques and if he doesn't drop muscle he'll probably need to pace himself differently to avoid some of the spells he went through. To his credit he showed an ability to settle down and choose his punches more carefully as the rounds went on, but having to do that so early in the fight makes me suspect that he has engine issues.

I think that was not an inductor of his stamina problems. He got hit in the 2nd and was recovering in third. Starting from 4th till the end of the fight he went from strength to strength and it as Whyte who was gassing. Joshua was not breathing in the end of the fight.

That said, no doubt heavy musculature is a drain of energy. And although I think his handspeed is great, demonstrated in the last fight, it does restrict his movement and agility.

He would be better off with less muscle mass. However I dont know if he can do much about it. He has said he doesnt do weights and it is his natural appearance resulting from general boxing training.

That's utter cobblers if he said that, there's videos of him pushing weights in the gym.

Nobody is built like that without doing weights. Joshua is actually quite a sleight build, he is broad shouldered for sure, but he has a small waist and tiny ankles, he's not built like a really thickset man, he is quite blatantly pumped from weight. He's naturally athletic for sure, but you don't get that kind of build from just cardio training.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Muscles need oxyginated blood and the more muscle you have the harder your body has to work to get blood to them. I think the link between muscle mass and stamina is very strong.

Thanks. That helps explain why 246-pound Lebron James could never be an elite athlete at a sport that requires a lot of endurance. It's an interesting coincidence though that the last 3 kings of the heavyweight division have all weighed 246 +/- 1 pound. Anthony Joshua also weighs within 1 pound of 246. But I suppose that Joshua, Fury, Wlad, Vitali, and Lennox Lewis are all doomed to failure, because they're all fat slugs. If only they all trimmed down to the same size as that well-known 215-pound 6' 6" undisputed heavyweight boxing champion from the past. What was his name again? Was it Nobody McFictional?

So are you disputing what I claimed in my previous post?

Most of your post is drivel and you seem to be addressing arguments I never made. Nowhere did I suggest that a heavily-muscled athlete, even one who was flagging in the third round and had to significantly drop his output, can't have great success in a sport where endurance is important, though I did suggest that there is a link between muscle-mass and stamina. AJ may well become a great champion and continue to add to his bulky frame, but his success wouldn't mean that the amount of muscle he carries is optimal for speed, stamina, or fluidity. Further, based on the examples adduced you seem to be unable to recognize that people can weigh the same but carry very different amounts of muscle, and I don't think any of the other fighters you listed (Wlad has poor stamina by the way and two of his losses were largely due to him gassing) were as muscled at around 250 as Joshua has been at the same weight (nor did any of them have the ripped but distended gut that Joshua is sporting--which is disproportionately common among bodybuilders).

AJ at a little over 248; he's a Fury doppelganger isn't he?



For what it's worth, this helps illustrate what I mean about the distension (and I think AJ is clearly looking more muscular at basically the same weight as Lewis):



Excellent post - clearly, Lewis' size was far more due to his frame, he never had huge muscles, nor did Bowe, but both were huge men and huge punchers.

Joshua clearly likes the physical effects of weight training, how it makes him feel, and maybe the aesthetic, but as you said, that does not mean it is actually enhancing anything in the ring. Physical strength is far less important in boxing, than timing and technique. The added weight will have an effect, but it will be pretty minor in the equation, the physics of punching is very complex, and the mass behind the shot is only one of many factors in creating power.