Is Anthony Joshua among the top ten HWs since 2000 ?

[caldo2025]

Top 10 attraction at HW or Top 10 Boxer at HW. Doesn't matter because i think that he's in the top 10 of both regardless which was intended with this post.

I think that Anthony Joshua is THE most important boxer on the scene currently and in my opinion, he's one of the most important boxers in the last 20 years in the sport. How badly did this sport need someone like this at HW? It's been SO long since there's been a good looking, intelligent, athletic stud like AJ in the division that you'd really have to go way back to find someone as important to the sport.

The Heavyweight Division brings the world to tune in. A stud MW or WW will grab a small share of non typical boxing fans to watch on occasion but most of the buys are going to be from the die hard fans. If the powers that be play this out right, AJ vs. Wilder should break all of the records that have ever existed in terms of PPV buys and dollars generated for a boxing event. That's IF they play it right. They are playing it very dangerously now letting these guys take these difficult fights and barely winning them.

[oogiebe]

Top 10 attraction at HW or Top 10 Boxer at HW. Doesn't matter because i think that he's in the top 10 of both regardless which was intended with this post.

I think that Anthony Joshua is THE most important boxer on the scene currently and in my opinion, he's one of the most important boxers in the last 20 years in the sport. How badly did this sport need someone like this at HW? It's been SO long since there's been a good looking, intelligent, athletic stud like AJ in the division that you'd really have to go way back to find someone as important to the sport.

The Heavyweight Division brings the world to tune in. A stud MW or WW will grab a small share of non typical boxing fans to watch on occasion but most of the buys are going to be from the die hard fans. If the powers that be play this out right, AJ vs. Wilder should break all of the records that have ever existed in terms of PPV buys and dollars generated for a boxing event. That's IF they play it right. They are playing it very dangerously now letting these guys take these difficult fights and barely winning them.

You put way too much importance on him. Also, I don't see Tom Schwarz as being a difficult fight, nor Breazeale for that matter. By Fury/Wilder taking place, the two of them have the best opponent faced when compared to AJ, who has the better body of work. I think all three are what's having a positive impact on the sport. It'll never be like the 70's or 90's again, but it's better than in past eras.

[caldo2025]

You put way too much importance on him. Also, I don't see Tom Schwarz as being a difficult fight, nor Breazeale for that matter. By Fury/Wilder taking place, the two of them have the best opponent faced when compared to AJ, who has the better body of work. I think all three are what's having a positive impact on the sport. It'll never be like the 70's or 90's again, but it's better than in past eras.

Ah don’t be one of them now. You can’t possibly say that the best era in division history can’t be bested. In Two years we’ve seen 2 classic heavyweight battles. We’re gonna get another one or possibly two this year. There’s gonna be a winner that comes out of this Wolfpack and he’s gonna have to go through hell and then some to be called the lineal champ of this decade so I’d keep your eyes open and save judgement for the end. This is gonna be pretty special. Better than the years you reference? Who knows? Probably not but I’ve seen a lot of heart and guts so far with guys peeking themselves off the canvases late in fights. That’s special.

[oogiebe]

Ah don’t be one of them now. You can’t possibly say that the best era in division history can’t be bested. In Two years we’ve seen 2 classic heavyweight battles. We’re gonna get another one or possibly two this year. There’s gonna be a winner that comes out of this Wolfpack and he’s gonna have to go through hell and then some to be called the lineal champ of this decade so I’d keep your eyes open and save judgement for the end. This is gonna be pretty special. Better than the years you reference? Who knows? Probably not but I’ve seen a lot of heart and guts so far with guys peeking themselves off the canvases late in fights. That’s special.

Just the facts, boyo! I call them as I see them. "Don't be one of them" is an awfully dull jab.

[caldo2025]

Just the facts, boyo! I call them as I see them. "Don't be one of them" is an awfully dull jab.

It’s all I’ve got bud. But cheer up will ya? You’ve guys finally have a possible great heavyweight. Where’s your spirit? I swear that you guys are more giddy about #49 ranked Igor Stravinsky or Medolock Lemon. I see some of those posts recapping their fights at the local Boys and Girls Clubs. Now you have a stud and you decide to have realistic expectations? What am I missing?

[oogiebe]

It’s all I’ve got bud. But cheer up will ya? You’ve guys finally have a possible great heavyweight. Where’s your spirit? I swear that you guys are more giddy about #49 ranked Igor Stravinsky or Medolock Lemon. I see some of those posts recapping their fights at the local Boys and Girls Clubs. Now you have a stud and you decide to have realistic expectations? What am I missing?

Meadowlark Lemon? Seriously? LMAO!

[lazboy]

In my opinion he 'currently' ranks below Lewis, Wlad and Issac Frost. Assessing via eye test I'd say he's better than Andre Bishop.

[Enlightened-One]

I thought I’d resurrect this thread by posing the same question…

In light of AJ’s defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr., does more than 90% of the forum honestly believe that Anthony Joshua is one of the top-five greatest heavyweights since the start of the current century?

