Anthony Joshua ... Overhyped & Overworked ??

[Spud]

Sorry if this has been done before ...

Anthony Joshua has done incredibly well & even if he did not fight again he can say he was the IBF & WBA World Heavyweight Champion ... he should rightly be proud.

I like the bloke.

But ... are we & the general public in danger of overhyping AJ as some unbeatable god when he clearly has flaws like any other boxer?

In addition ... is AJs focus being turned too much & is he being overworked with TV, media & sponsorship commitments as well as things like dinner speaking events ... Ajs commitment to the fans is superb, absolutely fantastic but is it too much?

[tobyh5]

I think only casuals are on that train Spud, boxing fans (not even hardcore, just anyone above "casual" level) is aware of the flaws, level of opposition and I think are almost waiting for it to come apart. Despite his imposing physical presence, there is something slightly fragile about him and for me it feels like its a matter of time before the guy will land the right punch and it will be game over.

AS for overworked, maybe so but I think he does get huge downtime. Has a mountain of sponsors but I am not sure how much he does for them. My mate owns the supplement company he endorses and apart from two photoshoots and an open day at Tesco Watford, he has done little for them so far as giving his time

[Ossyrules]

I think you are right in many ways spud, and Toby in some of his points

I don’t agree with Toby where you state he’s almost an accident waiting to happen in as many words, that type of thing for me is reserved for the Wilders etc who have gaping holes in there game.

I don’t see Joshua as some invincible, but I do think that whoever beats him will have to have a hell of a lot about themselves, cos he is a big strong guy who can punch, and box. Looking at the current rankings I’m not too sure we have that opponent in and around contenders position right now

[Loftgroov]

I certainly don't see him as unbeatable. Hitting the deck and gassing in spells during his fight with Wlad is evidence enough of that. But he's a likeable and entertaining fighter to watch for the most part.

As mentioned before, he's also come along at the right time (for him). He's something of a bright light in a sea of mediocrity in the division. In past Heavyweight eras I'm not sure he'd have faired so well, but in fairness he can only beat up what's in front of him and he's done it so far.

[Nightmare Roy]

It's a double edged saw for AJ, the marketing and hype by Eddie and Sky has turned him into a high earning superstar but with that comes a lot of expectation, he's a very good HW but listen to his backers and they would have you believe he's Tyson and Ali rolled into one. I don't think people who really know boxing buy into though, I watched the Takam fight and just kept thinking, imagine if the little guy he was in with was Holyfield, doesn't bear thinking about.

[davie]

I have long questioned AJ and been critical of his talents.
But he has improved on some of his issues around his movement and answered a few of the question marks around his ability to take a punch in the Wlad fight.
He's not the complete package and isn't unbeatable but I now firmly believe he is the best out there and would go into a fight with any current heavyweight as favourite.

That being said, that is as much to do with the limitiations of his main rivals.
Deontay, like AJ, has improved but there are obvious technical flaws.
Parker is good but limited.
Fury is out of shape and may never regain what he had.
If the rematch had happened, Wlad was unlikely to have improved on the last outin and was getting old.
Ortiz looking old and like Povetkin probably not going to get that fight due to drug testing issue (or conspiracies...)
Pulev, given up his last best chance and would probably have got Ko'd
Haye is done.

For all of the above reasons I have gotten on the AJ train that I refused to board for a long time.
However I am not in the first class carraige and I'm in the single seat next to the toilet and thinking about getting off at the next station, if you know what I mean.

[KiwiRider]

He is beatable. But also each fight he is improving on different aspects, except perhaps his stamina. That may get addressed in his next time out.
I put him at #1 but is only one punch from being #2. That's boxing, and especially heavyweights. To me it doesn't matter if he loses, sometimes fighters get better after a loss if they take their career seriously, and he does. I'm sure Eddie doesn't mind either, rematches are big money spinners

[Stuarty]

He is beatable. But also each fight he is improving on different aspects, except perhaps his stamina. That may get addressed in his next time out.
I put him at #1 but is only one punch from being #2. That's boxing, and especially heavyweights. To me it doesn't matter if he loses, sometimes fighters get better after a loss if they take their career seriously, and he does. I'm sure Eddie doesn't mind either, rematches are big money spinners

He's said himself he knows he'll probably lose one day but will come back stronger. Didn't do Lewis any harm and he was KO'd badly twice. Not that I'm in anyway comparing AJ to Lewis

[Mimmy]

AJ has been pushed to fast in his career in the sense of winning a world title so soon. This was not his fault however as we know what state the heavyweight division is in.

