[ BOXING POLL ADDED ] The Rematch - JOSHUA vs USYK II (updated thread)

[JollyGood]

Just by listening to the things he was saying it was clear Joshua should never have been able to get anywhere near the microphone.

His team should have stepped in and taken the microphone from him because it was the moment for Usyk to have the spotlight rightly shining on him because of the way he defended his heavyweight titles.

And how do you like his words to Usyk after the fight? He said: "You are not strong, how did you defeat me?" After this fight, he had more questions than answers, it's just a situation when a person does not have an understanding of what needs to be done now, or what needs to be done to win. In fact, he just entered the ring and did not show anything new, he clearly lost, and the fact that one of the judges gave him the victory could really seem like a some kind of hope to him.

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[TravelMug]

Just by listening to the things he was saying it was clear Joshua should never have been able to get anywhere near the microphone.

His team should have stepped in and taken the microphone from him because it was the moment for Usyk to have the spotlight rightly shining on him because of the way he defended his heavyweight titles.

And how do you like his words to Usyk after the fight? He said: "You are not strong, how did you defeat me?" After this fight, he had more questions than answers, it's just a situation when a person does not have an understanding of what needs to be done now, or what needs to be done to win. In fact, he just entered the ring and did not show anything new, he clearly lost, and the fact that one of the judges gave him the victory could really seem like a some kind of hope to him.

Just the emotions though, running through his nerves after it was announced that again he lost to Usyk. You can't blame the guy and even at the post fight conference, Eddie Hearn is really a masterclass as far as public speaking goes, and the lauded Joshua for being a fighter and boxing writer even gave him a clap and it was enough for Joshua to break down in tears. And I guess Usyk doesn't mind it, he won the fight, fair and square there is no controversies.

[JollyGood]

When all the great boxers ended up getting beaten by their opponents, they did not all take the microphone and behave in the manner that Joshua did. It is simply not appropriate to say his emotions took over because there has to be more to it. Maybe he was concussed otherwise his rant in the ring after his defeat did not make any sense.

Just the emotions though, running through his nerves after it was announced that again he lost to Usyk. You can't blame the guy and even at the post fight conference, Eddie Hearn is really a masterclass as far as public speaking goes, and the lauded Joshua for being a fighter and boxing writer even gave him a clap and it was enough for Joshua to break down in tears. And I guess Usyk doesn't mind it, he won the fight, fair and square there is no controversies.

[TopTort777]

What is the future of AJ ? Would be funny if promotors organize a third fight, like Fury vs Wilder If AJ was so much pissed due to a loss, I cant imagine what he would do if he looses for the third time. But jokes aside, what AJ is going to do now? If I am not wrong, then he has no belts right now. Should he retire? If he got 65 millions for that fight, that could be more than enough not to work till death.

He has lots of options. Trilogy with Andy Ruiz might be his best bet, but there's still people like Wilder who would be a huge fight for him, but I don't think he beats Deontay so he's probably best ducking that one until he either has to or gets a couple more wins under him. Maybe even a trilogy with Uysk again down the line, especially if Usyk fights and loses the belts to Fury. The Fury fight would always be on the cards as well but can't see that happening without any belts until maybe the end of both their careers, though if AJ gets a couple of wins under his belt he could end up becoming the mandatory at some point. He's just signed a huge deal with Dazn so they're going to want to start seeing some fights from him. Maybe Eddie will just use some of his other Matchroom Heavyweights to make easy fights, but personally I think the Ruiz third would be a good one for him next.

Trilogy with Ruiz, Trilogy with Usyk. I would better watch him fighting someone other. Plenty of good boxer, boxer that should help him to recover his name I think his managers gonna find him someone who he would definitely gonna win, and win by TKO or KO, as I think AJ is not mentally unstable. Like people say "he need to regain faith in himself". Otherwise he would be like Wilder, obsessed with defeat. Wilder could be a a good opponent, that would be fight lots of fans wants to see, but AJ is not ready for Wilder right now imho.

[Boristhecat]

And how do you like his words to Usyk after the fight? He said: "You are not strong, how did you defeat me?" After this fight, he had more questions than answers, it's just a situation when a person does not have an understanding of what needs to be done now, or what needs to be done to win. In fact, he just entered the ring and did not show anything new, he clearly lost, and the fact that one of the judges gave him the victory could really seem like a some kind of hope to him.

If AJ did not even understand how he lost, then this speaks more about the skill of Usyk than about the weak ability AJ to analyze. It reminded me of the last Champions League - many said (and some still say) that Real was weaker than all their opponents in the playoffs, but nevertheless Real beat them all.
After the 9th round, it was clear in the eyes of AJ that he thought that he had found the keys to victory and was about to break Usyk and knock him out. He didn’t even think about other scenarios and I’m sure he didn’t think about plan B, so when Usyk just beat him in the 10th and subsequent rounds, AJ looked helpless.

[JollyGood]

Joshua thought he would win the fight because he had Garcia in his corner but in the end what mattered was that Joshua is not and was not and will never be a technically gifted fighter. He entered the sport very late in life and no matter how much he tries he simply cannot make those adjustments.

He cannot understand how he lost after all he did to train but in the end he did lose and it should have been 3-0 on the scorecard not 2-1.

