keithmoonhangover wrote:It's always going to be interesting. Fury has been hurt and also knocked down by non punchers. If he can protect his chin, then he has a very good chance of winning. If Joshua can land the big shots cleanly, then Fury's in big trouble. Could go either way. Wlad barely threw a punch, mainly because of what Fury did in the fight, but I think Joshua would throw hell of a lot more punches than Klitschko.
Joshua got hit with some big shots on Saturday, didn't go down and recovered very well. I'm not sure how much power Fury carries at world level, but I don't think he's a concussive puncher.
In the time frame mentioned, I think it's Fury on points or AJ by stoppage.
Klitschko's spent most of his career fencing people out, and on the odd occasions when he has chased a finish, his opponents have been relatively immobile. And so he's never learnt to roll; never learnt to close distance evasively. He was chasing Fury in straight lines - and this is my main memory of the fight - tilting his head away when he threw the jab. To see a nine-year champ making one of the earliest schoolboy errors was crazy. If you're getting outjabbed by the longer-armed man on the counter, you're just not moving well enough. I actually think Mike Tyson would've fared better with his 71" reach.
Joshua also moves on rails, but he has Klitschko's prime athleticism, and he's a much fiercer prospect. I don't think that Fury has the tools to fend him off in a round-scoring way, but he should win a decision if he makes it to the middle rounds in good shape. But I'd give Joshua a great chance of clipping Fury in the first three, and I don't think there'd be any way back for Fury from that. Fury does have a good left to the body, but what's he gonna do if Joshua's able to get up in his grill with uppercuts? If he's able to time Fury to land his own jab on the counter and then go to town?
Joshua has plenty of flaws, but I'm not sure that many can exploit them. He's a bit like a Pele Reid or a Herbie Hide - or indeed, a Frank Bruno - but in the 2010s instead of the '90s. Destructive power, albeit slightly overrated at present, is probably enough to take him to the top now. Unless Haye's still 90% on his return, or Parker continues to improve rapidly. I rate Parker, and I'd like to see him win a title, but he needs a bit more power (he's working on it) and more flow. Up until now, everything he does looks too premeditated, as if he's thinking about every move in advance rather than just letting his feet go. Watching a Ray Leonard of the boxing world, it's like Ray was always concentrating on his movement and his hands were on autopilot. Parker's the opposite, but there's lots of time for him.