BoxRec

Cyclops wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 12:42 I'm not going to lay into Joshua. He's only a human and you have to feel bad for somebody who probably feels like he's lost so much: his own self respect, his own self image as an immortal warrior God, his public front as the same: a giant indomitable adonis... A kind of mythological figure: reduced to just a man. F*ck, that's got to hurt, hasn't it?

Not only did he get beat, but he made himself look like a massive knob. I mean, an absolute f*cking tool.

A lot of us have been there. Certainly me, after a night on the sauce and the sniff, having made a massive prick out of ourselves thinking what we were saying and how we were behaving at the time was fine and justified, only to come down and sober up and realise we'd been f*cking dickheads causing everybody around us to cringe and reconsider why they liked us in the first place.

For AJ it wasn't gak and booze, but concussion and adrenalin.

Regardless, the humiliation is real. And it's not just amongst friends. It's the whole world laughing at you.

Let's just look at our four kings at Heavyweight: Joshua, Usyk, Fury and Wilder, and consider that only one of them isn't a bizarre deluded contradictory grandiose weirdo. Usyk is the only one defensively sound enough to not ship the punishment the other three have. We all enjoy ourselves on these boards having a pop at these blokes and the bollocks they come out with, but maybe there's a discussion to be had about a generation of gigantic heavyweights brain damaging each other for our entertainment and maybe reserving the ridicule a little, no matter how tempting it may be?

Fury, Wilder, AJ....

CTE is real, lads.

Joshua's boxing last night was the best I've ever seen from him. F*cking brilliant. Usyk is a generational talent. AJ held his own against him and didn't get stopped, and had his moments. That's some achievement.

Hm yeah, I was thinking this morning - He's had years of knocking over stiffs, everyone blowing smoke up his backside (even now). The first loss was supposed to be some sort of aberration, dismissed as a fluke and then the second loss more because he got outboxed and looked a bit lost with no gameplan or ideas. Now he's lost again and he tried different tactics but bizarrely, didn't stick to them. This is not Hagler switching stance in the Leonard fight to make a statement, this is a man who just isn't tactically adept enough at the very highest level.

So he's become a walking, trite cliche machine who generates cash and it's almost a presumption he'll win. Imagine how his head is with Usyk living there rent free now for 24 rounds. A much smaller, lighter punching fighter. No wonder he had a strop.

Not that it's an excuse but the mask definitely slipped. He must be unbearable at the moment. I wonder if the paid hangers on are broing him or have left him to sulk.

I still think he could beat some top ten guys but so what, he won't beat Usyk, he definitely won't beat Fury and I'd be surprised if he lasted 90 seconds with Wilder. I guess everyone wants the cash machine to go rumbling on so he'll probably keep fighting.

People by and large being too kind to Joshua. He's clearly got a few issues which I'll cut him a bit of slack for but he acted like a complete arsehole. Really showed himself up and ruined the aftermath for the amazing Usyk somewhat. Like I said before, Joshua boxed well, the cards were closer that I believe they should have been but he's a decent operator. To stand up and blurt on like that ruins him as a credible person for me, though. An uber wealthy clown.

What I cannot stand is that the entire British sports media narrative has been all about Joshua and feeling sorry for Joshua, making everything about Joshua. This kind of thing reminds me of the 1990s all over again when the British sports media kept going on and on about Frank Bruno all the while ignoring Lennox Lewis.

It's disrespectful. It's nonsensical. And it's ridiculous. The primadonna hogged up the spotlight knowing full well that it would steal away Usyk's thunder. And the sad part? Joshua is still talking today putting out posts that he's sorry for his meltdown after the fight.

Just shut up and let the winner have his time, and you take your sorry butt back into the gym and figure out how you can either improve or you need to have a real come to Jesus moment and ask yourself if you need to retire because if you're going to have a nervous breakdown after every performance doesn't quite go your way then you're in the wrong business.

HomicideHenry wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 13:49 What I cannot stand is that the entire British sports media narrative has been all about Joshua and feeling sorry for Joshua, making everything about Joshua. This kind of thing reminds me of the 1990s all over again when the British sports media kept going on and on about Frank Bruno all the while ignoring Lennox Lewis.