AJ is a distance from being perfect but as it stands I dont think we will see a perfect boxing specimen from AJ as I believe his body frame is too muscular to give him the flexibility of a boxer who can move quick and plant shots from different angles quickly.

Overhyped? possibly yes but thats his PR not AJ himself.

Overworked? Hes putting the time in isnt he?

[ElJefe]

I have long questioned AJ and been critical of his talents.
But he has improved on some of his issues around his movement and answered a few of the question marks around his ability to take a punch in the Wlad fight.
He's not the complete package and isn't unbeatable but I now firmly believe he is the best out there and would go into a fight with any current heavyweight as favourite.

That being said, that is as much to do with the limitiations of his main rivals.
Deontay, like AJ, has improved but there are obvious technical flaws.
Parker is good but limited.
Fury is out of shape and may never regain what he had.
If the rematch had happened, Wlad was unlikely to have improved on the last outin and was getting old.
Ortiz looking old and like Povetkin probably not going to get that fight due to drug testing issue (or conspiracies...)
Pulev, given up his last best chance and would probably have got Ko'd
Haye is done.

For all of the above reasons I have gotten on the AJ train that I refused to board for a long time.
However I am not in the first class carraige and I'm in the single seat next to the toilet and thinking about getting off at the next station, if you know what I mean.

This is pretty much where I'm at as well. He's far from unbeatable, but is there anyone out there right now who can do it? Doesn't look like it. The biggest threat is Fury if he can get fit, but that's probably a long way off. Wilder is dangerous for anyone but I fancy Joshua to be more fundamentally solid and KO him. As you say, none of the others really seem a huge threat right now. We might have to wait for the next group of heavyweights to see if someone can knock him off his perch.

[Coco]

While he wouldn't be invincible in the times of Ali, Holmes and Lewis, I think amongst the current crop he is quite unbeatable.
Fury in shape is one thing, but he is not, so then who do we have? Ortiz, Wilder, Hughie Fury, Chisora, Whyte, Parker, Haye......

[Stuarty]

While he wouldn't be invincible in the times of Ali, Holmes and Lewis, I think amongst the current crop he is quite unbeatable.
Fury in shape is one thing, but he is not, so then who do we have? Ortiz, Wilder, Hughie Fury, Chisora, Whyte, Parker, Haye......

Wilder is awkward and powerful enough to cause him problems. Hard to gauge anything from the Stiverne fight because Stiverne was a fuckin embarrassment but he looked to be using the jab more and the finish was obviously pretty impressive. I see Wilder AJ as a 50/50 fight. Both guys defences aren't the greatest and both can whack enough to stop the other if he lands clean.

The other guys you mentioned I agree AJ starches all of em. Haye if he was fit could probably be tricky for the first few rounds but he's a million miles away from what he was at his best.

[Dirk Kelly]

Great thread.

I've always enjoyed AJ's fights but never bought into all the hype. I say to my casual mates he's a modern day Frank Bruno, the only problem is there is nobody I can see out there at the current time that will beat him. We all mention Fury but its a big fat IF that he'll come back and how many fights he'll need to get his speed, timing etc back. I don't think Wlad knew what to do in the first Fury fight, he didn't pull the trigger like he did AJ, didn't chase the action, a bit like a rabbit stuck in the headlights - he'd had everything his own way for umpteen defences and did't know what do when he was fighting a bigger man, was behind and when Fury would roll over for him. Therefore I'd expect AJ to catch him at some point and it remains to be seen if he can get up from an AJ bomb as I'd imagine they'd be a lot harder than Cunningham for instance.

