margaret thatcher wrote: ↑07 Mar 2021, 16:07what do you actually think of tonster's performances, aside from just browsing his boxrec page?
First of all, Joel Djeko is 6' 6", really athletic build, a fine boxer, and he's never been stopped before. Easy to overlook what a tough customer he is. Yoka is 6' 7", 82" wingspan, and quite lean as well. Like, you weren't watching welterweights, this is the heavyweight division. You have to remind yourself that, in the heavyweight division, most fighters of Wilder's size either capture a championship, are abysmally out of shape, really slow handspeed, or literally don't know the first f*cking thing about how to throw a punch. You have to grade on a curve with the understanding that 6' 7" fighters are bound to be more successful than they look like they should be. If you asked me what I think about how Joyce and Helenius look in the ring, I'd say they both look like hot garbage, but being 6' 6" adds a lot of extra effectiveness to hot garbage.
With that said, the only problem I really had with Yoka's boxing mechanics is his jab. His jab either drifts upward, downward, or loops like a mini-hook; it's kind of slow, and doesn't have a lot of snap. Otherwise, I thought his mechanics were good for a tall heavyweight, his general hand and foot speed were good for a tall heavyweight, his power looked fine, and I don't see any reason to worry about his chin. He's already fought a lengthy series of gatekeepers; unlike Breazeale, Martin, and Wilder, who got thrust into title contention without hardly being tested. No one's exposed his chin yet, because there's nothing to expose. His stamina's totally perfect; he looks as fresh in round 12 as he does in round 1. After he beat Djeko, you literally could've swapped Djeko out for another gatekeeper and Yoka could've gone 12 more rounds. He neither showed a hint of fatigue nor did he have a single mark on his face. Yoka is easily ready to step-up his competition in his very next fight, because he completely dominated this fight and didn't show a single shred of weakness. Good chin, perfect stamina, excellent ability to outbox opponents at this level.