It's disrespectful. It's nonsensical. And it's ridiculous. The primadonna hogged up the spotlight knowing full well that it would steal away Usyk's thunder. And the sad part? Joshua is still talking today putting out posts that he's sorry for his meltdown after the fight.

Just shut up and let the winner have his time, and you take your sorry butt back into the gym and figure out how you can either improve or you need to have a real come to Jesus moment and ask yourself if you need to retire because if you're going to have a nervous breakdown after every performance doesn't quite go your way then you're in the wrong business.

He never said he’s sorry.

HomicideHenry wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 13:49 What I cannot stand is that the entire British sports media narrative has been all about Joshua and feeling sorry for Joshua, making everything about Joshua. This kind of thing reminds me of the 1990s all over again when the British sports media kept going on and on about Frank Bruno all the while ignoring Lennox Lewis.

It's disrespectful. It's nonsensical. And it's ridiculous. The primadonna hogged up the spotlight knowing full well that it would steal away Usyk's thunder. And the sad part? Joshua is still talking today putting out posts that he's sorry for his meltdown after the fight.

Just shut up and let the winner have his time, and you take your sorry butt back into the gym and figure out how you can either improve or you need to have a real come to Jesus moment and ask yourself if you need to retire because if you're going to have a nervous breakdown after every performance doesn't quite go your way then you're in the wrong business.

That's Brits, mate, and has been for decades. Absolute crybabies and very biased.

Dioufy wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 13:52

HomicideHenry wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 13:49 What I cannot stand is that the entire British sports media narrative has been all about Joshua and feeling sorry for Joshua, making everything about Joshua. This kind of thing reminds me of the 1990s all over again when the British sports media kept going on and on about Frank Bruno all the while ignoring Lennox Lewis.

It's disrespectful. It's nonsensical. And it's ridiculous. The primadonna hogged up the spotlight knowing full well that it would steal away Usyk's thunder. And the sad part? Joshua is still talking today putting out posts that he's sorry for his meltdown after the fight.

Just shut up and let the winner have his time, and you take your sorry butt back into the gym and figure out how you can either improve or you need to have a real come to Jesus moment and ask yourself if you need to retire because if you're going to have a nervous breakdown after every performance doesn't quite go your way then you're in the wrong business.

He never said he’s sorry.

This was put out by Boxing Exposure, allegedly from Joshua maybe a half hour ago:

Anthony Joshua

I wish Usyk continued success in your quest for greatness. You are a class act champ.

Yesterday I had to mentally take myself into a dark place to compete for the championship belts! I had two fights, one with Usyk and one with my emotions and both got the better of me.

I’ll be the first to admit, I let my self down. I acted out of pure passion and emotion and when not controlled it ain’t great.

I love this sport so so much and I’ll be better from this point on.

Respect

Not quite an apology but basically in a roundabout way he was saying he was sorry for acting like a clown after the fact.

Cyclops wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 12:42 I'm not going to lay into Joshua. He's only a human and you have to feel bad for somebody who probably feels like he's lost so much: his own self respect, his own self image as an immortal warrior God, his public front as the same: a giant indomitable adonis... A kind of mythological figure: reduced to just a man. F*ck, that's got to hurt, hasn't it?

Not only did he get beat, but he made himself look like a massive knob. I mean, an absolute f*cking tool.

A lot of us have been there. Certainly me, after a night on the sauce and the sniff, having made a massive prick out of ourselves thinking what we were saying and how we were behaving at the time was fine and justified, only to come down and sober up and realise we'd been f*cking dickheads causing everybody around us to cringe and reconsider why they liked us in the first place.

For AJ it wasn't gak and booze, but concussion and adrenalin.

Regardless, the humiliation is real. And it's not just amongst friends. It's the whole world laughing at you.

Let's just look at our four kings at Heavyweight: Joshua, Usyk, Fury and Wilder, and consider that only one of them isn't a bizarre deluded contradictory grandiose weirdo. Usyk is the only one defensively sound enough to not ship the punishment the other three have. We all enjoy ourselves on these boards having a pop at these blokes and the bollocks they come out with, but maybe there's a discussion to be had about a generation of gigantic heavyweights brain damaging each other for our entertainment and maybe reserving the ridicule a little, no matter how tempting it may be?