[Ads_]

Having watched back the AJ fight it looks like he was trying to ‘box’. For me AJ is at his best when he is trading shots. There is nobody out there that beats him if they start to trade with him. Having said that they are clearly trying to teach him new things but it looks so unnatural to him. It’s like trying to teach the wife how to kick a football, it’s just not going to happen. Tyson Fury is the only one out there that beats AJ. If he tries to box Fury he will get beat. He has to get Fury into a ‘fight’ but that’s easier said than done.

[jamamb]

Having watched back the AJ fight it looks like he was trying to ‘box’. For me AJ is at his best when he is trading shots. There is nobody out there that beats him if they start to trade with him. Having said that they are clearly trying to teach him new things but it looks so unnatural to him. It’s like trying to teach the wife how to kick a football, it’s just not going to happen. Tyson Fury is the only one out there that beats AJ. If he tries to box Fury he will get beat. He has to get Fury into a ‘fight’ but that’s easier said than done.

kind of agree. think he should be an intelligent aggressor more so than a boxer. he puts together his shots beatutfiully in combo and should throwing those coming forward.

[TheGingerBomber]

AJ should blow the whole division away at present in my opinion. The top 30 anyway.
However it's easy to say that on paper, his flaws are his stamina and chin. Or at least that's the consensus. For me the stamina problem is his most legit threat, because if he were to face someone like say, Povetkin, he could be forced late and the Russian has the power unlike Takam.

This is why I want to see him strip some weight, whether it's muscle or fat, surely there's experts out there saying "here, do this and this and you'll improve immensely". It's pivotal his weight comes down because he's been shown as a lot slower lately. And he'll get even slower as the fight goes on.

I think Hearn wants the Wilder fight more than me, so for some to say he's ducking Deontay is hilarious, he just wants everything set up perfect, if Wilder can fight average opponents for years, then AJ can have a fight before hand.

As a fan of Joshua, I want to see him blow Wilder way, I think technically, he is a shocking boxer. It's blatant to me how AJ wins, but if the Bomber goes wild and connects it's over.

[Stuarty]

He's usually got pretty fast hands for a big dude but he looked slow and ponderous against Takam. Personally I'd give him a pass. It was a late change of opponent and that's never a good thing. Lennox fought Vitali and he was a late change and he underperformed but still got the job done. We'll see how he goes in his next fight and judge him after that.

[dirk2686]

A lot of the 'faults' with Joshua seem to just be his weaker areas - they don't necessarily look like glaring issues which clearly need addressing immediately.

He could be beaten - of course he could, but chin and stamina were his question marks when he was wiping people out in a few rounds and to an extent they still are, but you can't take away the fact that he got out of very heavy waters to stop Wlad in eleven and pretty much won every round against Takam. If he was hanging on for dear life to get over the line that may be one thing, but it's just not happened yet.

The questions over other heavyweights seem a lot more self evident. Fury is a dismally unfit fat wreck, who even if he manages to get down to fighting weight has done his body guaranteed damage to just get into the shape he's in. Wilder is still very wild for a near forty-fight veteran. Haye is inactive, injured and old. Hughie has no power. Parker looks average against below average opponents.

Compared to these Joshua looks the most complete package.

[tobyh5]

AJ should blow the whole division away at present in my opinion. The top 30 anyway.

Ey? He should blow away the whole division, well the top 30 anyway? Meaning someone outside the top 30 would not someone he could blow through? Not sure on the logic of that

[jamesmcdonnell]

AJ should blow the whole division away at present in my opinion. The top 30 anyway.
However it's easy to say that on paper, his flaws are his stamina and chin. Or at least that's the consensus. For me the stamina problem is his most legit threat, because if he were to face someone like say, Povetkin, he could be forced late and the Russian has the power unlike Takam.

This is why I want to see him strip some weight, whether it's muscle or fat, surely there's experts out there saying "here, do this and this and you'll improve immensely". It's pivotal his weight comes down because he's been shown as a lot slower lately. And he'll get even slower as the fight goes on.

I think Hearn wants the Wilder fight more than me, so for some to say he's ducking Deontay is hilarious, he just wants everything set up perfect, if Wilder can fight average opponents for years, then AJ can have a fight before hand.

As a fan of Joshua, I want to see him blow Wilder way, I think technically, he is a shocking boxer. It's blatant to me how AJ wins, but if the Bomber goes wild and connects it's over.

