Goodbye AJ

[Expat Smoggie]

I don’t think he’s finished as a boxer but after tonight’s display he’s pretty close. Majority of the rounds went to Ursyk — worse performance I’ve seen from him but let’s face it he looked like he was gone against Ruiz but tonight he definitely looked a beaten man.

 

[Youngie]

He has been shadow boxing for too long and lost his edge…

He has been lucky to fight some god awful boxers…. Tonight he got his ar$e handed to him and rightly so.

You can be a champion based on the belts you hold… you will never be a legend if you dodge the big fights

 

[Brian Marwood]

Awful performance and beaten by a much better fighter on the night. You have you move your head and feet but AJ just doesn’t learn. Terrible fight by a champion.

Also, you shouldn’t enter the ring like in a Rocky movie, that was embarrassing.

 

[swordtrombonefish]

All credit to Usyk, smaller maybe but faster, a great boxer, tough as nails, great footwork, shots from all angles with a very unorthodox style, and a hell of an engine.

AJ has always been a big but muscular, slower fighter and could be hit as his head movement is not all there. He did his thing but against faster (and smaller) men he has been exposed not once but twice and doesn't seem to have the hunger - or at least didn't seem to show it.

I was surprised he didn't change his game and start to try to break up Usyk via the body when he couldn't get any traction going for his head, but he needed to be busier and simply wasn't.

 

[Norman_Conquest]

He has been shadow boxing for too long and lost his edge…

He has been lucky to fight some god awful boxers…. Tonight he got his ar$e handed to him and rightly so.

You can be a champion based on the belts you hold… you will never be a legend if you dodge the big fights

What big fights did he dodge - genuine question.

 

[Ex pfc wintergreen]

All credit to Usyk, smaller maybe but faster, a great boxer, tough as nails, great footwork, shots from all angles with a very unorthodox style, and a hell of an engine.

AJ has always been a big but muscular, slower fighter and could be hit as his head movement is not all there. He did his thing but against faster (and smaller) men he has been exposed not once but twice and doesn't seem to have the hunger - or at least didn't seem to show it.

I was surprised he didn't change his game and start to try to break up Usyk via the body when he couldn't get any traction going for his head, but he needed to be busier and simply wasn't.

He struggles against mobile fighters, he's ok when someone stands in front of him. The fan boys are missing with their dismissive put downs of anyone who had a different opinion from them.

 

[Willow]

He seemed curiously non plussed about getting beat. Just a half hearted shrug of the shoulders.

 

[Blf]

He knows he will earn a fortune from a re match.

 

[Diego]

He seemed curiously non plussed about getting beat. Just a half hearted shrug of the shoulders.

Probably knows the Fury fight is Definetly off the cards now and won’t have to be embarrassed in front of the whole world

 

[Expat Smoggie]

I think we all would say AJ was a fighter based on mostly hype and a lucky hit against Klitchko. Against poor fighters AJ has been able to improve his skills because his corner knew all along that AJ doesn’t have the technical skills to box clever. Against Ruiz he was stripped naked by a clubber and even in the rematch he was lucky to get away with a win— so tonight’s loss didn’t come as a surprise— even though I thought AJ might have come out faster. Personally I think this is the end of the road for AJ (barring a miracle in the rematch) — he can do pretty boy movies instead.

 

[Randy]

Probably knows the Fury fight is Definetly off the cards now and won’t have to be embarrassed in front of the whole world

Fury would/will knock him out before the end of the 5th.

 

[kuepper]

He's lucky to have been around when the heavyweight category was generally pretty mediocre

 

[Priv]

He has been shadow boxing for too long and lost his edge…

He has been lucky to fight some god awful boxers…. Tonight he got his ar$e handed to him and rightly so.

You can be a champion based on the belts you hold… you will never be a legend if you dodge the big fights

You can’t say he dodged fights as out of any of the top heavyweights he’s the only one been willing to fight anyone. Wilder dodged anyone dangerous for years, Fury’s just been too inactive and uninterested.

 

[Youngie]

What big fights did he dodge - genuine question.

Wilder and Fury for starters… he makes all the noise saying the fight is on and this date is pencilled in etc etc then either makes ridiculous demands on the percentage of the purse that no real fighter / contender would ever except. Or leaves it so long that one of the belts then needs a mandatory defence.

i think I read that at the time of the wilder fight being planned, Wilder offered a 50/50 deal… Joshua wanted 70/30 in his favour. Considering they both had belts on the line it was ridiculous.

Fury offered the same but Joshua was demanding 60/40

he has had just 6 fights since beating Klitchco…6 fights in nearly 5 years… and he has lost 2 of them.

 

[joeydiaz]

He needs to ditch Eddie Hearn and get that hunger back! Glad someone else mentioned the ring walk, an embarrassment. You can’t do that then not follow up with the goods.

He’s far too corporate AJ.

 

[Benjiboy]

He needs to ditch Eddie Hearn and get that hunger back! Glad someone else mentioned the ring walk, an embarrassment. You can’t do that then not follow up with the goods.

He’s far too corporate AJ.

As i watched that it was all too comfy looking & totally ott,

 

[Norman_Conquest]

Wilder and Fury for starters… he makes all the noise saying the fight is on and this date is pencilled in etc etc then either makes ridiculous demands on the percentage of the purse that no real fighter / contender would ever except. Or leaves it so long that one of the belts then needs a mandatory defence.

i think I read that at the time of the wilder fight being planned, Wilder offered a 50/50 deal… Joshua wanted 70/30 in his favour. Considering they both had belts on the line it was ridiculous.

Fury offered the same but Joshua was demanding 60/40

he has had just 6 fights since beating Klitchco…6 fights in nearly 5 years… and he has lost 2 of them.

I realised when I asked the question the Wilder saga but always felt neither Joshua or Fury wanted to really fight each other. I could be wrong.

I have also always thought Fury would destroy him.

 

[Nero]

He was well beaten and it's hard to see how he can do better in a rematch.

 

[Expat Smoggie]

After the first Ruiz fight I thought he needed a change in management— I’m not too sure how long he’s been with his present corner unit but I just think they’ve run out of ideas for him. As we’ve found out with other top athletes sometimes change is as good as a rest — he could do with a second opinion.

 

[Ex pfc wintergreen]

It's not Eddie Hearns fault Joshua can't box,
Stand in front of him and he's ok, keep moving around and he doesn't know what to do, jab,jab punch, look at Fury's movement , he leans away, slips punches, and ties you up. When I watched fury on channel five years ago I thought he was another Noel quarless, didn't think he'd go further than British heavyweight contender, and thought Klitschko would hammer him, don't mind saying I was wrong, He's a clever boxer.