A few thoughts;
Hearn put on a crap undercard, and was rightly boo'd. Unfortunately I think that's become the nature of the beast though now. I wish it was different, but Hearn simply couldn't care less.
AJ. I won't try & take too much away from him, he deserved that finish, which was incredible. That uppercut was destructive. However, Wlad gave him the chance. If Wlad had stepped on the gas in rounds 7-10, he could have stopped Joshua, as he still hadn't fully recovered from that knockdown in the 6th, and the tank was running on fumes. Wlad will always look back on those rounds & regret them, IMO. He took a gamble, and wanted to see the fight out, by nicking a points win. That backfired spectacularly. I said if AJ hadn't won in the early part of the fight, it was Wlad's to lose. And that's exactly what he did.
That being said, much respect to Wlad, who at 41-years of age & after 18 months inactivity, showed exactly why he's one of the ATG.
Despite the win, AJ can't escape criticism. The only way to get better and better, is to keep learning. The tank ran dry after the 6th, and again it was the feet welded to the mat, and his head glued to his shoulders. I know it's a learning process, but he needs to actually start grasping these very basic of things. Defensively, he still looks vulnerable. His attack was good though. It was an excellent finish to the fight, and he's progressing with new shots, and how to work the angles.
As for the rest of the current HW division... Parker may trouble AJ, as his speed is deadly.... For 5 rounds, until he gasses hard. Wilder gets starched with ease. This mandatory against Pulev is a waste of time, Povetkin might have been a decent challenger... If he wasn't currently banned for drugs. Luis Ortiz has seemingly lost any form he once had & now looks a completely different (useless) fighter. AJ is sitting pretty at the top of the mountain IMO, and won't be dethroned for a while.
And finally, Tyson Fury's performance against Wlad, just got made to look a whole lot better. Who knows, maybe 2-years down the line, the true, undefeated, undisputed lineal champ will return for what would probably be Britains biggest ever Boxing showdown.
Hearn put on a crap undercard, and was rightly boo'd. Unfortunately I think that's become the nature of the beast though now. I wish it was different, but Hearn simply couldn't care less.
AJ. I won't try & take too much away from him, he deserved that finish, which was incredible. That uppercut was destructive. However, Wlad gave him the chance. If Wlad had stepped on the gas in rounds 7-10, he could have stopped Joshua, as he still hadn't fully recovered from that knockdown in the 6th, and the tank was running on fumes. Wlad will always look back on those rounds & regret them, IMO. He took a gamble, and wanted to see the fight out, by nicking a points win. That backfired spectacularly. I said if AJ hadn't won in the early part of the fight, it was Wlad's to lose. And that's exactly what he did.
That being said, much respect to Wlad, who at 41-years of age & after 18 months inactivity, showed exactly why he's one of the ATG.
Despite the win, AJ can't escape criticism. The only way to get better and better, is to keep learning. The tank ran dry after the 6th, and again it was the feet welded to the mat, and his head glued to his shoulders. I know it's a learning process, but he needs to actually start grasping these very basic of things. Defensively, he still looks vulnerable. His attack was good though. It was an excellent finish to the fight, and he's progressing with new shots, and how to work the angles.
As for the rest of the current HW division... Parker may trouble AJ, as his speed is deadly.... For 5 rounds, until he gasses hard. Wilder gets starched with ease. This mandatory against Pulev is a waste of time, Povetkin might have been a decent challenger... If he wasn't currently banned for drugs. Luis Ortiz has seemingly lost any form he once had & now looks a completely different (useless) fighter. AJ is sitting pretty at the top of the mountain IMO, and won't be dethroned for a while.
And finally, Tyson Fury's performance against Wlad, just got made to look a whole lot better. Who knows, maybe 2-years down the line, the true, undefeated, undisputed lineal champ will return for what would probably be Britains biggest ever Boxing showdown.
