I thought the 9th could potentially have been a 10-8 to Joshua, which would have made it a bigger swing... But then the same could be said for the 10th in Usyk's favour.
He definitely pulled away in the last 3 rounds either way.
The RedCafe Boxing Thread
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He definitely pulled away in the last 3 rounds either way.
AJ was beaten by the better man tonight, Usyk was next level in the latter rounds. It's always difficult to judge a speech post fight when emotions are very high, but the insinuation that the decision was due to some wider view on the Ukraine war was a bit tasteless.
Hopefully Usyk and Fury can get a fight together to get a unification battle on the cards.
Hopefully Usyk and Fury can get a fight together to get a unification battle on the cards.
I wonder how Joshua will be ranked in the all time list when it's all said and done.
I give the guy a lot of shit but he actually had a decent run while a champ and his win against wlad was genuinely impressive (even if wlad was geriatric by then) so the resume is there.
But the problem is I don't really see him beating any of the all time greats, I doubt he could beat a peak wlad or Lewis or Holmes etc etc.
Had a nice career when it's all said and done.
I give the guy a lot of shit but he actually had a decent run while a champ and his win against wlad was genuinely impressive (even if wlad was geriatric by then) so the resume is there.
But the problem is I don't really see him beating any of the all time greats, I doubt he could beat a peak wlad or Lewis or Holmes etc etc.
Had a nice career when it's all said and done.
On the commentary they were saying he needed a knock out because he was getting outclassed which is blatantly not true. If he carried doing what he was doing in the last rounds it would have been at the least a draw. He got hit too much at the end.
As long as both of them stay standing they aren’t getting an 8 in a round.
That meltdown will have hit harder than anything Usyk threw tonight. The speech was patronizing, rambling and tasteless and Usyk looked mortified.
The excuses will be rolled out this week, but that really is shocking.
The excuses will be rolled out this week, but that really is shocking.
Concust post bout hilarity aside, Joshua have a good account of himself tonight. He has plenty to offer the division. He’s easily the third best HW behind Fury and Usyk, who are just different class. Those two are head and shoulders above the rest.
The judge that gave it to AJ reminded me of that idiotic judge that gave it to Canelo over Mayweather, awful scoring of the cards and should never be able to be a judge for another fight again.
I am sorry for AJ, he comes across as a man sincerely self-doubting his own hype which is always good, yet still firmly standing by the delusion and the status that came with that same hype. The fact that, even tonight, one judge felt he won the match against all the wisdom, just shows again how artificially high AJ’s boxing trajectory has been elevated since the 2012 night he won a much maligned gold at the Olympics in London. All in all, Joshua was always a decent, non-natural boxeur who fell victim of a carefully staged, undeserved fast-tracking to the starlight. May he find a more natural and satisfying dimension in his post-boxing, retirement life.
He's a great boxer. Gold medalist and heavyweight champion. Just not an all time great and kinda wack on the mic.
It was weird how Joshua reacted at the end and I'm sure he'll regret it, but I sorta understand his actions. He done absolutely everything he could to prepare for Usyk again. But ultimately he just isn't good enough. It's hard to take that in for someone who thought he could beat anyone. And tbf heavyweights shouldn't move like Usyk...he will go down as one of the greatest of all time. He's special
10-8 is very rare without a knockdown. There was certainly none in this fight tbh
I thought it was a very interesting fight. AJ deserves huge credit for the improvements he made, I couldn’t believe how much better he looked in terms of movement and his body attack. Usyk knew he needed to do something special and he revved the engine to warp speed in the tenth to blow AJ away. If anything I hope this gives us a chance to see AJ v Wilder finally
I guess it's a tough pill to swallow for AJ as that's probably the best he can box and it wasn't the best of Usyk so he probs knows he can't win that fight.
The post fight stuff was cringe but I'll give the benefit of the doubt that it was just a heat of the moment thing.
The post fight stuff was cringe but I'll give the benefit of the doubt that it was just a heat of the moment thing.
Feel a bit sorry for him. He’s been told by the people around him all his career that he’s the best and that nobody comes close to him and suddenly a cruiserweight comes along and completely outclasses him in every way. Must be a real hit to the ego and legacy. The Ruiz fight wasn’t a ‘real’ loss for me, but these two are as ‘real’ as it gets. Usyk is a far better fighter and the only person in the division that can beat him for me is Fury but even then it will be close.
I've been watching boxing for about 35 years, I don't need any commentator to tell me what my eyes are clearly seeing.
I think this is pretty much it
too much is put on the statement “Great”
it’s like if you mention “great” you are referring to “The all time Greats” which isn’t true
you can be a great boxer and not classed as an all time great, like you say, Olympic Gold medalist and World Heavy Weight Champion isn’t exactly just “alright”…..that is a great achievement of which most can only dream of
But what AJ will never be is on the all time great list, he is most certainly outside of that bracket, it feel silly even stating that tbh because it’s just stating the blatantly obvious
Great Fighter, just not amongst the all time greats
I think he'll be remembered as a decent fighter but not in the convo with the all time greats
I reckon peak Frank Bruno would give him a good fight
Not really into boxing but every time I see a clip of AJ he’s making some sort of cringe speech - first the ‘I grew up being inspired by the Larry Hoovers of the world’ crap…now this. Is this something he does often then?