Fury, Wilder, AJ....

CTE is real, lads.

Joshua's boxing last night was the best I've ever seen from him. F*cking brilliant. Usyk is a generational talent. AJ held his own against him and didn't get stopped, and had his moments. That's some achievement.

Yes well said

And no one needs to feel bad for Usyk. He hadn’t a clue what Josh was ranting about anyway, he’s king of the world, and one of the best days of his life no doubt.
Josh Looked much better this time round really showed grit & durability. He’ll come back and still be huge box office on DAZN, everyone is gonna want see him and what he looks like, especially with a decent come back opponent.

AJ versus Wilder is one of the best fights you can make in boxing, a can’t miss heavyweight shoot out.

jimmystone wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 13:53

HomicideHenry wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 13:49 What I cannot stand is that the entire British sports media narrative has been all about Joshua and feeling sorry for Joshua, making everything about Joshua. This kind of thing reminds me of the 1990s all over again when the British sports media kept going on and on about Frank Bruno all the while ignoring Lennox Lewis.

It's disrespectful. It's nonsensical. And it's ridiculous. The primadonna hogged up the spotlight knowing full well that it would steal away Usyk's thunder. And the sad part? Joshua is still talking today putting out posts that he's sorry for his meltdown after the fight.

Just shut up and let the winner have his time, and you take your sorry butt back into the gym and figure out how you can either improve or you need to have a real come to Jesus moment and ask yourself if you need to retire because if you're going to have a nervous breakdown after every performance doesn't quite go your way then you're in the wrong business.

That's Brits, mate, and has been for decades. Absolute crybabies and very biased.

Basically yes.

Before Joshua ever came on the scene the Brits were entirely convinced that it was going to be David Price. And of course he came up short, and the British public hated the fact that Tyson Fury succeeded instead of the guy they wanted to be champion.

Joshua manages to get a hold of the heavyweight title through political maneuvering (ie, Charles Martin) and barely comes out the winner in a real blood and guts confrontation with an older inactive Klitschko, and everybody goes nuts acting like he's in the same stratosphere as Muhammad Ali completely ignoring the facts.

And when he lost to Andy Ruiz people considered it a fluke. They still refused to see the chinks in the armor that Joshua really had. One can make the argument that Joshua didn't really regain the title on his own merit from Ruiz but rather that Ruiz pissed the title away by coming in nearly 300 pounds. Yet everybody wanted to act like everything was right in the world again.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The chinks in the armor were still there, but were now compounded with emotional issues of insecurity. Now with the back-to-back losses to Usyk, one can only assume that the emotional issues of insecurity are going to be worse.

When you face a man twice, and you can't outbox him and you sure wasn't able to hurt him it plays big mind tricks. I mean really think about it. At one point you could say that Joshua was the number two heavyweight in the world, but now he's in a position where one can make a considerable argument that he's not even in the top three considering the Fury-Wilder trilogy kind of demonstrates that both of those men are capable of digging down deep and being effective brawlers whereas Joshua simply came across more as a desperate aggressor than an effective aggressor.

You have to practically kill Wilder to stop him, and I think that elevates him really ahead of Joshua. Wilder is dangerous throughout fights whether he's winning or losing, and I'm not so sure the same can be said of Anthony Joshua. He lets people off the hook too much. He's lost that killer instinct that he once had early on in his career.

Of course we won't know who really is the third best heavyweight in the world until there is a Joshua-Wilder fight, if that ever happens. But the fact remains that the British have a knack for backing the wrong horse because they get too wrapped up in the glitz and glamor and prestige of a presentation. They will always pick somebody like Frank Bruno or Anthony Joshua over a Tyson Fury or Lennox Lewis, and I guess part of that is because for whatever reason they don't perceive Fury or Lewis as being British even though they are.

That's the best I've ever seen Joshua box. Huge improvement. But Usyk also went up a level, and the scores were really too close in the end.

But I think someone needs to have a proper look at Joshua before he carries on doing this. The mood shifts are troubling.

MightyWarrior wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 14:08And no one needs to feel bad for Usyk. He hadn’t a clue what Josh was ranting about anyway, he’s king of the world, and one of the best days of his life no doubt.