Funnily enough, I think joshua is more likely to come unstuck against a smaller guy who is durable with a good engine. I'm not sure theres anybody out there is bet on, but its not hard to see him being stopped late in a fight with all that bulk.

[jamesmcdonnell]

AJ should blow the whole division away at present in my opinion. The top 30 anyway.
However it's easy to say that on paper, his flaws are his stamina and chin. Or at least that's the consensus. For me the stamina problem is his most legit threat, because if he were to face someone like say, Povetkin, he could be forced late and the Russian has the power unlike Takam.

This is why I want to see him strip some weight, whether it's muscle or fat, surely there's experts out there saying "here, do this and this and you'll improve immensely". It's pivotal his weight comes down because he's been shown as a lot slower lately. And he'll get even slower as the fight goes on.

I think Hearn wants the Wilder fight more than me, so for some to say he's ducking Deontay is hilarious, he just wants everything set up perfect, if Wilder can fight average opponents for years, then AJ can have a fight before hand.

As a fan of Joshua, I want to see him blow Wilder way, I think technically, he is a shocking boxer. It's blatant to me how AJ wins, but if the Bomber goes wild and connects it's over.

Funnily enough, I think joshua is more likely to come unstuck against a smaller guy who is durable with a good engine. I'm not sure theres anybody out there is bet on, but its not hard to see him being stopped late in a fight with all that bulk.

[Ossyrules]

Having watched back the AJ fight it looks like he was trying to ‘box’. For me AJ is at his best when he is trading shots. There is nobody out there that beats him if they start to trade with him. Having said that they are clearly trying to teach him new things but it looks so unnatural to him. It’s like trying to teach the wife how to kick a football, it’s just not going to happen. Tyson Fury is the only one out there that beats AJ. If he tries to box Fury he will get beat. He has to get Fury into a ‘fight’ but that’s easier said than done.

kind of agree. think he should be an intelligent aggressor more so than a boxer. he puts together his shots beatutfiully in combo and should throwing those coming forward.

I agree with this also, but on the flip side getting some rounds in won’t have done him any harm either.

When he explodes into action like Wlad round 5 for example, it will take an inspired bit of boxing to stay there with him

[Grilling Machine]

I put him at #1 but is only one punch from being #2.

Provisional #1, yep. I think there's a general top-five consensus of Wilder, Ortiz, Povetkin and Parker behind him. After that it's the Whyte, Miller and co. group. Haye and Fury are still relevant if they're ever fit again. And then Dubois and the newcomers. I'd like to see Joyce fight one of the Zhangs.

[TheGingerBomber]

AJ should blow the whole division away at present in my opinion. The top 30 anyway.

Ey? He should blow away the whole division, well the top 30 anyway? Meaning someone outside the top 30 would not someone he could blow through? Not sure on the logic of that

I was trying to rule out possibly prospects like Dubois, Kuzmin, Hrgovic.

[TheGingerBomber]

AJ should blow the whole division away at present in my opinion. The top 30 anyway.
However it's easy to say that on paper, his flaws are his stamina and chin. Or at least that's the consensus. For me the stamina problem is his most legit threat, because if he were to face someone like say, Povetkin, he could be forced late and the Russian has the power unlike Takam.

This is why I want to see him strip some weight, whether it's muscle or fat, surely there's experts out there saying "here, do this and this and you'll improve immensely". It's pivotal his weight comes down because he's been shown as a lot slower lately. And he'll get even slower as the fight goes on.

I think Hearn wants the Wilder fight more than me, so for some to say he's ducking Deontay is hilarious, he just wants everything set up perfect, if Wilder can fight average opponents for years, then AJ can have a fight before hand.

As a fan of Joshua, I want to see him blow Wilder way, I think technically, he is a shocking boxer. It's blatant to me how AJ wins, but if the Bomber goes wild and connects it's over.

Funnily enough, I think joshua is more likely to come unstuck against a smaller guy who is durable with a good engine. I'm not sure theres anybody out there is bet on, but its not hard to see him being stopped late in a fight with all that bulk.

Yeah I'd personally be worried if he faced Povetkin. Parker could give him problems too though he's not as small as Povetkin.