[HomicideHenry]

I thought I’d resurrect this thread by posing the same question…

In light of AJ’s defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr., does more than 90% of the forum honestly believe that Anthony Joshua is one of the top-five greatest heavyweights since the start of the current century?

Since 2000...

Let's see. Lennox Lewis, Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko are certainly top three. There's been tons of alphabet champions like David Have, John Ruiz, Shannon Briggs, Nicolai Valuev, Ruslan Chagaev, Chris Byrd, etc--- and of course there's been the current crop of Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Joseph Parker, and of course Anthony Joshua & now Andy Ruiz.

Personally I'd rate Fury and Wilder over Joshua, so he'd be just outside the top five. You could argue Haye was ahead of him. But he's not lower than #7 out of ten.

[Enlightened-One]

Since 2000...

Let's see. Lennox Lewis, Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko are certainly top three. There's been tons of alphabet champions like David Have, John Ruiz, Shannon Briggs, Nicolai Valuev, Ruslan Chagaev, Chris Byrd, etc--- and of course there's been the current crop of Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Joseph Parker, and of course Anthony Joshua & now Andy Ruiz.

Personally I'd rate Fury and Wilder over Joshua, so he'd be just outside the top five. You could argue Haye was ahead of him. But he's not lower than #7 out of ten.

I kind of agree.

AJ isn’t a top-five rated heavyweight from the list of world-rated names that were active since the start of the current century.

My ratings from this poll hasn’t needed to change due to last weekend’s upset victory for Andy Ruiz Jr.

[ValMar]

I wouldn't be surprised if many posters (who had claimed two months ago that Joshua had been among the top 5 HW since 2000) claim that Joshua is not among the top 10 active HWs just now.

"Stiff robotic idiot"
"Less than average chin"
"No heart"

[DrDuke]

I wouldn't be surprised if many posters (who had claimed two months ago that Joshua had been among the top 5 HW since 2000) claim that Joshua is not among the top 10 active HWs just now.

"Stiff robotic idiot"
"Less than average chin"
"No heart"

Ironically I pick both him to be in the top-10 and possessing all these mentioned disadvantages. You can't get away from him, what he had already achieved. He has a very good resume, but he really is a pretty flawed boxer.

[Bard of Boxrec]

I wouldn't be surprised if many posters (who had claimed two months ago that Joshua had been among the top 5 HW since 2000) claim that Joshua is not among the top 10 active HWs just now.

"Stiff robotic idiot"
"Less than average chin"
"No heart"

Agreed, hilarious the number of revisionist idiots on here after the fight. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised how awful so many of these posts are.

Nothing has changed, Joshua number 2 behind Lennox although I admit it’s close between him and Wlad right now.

[Enlightened-One]

Agreed, hilarious the number of revisionist idiots on here after the fight. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised how awful so many of these posts are.

Nothing has changed, Joshua number 2 behind Lennox although I admit it’s close between him and Wlad right now.

Utter nonsense.

[tiny_acres]

Joshua, Fury and Wilder all are in the top 10 since 2000.
It was a pretty grim division for most of those years.
Wlad, Vitali, Lewis and Povetkin should all be in that list too.
After those 7 I have no idea. So many arguments for and against

I said it then I'll say it again.
Those names above were and are the top 7 since 2000.
Joshua's loss was horrific but it doesn't take away from what he accomplished so far.
Yes Joshua is still top 10 since 2000

[Bard of Boxrec]

Utter nonsense.

Everything you write is utter nonsense. And even worse, it’s longwinded utter nonsense At least some of the other geniuses with opinions such as vitali klitschko having an admirable resume don’t subject the forum to endless novels of their idiocy.

You could at least keep your drivel to manageable, bite size chunks that are easier to skim and then discard like the layer of detritus that collects on the surface of swimming pools.

Just a thought.

[Thomastearns]

We're still seeing wild swings of opinion regarding historical contexts and Saturday has only made it worse.

Some say today's heavyweights are far too big and strong for the 'midgets' of yesteryear whilst others argue that no one in today's scene can hold a candle to the champions from the past 30 years.

Whatever the truth is, if you see Joshua as great then so are Wilder, Whyte, Parker and the rest. If Joshua's a bum, then so are the men he's beaten. Can't have it both ways, can we?

Although the truth can only be speculated upon the facts are that Larry Holmes beat a faded Ali and wasn't at his best when he got beat by Tyson. He did have 2 close fights with Michael Spinks who got destroyed by Tyson.

A greatly diminished Mike Tyson lost to Lennox Lewis who was then superseded by the Klitschko brothers both displaying great longevity. Wladimir Klitschko (at 41!) later lost a tremendously close fight to Anthony Joshua who himself loses to a 'small' 6'2 heavyweight Andy Ruiz who had pushed Parker really close.

Since everyone mentioned lost at least one fight we shouldn't overreact regarding Anthony Joshua's status in the pantheon of greatest heavyweights since 2000.

