The RedCafe Boxing Thread

Paxi

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I've watched his career closely. And he's overrated. When i say overrated, he might be the best HW in the world, but it's dam close. He's not much better than joshua/usyk/white. Oh and he has pillow fists. Wilder can't box for toffee but will probably land a bomb and ko him.
It’s not all about having ridiculous punching power though. See when competent boxers through some very heavy shots back at you, it suddenly becomes much harder and judging by the memes of Wilders face from the last fight, he learned that the hard way. We will see shortly then, at least it’s good that we don’t have to wait 8 months for a resolution.
 

DixieDean

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Nah mate you're wumming at this stage. Fecking Wilder. He's got a hay-maker and that's it.
Wait, I'm wumming because I said joshua had the best resume at HW? care to tell me who's was better? And I said wilder can't box.
 

The Hilton

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Come on. Again, before today he has the best resume at HW in the whole world!
He really didn't, his resume was mostly punching bags and the top fighters he fought were both well over the hill. Fury beating a younger Vlad in his own back yard, and having a win and a robbery draw against Wilder is worth far more than AJ's wins, even without the loss to Ruiz.

Second best though, I'll give you that.
 

predator

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AJ has been overrated because he's british boxings golden boy and has been promoted impeccably by matchroom.

Hearn needs to pick his next opponent very carefully.
 

DixieDean

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Yeah, but doesn't mean he's up there with the best. My point.

It's nice to think we have a great fighter ready to sweep the world, but boxing is in a lull and this fight shows it. Fury vs Wilder will further show that.

Joshua in that fight showed what we all thought but never wanted to really believe. That he's just not that great. Fury isn't either, but he's going to crush him if Wilder doesn't get a lucky shot.
He is one of the best HW's on the planet, though and before today he was number 1 in the ranking. He's just not 'lennox lewis' great and that's ok. He's the 2nd or 3rd best HW Britain has ever had. He's pretty dam good!
 

simonhch

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I’ll always have time for AJ. Lovely guy and doesn’t duck a tough fight. Looking forward to the rematch.
 

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Styles make fights and all that but Usyk seriously had more trouble against Chisora. It was a pretty abject performance from the Champ.
Chisora and White are wild bulls with a full on mauling style and a ridiculous penchant for going forward no matter what. Those types are harder for a smaller technician to fight than Joshua because they are relentless and already use their mass to the max in every bout they have. And on top of that, Usyk could be seen to be adjusting to fighting at a heavier weight against a bigger, more fearless opponent than he's used to.

I thought Joshua could keep Usyk on the end of his jab due to the drop in movement from the extra mass, but that wasn't on the cards once Usyk showed he could move the same in the HW division as he has done throughout his CW career. I think numerous posters have stated movement is Joshua's kryptonite and it made for a very difficult night for him. I also don't see what he can do in the rematch to make up for that gulf in spriteliness.
 

Dan_F

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He’s never been a top boxer or anything close

He’s an athlete with average boxing skills at this level who relies on his punching power. That’s it.
Not sure you win a gold medal by being an average boxer, but he’s definitely not grown to the type of fighter I thought he would at the beginning of his pro career. The tactics have felt weird for quite a while now and again tonight, he was never going to win that way.

I always felt like he needed far more fights at a lower level before fighting for titles once or twice a year, especially given most of his early fights didn’t last long.

Also weird we’re at a point where a boxer gets slated, called shit, overrated blah blah, for being involved in a show like that, against someone who all pundits are calling the best P4P etc. Can’t people just be happy we saw a good fight without having to hyperbolise things so much.
 

lsd

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What age is Joshua now? Is he really likely to improve and address his faults ?
 

Paxi

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I know it’s entertainment and all but that walk out deserved a beating. fecking cringe.
Not that Usyks was much better. Him and his cosmonaut robe dedicated to Elon Musk.

What happened to just having a crazy Mike Tyson walk out to some crazy hip hop tune?
 

BEST No7

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I've watched his career closely. And he's overrated. When i say overrated, he might be the best HW in the world, but it's dam close. He's not much better than joshua/usyk/white. Oh and he has pillow fists. Wilder can't box for toffee but will probably land a bomb and ko him.
He already did land a bomb and the undertaker wasn't having it
 

fergies coat

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A 40 year old Wlad who hadn't fought in how many years?

Saying he wanted to fight people is not fighting them no matter how many yimes he trots it out.

Nor is finally making an offer to fight Wilder at a time the whole world knew he wouldn't be accepting it doing all he could.

He had the belt for years the fights should have been made. Tonight and the Ruiz defeat is what happens when you keep putting off what everyone wants just to milk more money out of the public
Yes he was 40 but AJ was green. Why didn't Wilder fight Wlad? He had plenty of time to do it, as for Fury he's very good I like him, but he has zero title defences and he's fought a lot of dross.

AJ has fought better boxer's than Wilder and Fury, so to claim he ducked is nonsense.
 

DWelbz19

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You reckon Joshua will invoke the rematch clause? I can’t see what he does differently in the rematch to not lose.
 

DixieDean

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Also weird we’re at a point where a boxer gets slated, called shit, overrated blah blah, for being involved in a show like that, against someone who all pundits are calling the best P4P etc. Can’t people just be happy we saw a good fight without having to hyperbolise things so much.
Always happens. The worst thing about boxing. See also, the fight was close with 3 rounds to go. But when it's over it was a 'masterclass', 'one sided beating' etc.
 