(I still have a crush on him
)
(I still have a crush on him
)Sorry I did a poor job of explaining, what I meant is that was the round AJ could (should?) have KO'd him, which would have definitely swung the fight in his favour now we've seen the judges scores.
But then you could say that Usyk could have knocked out AJ in the 10th too.
For me, Matchroom and Eddie have been hiding that side of him. He's never shown much personality. The moment he does he makes himself look at idiot.
If he continues to fight, I'll continue to watch. I don't think he'll retire.
If he continues to fight, I'll continue to watch. I don't think he'll retire.
Wow AJ really had a full on meltdown.
Joshua gave a much better account of himself this time. He was clearly fitter and countered more effectively.
Coming up short against Usyk is no disgrace.
Coming up short against Usyk is no disgrace.
AJ has been surrounded by yes men and hype men ever since he was thrust into superstardom. This was the case even during the fight when his corner were telling him he had won the first three rounds.
What happened after the fight was a sign of utter exasperation and the realisation that he could never be good enough to be at the absolute top. His talents got him to the tier below and that was the limit. Someone summarised it one of the comment sections: Don’t let success get to your head or failure get to your heart.
What happened after the fight was a sign of utter exasperation and the realisation that he could never be good enough to be at the absolute top. His talents got him to the tier below and that was the limit. Someone summarised it one of the comment sections: Don’t let success get to your head or failure get to your heart.
Andy Ruiz let Joshua off the hook after the first fight.
Is there no chance Hearn wangles them into a trilogy fight or has boxing made me too cynical
What is the point? Usyk is clearly the better fighter.
The only reason the Fury - Wilder one did was because of the draw in the first fight.
When it's 2-0 you don't get a third fight.
I had AJ winning the first 3 rounds and the 9th. After the 9th I had Usyk up by 1 point, so i felt the fight had definitely been close to that point. But then Usyk blew him away in the final 3 rounds
That AJ last night beats 99.9% of heavyweights. I thought he did as well as he could have. I'll give him the benefit of doubt for that in ring fiasco, he came across much better in the post fight presser. I don't envy the pressure he's had to deal with and that would make anyone crack.
I thought he fought well and far better than he has for a very long time.
There is usually someone just better at some point in your career.
No shame in it and he was a mess afterwards he was distraught and angry but at least he went back in the ring I have no problems with it he went up in my estimation last night.
However Fury cleans up now as long as he's the same he has been recently.
I text my mate minutes before he lost his head saying 'AJ is a strange character, he'll have a breakdown soon him'. And then he implodes like that.
He just seems so insecure, even in the corner in between rounds just repeating what his trainers were saying and they way he was communicating with them seemed unusual. He's obviously struggled to deal with all the hype and losing - you could see it in the Ruiz aftermath. He cares too much about taking an L and about what people think of him.
Not sure whether his or Bellew's post fight interview was worse v Usyk.
He just seems so insecure, even in the corner in between rounds just repeating what his trainers were saying and they way he was communicating with them seemed unusual. He's obviously struggled to deal with all the hype and losing - you could see it in the Ruiz aftermath. He cares too much about taking an L and about what people think of him.
Not sure whether his or Bellew's post fight interview was worse v Usyk.
Joshua should be thankful to Usyk because despite the loss, Usyk has pushed him to become a better fighter.
Usyk also did a hard reset on him, judging by his post fight rant.
Usyk on the other side, he's the type of fighter i genuinely think can challenge Fury straight up. Neither of the two has that one punch KO power, both are extremely technical with splendid body/head movement. That match has the potential to become either the greatest chess match in HW boxing or an absolute snooze fest.
Usyk also did a hard reset on him, judging by his post fight rant.
Usyk on the other side, he's the type of fighter i genuinely think can challenge Fury straight up. Neither of the two has that one punch KO power, both are extremely technical with splendid body/head movement. That match has the potential to become either the greatest chess match in HW boxing or an absolute snooze fest.
I think he lost it a bit because he finally had to admit to himself that he's not up there with Fury and Usyk and never will be.
AJ made a tit of himself but he did give Usyk his due eventually. My favourite part was when he said 'I've studied Ukraine, I don't know what's going on there'.
Ok.
Maybe
or maybe Usyk fights Fury first
if Fury wins (which I think he would) then perhaps AJ gets another shot at it by fighting Fury for the Titles, and although we think Fury beats AJ hands down, it would be a fight we’ve all wanted too see
If Usyk beats Fury, then I see no reason judging by last nights performance from AJ why a trilogy wouldn’t be Do able, AJ got much more into this fight than the first fight
Didn't know Joshua was a Partridge fan.
Deary me. That post fight rant gets worse everytime I watch it.
Deary me. That post fight rant gets worse everytime I watch it.
He’s lost 3 of last 5. What he can do is fight name below the top 2 and constantly be in the mix after one win when losers of the title fight drops out after a loss
AJ is a fecking embarrassment.