Usyk's English may not be the best, but I'm sure that he got the gist of it. AJ being a bad loser and talking about having a weekend stint in Reading jail 12 years ago...

I think that we should all be feeling sorry for Usyk considering his nation is being ravaged with war and his countrymen are dying in the streets... And he put all of that behind him, to focus on defending his championships and bringing visibility to the cause of Ukraine...

Crease wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 14:32

MightyWarrior wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 14:08And no one needs to feel bad for Usyk. He hadn’t a clue what Josh was ranting about anyway, he’s king of the world, and one of the best days of his life no doubt.

Usyk's English may not be the best, but I'm sure that he got the gist of it. AJ being a bad loser and talking about having a weekend stint in Reading jail 12 years ago...

I think that we should all be feeling sorry for Usyk considering his nation is being ravaged with war and his countrymen are dying in the streets... And he put all of that behind him, to focus on defending his championships and bringing visibility to the cause of Ukraine...

I doubt Usyk gives a monkeys and is sitting at home with a big smile on his face

It was all a bit strange wasn't it? Maybe concussion was an issue I have no idea.

Fact of the matter is that only one man in that ring could have took the mic from AJ and he didn't seem all that bothered and didn't say very much about it afterwards either.

People said it was "out of character" but given how scripted and PR friendly he usually is, it is hard to know what his character is.

Maybe a moody, loud mouthed idiot IS his true character, who knows?

Stay humble.

Joshua might be a prick but he needed protecting from himself there. Definitely concussed.
Looked like Chisora atleast tried. Wonder if Hearn and the crew of yes men did too..

Crease wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 14:32

MightyWarrior wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 14:08And no one needs to feel bad for Usyk. He hadn’t a clue what Josh was ranting about anyway, he’s king of the world, and one of the best days of his life no doubt.

Usyk's English may not be the best, but I'm sure that he got the gist of it. AJ being a bad loser and talking about having a weekend stint in Reading jail 12 years ago...

I think that we should all be feeling sorry for Usyk considering his nation is being ravaged with war and his countrymen are dying in the streets... And he put all of that behind him, to focus on defending his championships and bringing visibility to the cause of Ukraine...

Im Sure Krussyak or someone else was filling him in.

Usyk understands basic English.

He probably heard:

“Bla bla bla Rocky Marciano bla bla Jack Dempsey bla bla Sonny Liston..”

Thought wtf is he on. Lol

oogiebe wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 15:14 Stay humble.

big lennox wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 04:44 I thought it was a superb fight. Joshua gave everything he had but Uysk is just brilliant.

However, I thought Joshua's behaviour after the fight was just awful. He totally stole Uysk's thunder, especially during this tragic period of time for Ukraine, when Uysk will have wanted to address his nation.

If I am being generous, I would say that Joshua might have been concussed, as he was flip flopping all over the place: arguing with Uysk, throwing his belts out of the ring, grabbing the mic and talking about himself before praising Uysk, who looked embarrassed and disappointed by it all. A sad way for Joshua to finish the evening after such a superb effort in the ring earlier.

I agree, it was a super high level HW fight. Two of the most skilled fighters in the division, Uysk being the most skilled in my view, since the peak of Evander Holyfield.
And yes, AJ ruined it afterwards.
What a d*ck.

willardx wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 12:57 Can Eddie warrant ppv for ajs next fight is the big one?

Fat Andy Vs Father Time is PPV...

KiwiRider wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 16:48

willardx wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 12:57 Can Eddie warrant ppv for ajs next fight is the big one?

Fat Andy Vs Father Time is PPV...

That's the only thing I hate about this current era of boxing is that so many fights are pay-per-view when they really are deserving of free television or at best the undercard on pay-per-views. 20 years ago this kind of match would have been most likely on NBC, ABC, or Friday Night Fights. Or maybe on the undercard of a welterweight or middleweight championship fight.

HomicideHenry wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 16:56

KiwiRider wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 16:48

willardx wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 12:57 Can Eddie warrant ppv for ajs next fight is the big one?

Fat Andy Vs Father Time is PPV...