Let's not also forget that he's still the biggest name among the current crop, or anyone since Mike Tyson, by far. Here in the UK he's been constantly featured in the media with story after story speculating on what might have gone wrong.

This might even be his Ali moment whereby his popularity in the US began to grow exponentially AFTER his defeat to Frazier.

Like Ali, Joshua has handled his shock defeat with great honour and class, no doubt winning many more fans in the process. Now it remains to be seen whether he can come back successfully like Ali did.

He's not shooting to be one of the best heavyweight since 2000, he was amongst the top five years ago. Once he regains his equanimity, his eyes will be looking back much further than that.

[Paci]

How he bounces back from this will show us where he belongs. But, Joshua is really good, just that Ruiz showed some flaws in his game.

Elite fighter, but a bit of a stiff sometimes. Then again he is getting better and better, just need to change things to work this out.

[ewenhay]

Everything you write is utter nonsense. And even worse, it’s longwinded utter nonsense At least some of the other geniuses with opinions such as vitali klitschko having an admirable resume don’t subject the forum to endless novels of their idiocy.

You could at least keep your drivel to manageable, bite size chunks that are easier to skim and then discard like the layer of detritus that collects on the surface of swimming pools.

Just a thought.

He's right though. If you're measuring achievements since 2000 there's absolutely no way you can have Joshua ahead of Klitschko. Let's see in 5 years time. He's got a lot to do if he wants to have a better legacy than Klitschko

[HomicideHenry]

He's right though. If you're measuring achievements since 2000 there's absolutely no way you can have Joshua ahead of Klitschko. Let's see in 5 years time. He's got a lot to do if he wants to have a better legacy than Klitschko

Definitely. Klitschko had 20'something title defenses over eight years being basically undisputed champion. That ain't chickenshit.

[Tony1244]

I still think he is.

[oogiebe]

He had one bad (really bad) fight. if he puts his head down and works out the kinks, no reason to think he doesn't get to the top again (in today's scene), as we've seen him perform at top level many times. It's all up to him and how he approaches this and stays out of his head.

[Bard of Boxrec]

He's right though. If you're measuring achievements since 2000 there's absolutely no way you can have Joshua ahead of Klitschko. Let's see in 5 years time. He's got a lot to do if he wants to have a better legacy than Klitschko

So you think all those defences against substandard foes count for a lot then? I hate to break it to you, but they don’t. However, place their best 5 wins side by side and there isn’t much in it. Plus the fact that AJ actually beat Wlad himself too, and a sparkling version of Wlad, doesn’t harm his cause!

Even if you give Wlad the better resume on account of him having simply fought more fights, the guy has lost 4 more times, decked more times than I can remember and had to limit his style to basically jab and grab , without much of an offensive repertoire, just to be effective.

True, he does deserve some credit for managing to keep winning after doing that, but to me there is a lot more to be said for someone who has a full offensive repertoire like AJ, and I’m sure he’ll be able to continue winning using that style rather than having to bore the pants off entire viewerships with the art of non fighting.

You can’t just ignore these factors in this type of discussion, because guess what, they’re important.

[ewenhay]

So you think all those defences against substandard foes count for a lot then? I hate to break it to you, but they don’t. However, place their best 5 wins side by side and there isn’t much in it. Plus the fact that AJ actually beat Wlad himself too, and a sparkling version of Wlad, doesn’t harm his cause!

Even if you give Wlad the better resume on account of him having simply fought more fights, the guy has lost 4 more times, decked more times than I can remember and had to limit his style to basically jab and grab , without much of an offensive repertoire, just to be effective.

True, he does deserve some credit for managing to keep winning after doing that, but to me there is a lot more to be said for someone who has a full offensive repertoire like AJ, and I’m sure he’ll be able to continue winning using that style rather than having to bore the pants off entire viewerships with the art of non fighting.

You can’t just ignore these factors in this type of discussion, because guess what, they’re important.

Nonsense.

Klitschko has loads of defences equal or better than Joshua's and over a pretty significant time period.

Unless you think going life and death with a 40 year old Klitschko and struggling with a 39 year old Povetkin is some fantastic achievement.

The fact is, boring as he was, for years Klitschko was way ahead of the competition

[Bard of Boxrec]

Nonsense.

Klitschko has loads of defences equal or better than Joshua's and over a pretty significant time period.

Unless you think going life and death with a 40 year old Klitschko and struggling with a 39 year old Povetkin is some fantastic achievement.

The fact is, boring as he was, for years Klitschko was way ahead of the competition

Seems like you think losing to Brewster, purity and sanders, almost losing to Peter, labouring to a frightful UD against the ordinary Ibragimov and getting decked by the likes of Steve Pannell and Davarryl Williamson is better

You see this is the problem with Wlad’s career assessment and trying to make an argument for his career to be a notch above AJ’s. Whatever holes you try and pick in AJ’s resume, there’s always something a lot more embarrassing in Wlad’s.

And Joshua still probably has 6 or more good years left.