DixieDean

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You reckon Joshua will invoke the rematch clause? I can’t see what he does differently in the rematch to not lose.
yes. his trainer has a tough job game planning that, though. Scratch, trying to box with him. I would focus on body shots.
 

lsd

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Yes he was 40 but AJ was green. Why didn't Wilder fight Wlad? He had plenty of time to do it, as for Fury he's very good I like him, but he has zero title defences and he's fought a lot of dross.

AJ has fought better boxer's than Wilder and Fury, so to claim he ducked is nonsense.

Not sure Wilder ever had time to fight Wlad to be honest. Wlad pretty much retired in 2015 after Fury beat him only coming back when Fury got the belts taken off him for the Joshua fight.

When exactly was Wilder supposed to be fighting him ?
 

ivaldo

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I've watched his career closely. And he's overrated. When i say overrated, he might be the best HW in the world, but it's dam close. He's not much better than joshua/usyk/white. Oh and he has pillow fists. Wilder can't box for toffee but will probably land a bomb and ko him.
He has somehow built a cult following off the back of beating Klitschko and quite possibly, in terms of technical ability, the worst HW in recent memory. When you look at his record, it's really quite sparse. I would've liked him to have seen him go after the better boxers in division. Joshua has his shortcomings, but give him his due, he'll get in the ring with anyone.
 

DixieDean

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That's part of what made Lewis special. Up to that point British HW's had been somewhat of a punchline. Although Bruno, could punch a bit.
 

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He is one of the best HW's on the planet, though and before today he was number 1 in the ranking. He's just not 'lennox lewis' great and that's ok. He's the 2nd or 3rd best HW Britain has ever had. He's pretty dam good!
Is he? Is that the best?

Because a better boxer just stepped up a weight to school him. If that's the "2nd or 3rd" best heavyweight we've ever had, then we are pretty lame. Because Joshua clearly isn't ever going to be any kind of great.

It's like Hatton's boy being given the win earlier despite clearly being bashed around the ring. You can't want people to watch this tripe for good money to keep it going, yet then get annoyed when they wonder why our great hope turns out to be a wet lettuce leaf.
 

simonhch

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Hard lesson for AJ to learn but he was outclassed. He has heart though and he’ll come straight back for the rematch. He’s an all or nothing type fighter. If he loses the rematch he’ll be done but if he wins. Definitely be a great fight to watch. That was hugely entertaining. Massive respect to Usyk who fought the perfect fight.
 

The Hilton

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Yes he was 40 but AJ was green. Why didn't Wilder fight Wlad? He had plenty of time to do it, as for Fury he's very good I like him, but he has zero title defences and he's fought a lot of dross.

AJ has fought better boxer's than Wilder and Fury, so to claim he ducked is nonsense.
Wilder yes, his resume is full of taxi drivers, but Fury? No way. Fury fought a much younger, fitter, better Vlad in his own backyard and schooled him, and did the same to Wilder when Joshua wasn't willing to travel.

Joshua has a reasonable resume, but not on the level of Fury's.
 

DixieDean

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He has somehow built a cult following off the back of beating Klitschko and quite possibly, in terms of technical ability, the worst HW in recent memory. When you look at his record, it's really quite sparse. I would've liked him to have seen him go after the better boxers in division. Joshua has his shortcomings, but give him his due, he'll get in the ring with anyone.
Spot on. Again, the guy might be the best in the world! He's clearly very very good. But I strongly don't think he's in a different class by himself.
 

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Joshua was only hanging with him because Usyk doesn't have the power to topple him, and was also wary of Joshua's power. It was still the usual straight lines and and plodding, but this time his power couldn't bail him out against an opponent he could barely hit.
1st sentence is true, but that was what the whole of Usyk's game was supposed to look like: no power, gassed with the extra weight, so much less movement and awkwardness, but the only thing that hasn't come up with him is the power.

I don't agree with the second sentence, though. Joshua hit Usyk a lot, people seem to have not registered that, h also made adjustments in the middle rounds that caught Usyk off guard and he threw a really skillful, unsuspecting feinted uppercut to the body that made Usyk wince.

There has clearly been work put in to modify his game and just because it didn't work against Usyk - who is a masterful boxer as we all know - it doesn't mean the work never occurred.
 

DixieDean

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Hard lesson for AJ to learn but he was outclassed. He has heart though and he’ll come straight back for the rematch. He’s an all or nothing type fighter. If he loses the rematch he’ll be done but if he wins. Definitely be a great fight to watch. That was hugely entertaining. Massive respect to Usyk who fought the perfect fight.
He won't be done, but his drawing abilty at the BO will take a huge blow. Joshua -fury will be half as big as it could have been.
 

ivaldo

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Spot on. Again, the guy might be the best in the world! He's clearly very very good. But I strongly don't think he's in a different class by himself.
I think stylistically Joshua would be an awkward fight for him. Joshua has knockout power while Fury doesn't. He might be able to outbox AJ for most of a fight, but he won't have the mobility to keep away from the haymakers as often as someone like Usyk, which is why he was moments away from losing to Wilder. But then I don't think he'd have any problem with dispatching Usyk. fecking love boxing.
 

simonhch

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He won't be done, but his drawing abilty at the BO will take a huge blow. Joshua -fury will be half as big as it could have been.
I mean the AJ as we know him will be done. A loss can be avenged. Back to back losses against the same fighter takes you out of the championship reckoning.

Moments like this break careers or are the makings of great champions. If he comes back and beats Usyk, it’ll be huge. Big if, but Id not count him out at all.

Personally I think his whole strategy of being as light as possible and as nimble as he could be was a massive mistake. He’s never, ever going to outbox Usyk. He should’ve come in as big as possible and just gone for pure power and weight to overwhelm the superior technician.