That's the only thing I hate about this current era of boxing is that so many fights are pay-per-view when they really are deserving of free television or at best the undercard on pay-per-views. 20 years ago this kind of match would have been most likely on NBC, ABC, or Friday Night Fights. Or maybe on the undercard of a welterweight or middleweight championship fight.

Free television is where you build your fan base so that later on you can charge people if your talented, face the best, and exciting.
Now we have predetermined ppv guys like Tank, who flits about cherry picking the easiest path to some trinket or other and fools pay to see it, ir even worse the youtuber stuff

michael conlan v miguel marriaga was PPV !! ……. so there’s no doubt Joshua v Whyte will be too

So:

- guy who has long cultivated a good-guy image…
- has an aggressive meltdown on his industry’s biggest stage before an audience of millions…
- makes a self-justifying rambling speech shortly thereafter…
- ends up in tears…
- then is on serious damage limitation within 24 hours.

Ignoring the absence of a slap, this is AJ’s Will Smith moment. Smith’s fall is the greater - it has cast The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air and Summertime in a different light for me, and AJ simply does not have that body of work.

On a serious note, I hope AJ gets the privacy and help he needs. Being out again before the end of the year seems a very bad idea. And I hope he knows that your best friends are the ones who tell you when you’re wrong, and that they’re the ones to listen to.

olij999 wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 17:33 So:

- guy who has long cultivated a good-guy image…
- has an aggressive meltdown on his industry’s biggest stage before an audience of millions…
- makes a self-justifying rambling speech shortly thereafter…
- ends up in tears…
- then is on serious damage limitation within 24 hours.

Ignoring the absence of a slap, this is AJ’s Will Smith moment. Smith’s fall is the greater - it has cast The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air and Summertime in a different light for me, and AJ simply does not have that body of work.

On a serious note, I hope AJ gets the privacy and help he needs. Being out again before the end of the year seems a very bad idea.



And I hope he knows that your best friends are the ones who tell you when you’re wrong, and that they’re the ones to listen to.

Lol. I doubt anyone in his circle has told him he’s wrong in a decade.

olij999 wrote: ↑21 Aug 2022, 17:33 this is AJ’s Will Smith moment.

Cracking analogy.

Agree with a lot of peoples sentiments , he was concussed , , the pressure was immense , and when he tried his absolute heart out and lost his , concussed brain had a meltdown ,, think about it go back to your childhood how many of us had a meltdown burst into tears and stamped our feet , .

Joshua really has all the pressure in the world on him from the start , Ok he's had a gifted carreer , from lucky olympic medal , to Eddie putting the dollars behind him and promoting him well early in the peice , , he has proved time and again he's a good boxer , some can say he's false , but i believe he's genuinly tried to be a good role model , helped ameteur clubs , gave his old ameteur trainer a car , shown that basicly he's a decent human being and deserves props for being one of the best heavyweights to ever come out of britain , not the world but Britain . .

But facts are , he cannot and will never beat Usyk , he's not got the tools , he's got the heart , but the tools are just simply not sharp enough to do the job , maybee a coach like sugar hill who teaches agresion could sharpen the tools enough that he could go on and do the job with 12 months of constant training ,, but then theres another reason he would never beat Usyk , Fury or definetly Wilder .

He's got GUNSHY ,, he can't pull the trigger , the openings at times were there for him , Usyk has good has he was , did leave massive opportunitys for AJ to clonk him on the jaw , but he simply could'nt pull the trigger , he would throw one maybee two , but not follow up instead arms back to wait the counter , if there had been a 3 and 4 , Usyk would of been defending not countering , i said in another post if AJ had fought for 1 minuite in each rnd like he did rnd 9 , that fight would of been a complete different result ,,.

He got beat by a better boer in his first fight , and somehow managed to convince himself it was a bad camp , sacked his long time coach listened to his new back slapper trainer and thought he would win the next one , discovered he was scared to get hit , and gunshy , got beat up and concussed , then had a bit of a tantrum and breakdown ,, he just really needs to take time off go reflect , get rid of his whole team and maybee start again , Go get another trainer who's whle focus is on fitness and aggresion spend 12 -18 months with him ,

Admit to himself he's not invincible and only the 3rd 4th best in the world , and who knows he may well be world champ again , other than that like i said before , go sit on a beach surrounded by dolly birds , instead of his mates