If AJ did not even understand how he lost, then this speaks more about the skill of Usyk than about the weak ability AJ to analyze. It reminded me of the last Champions League - many said (and some still say) that Real was weaker than all their opponents in the playoffs, but nevertheless Real beat them all.
After the 9th round, it was clear in the eyes of AJ that he thought that he had found the keys to victory and was about to break Usyk and knock him out. He didn’t even think about other scenarios and I’m sure he didn’t think about plan B, so when Usyk just beat him in the 10th and subsequent rounds, AJ looked helpless.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

What is the future of AJ ? Would be funny if promotors organize a third fight, like Fury vs Wilder If AJ was so much pissed due to a loss, I cant imagine what he would do if he looses for the third time. But jokes aside, what AJ is going to do now? If I am not wrong, then he has no belts right now. Should he retire? If he got 65 millions for that fight, that could be more than enough not to work till death.

He has lots of options. Trilogy with Andy Ruiz might be his best bet, but there's still people like Wilder who would be a huge fight for him, but I don't think he beats Deontay so he's probably best ducking that one until he either has to or gets a couple more wins under him. Maybe even a trilogy with Uysk again down the line, especially if Usyk fights and loses the belts to Fury. The Fury fight would always be on the cards as well but can't see that happening without any belts until maybe the end of both their careers, though if AJ gets a couple of wins under his belt he could end up becoming the mandatory at some point. He's just signed a huge deal with Dazn so they're going to want to start seeing some fights from him. Maybe Eddie will just use some of his other Matchroom Heavyweights to make easy fights, but personally I think the Ruiz third would be a good one for him next.

Trilogy with Ruiz, Trilogy with Usyk. I would better watch him fighting someone other. Plenty of good boxer, boxer that should help him to recover his name I think his managers gonna find him someone who he would definitely gonna win, and win by TKO or KO, as I think AJ is not mentally unstable. Like people say "he need to regain faith in himself". Otherwise he would be like Wilder, obsessed with defeat. Wilder could be a a good opponent, that would be fight lots of fans wants to see, but AJ is not ready for Wilder right now imho.

It will be a disaster if he goes with Wilder after this fight, I think the better approach will be to cherry pick an opponent, just to give Joshua some boost of confidence to win and get over the 2 lost from Usyk. For sure he can still chase Wilder down the line, it was one of those fights that we would love to see when they are still undefeated, nevertheless it can still catch a lot of boxing fans to see this two together in the ring although the hype is not going to be the same. Wilder will be fighting Robert Helenius in October if I'm not mistaken so let's see.

[South Park]

There was no chance that any professional judge carrying out his scoring duties with complete neutrality could ever award the fight to Joshua over Usyk. How did Glenn Feldman conclude Joshua won by 115-113? The other two judges, Viktor Fesechko scored it 116-112 in favour of Usyk while Steve Gray scored it 115-113 also in favour of Usyk.

It is such a shame another controversial scorecard decision marred the event. The article is here: TalkSport

I wonder why he did it? Was hoping that one of the other two judges would award a draw and the result would be a scandalous draw? Complete nonsense. I think it's obvious that in a rematch against the reigning champion, the challenger (who was declassed in the previous fight) has to be significantly stronger to win (or at least get a draw).
I can’t say that it overshadowed the result, but once again it reminded me that boxing has a lot of undercover fights, bias and dirty deeds.

This is one of the worst aspects of boxing, which is why fans love when there is a KO, not only because it is spectacular but because it leaves no room for doubt, the one that is on the floor lost and the one still standing won the match, it is no wonder that as soon as a fight gets to the judges everyone gets nervous as we never know when a robbery can happen, however while it is impossible for anyone with working eyes to have given the fight to Joshua I think there is the possibly this was not about stealing the fight away from Usyk but about the bets, an unanimous decision in favor of Usyk should have been a popular bet, but with this a split decision was the result, forcing a lot of people to lose their bets.

[JollyGood]

I think Joshua will be knocked out if he faces Wilder, I am very confident about that.

With the news Wilder is making a comeback and also Joshua thinking about fighting again in 4 months time there is a possibility they could meet next year after both have had a couple of warm up fights. I just cannot see any way Joshua can get past Wilder because when Wilder catches you with a ferocious right hand the opponent usually falls and does not get up.

Only Fury managed to get up several times over his trilogy and still defeat Wilder.

It will be a disaster if he goes with Wilder after this fight, I think the better approach will be to cherry pick an opponent, just to give Joshua some boost of confidence to win and get over the 2 lost from Usyk. For sure he can still chase Wilder down the line, it was one of those fights that we would love to see when they are still undefeated, nevertheless it can still catch a lot of boxing fans to see this two together in the ring although the hype is not going to be the same. Wilder will be fighting Robert Helenius in October if I'm not mistaken so let's see.

[Jating]

I think Joshua will be knocked out if he faces Wilder, I am very confident about that.

With the news Wilder is making a comeback and also Joshua thinking about fighting again in 4 months time there is a possibility they could meet next year after both have had a couple of warm up fights. I just cannot see any way Joshua can get past Wilder because when Wilder catches you with a ferocious right hand the opponent usually falls and does not get up.

Only Fury managed to get up several times over his trilogy and still defeat Wilder.

I agree, and even before when both of them have an unbeaten record and then face each other, I think Wilder will win by knock out. Joshua is known to have a so-so chin, Wladimir Klitschko knock him down, and then Ruiz exposed him. So just imagine if the Bronze Bomber landed perfectly on Joshua's chin, it will be night night for him.

Warm up fight is obviously needed for Joshua if he wanted to continue. Wilder is up next, let's see if he already "exorcised the demons" with his 2 defeats from Fury.

[Silberman]

Have you all seen Joshua's behavior after the fight he is a very upset man he even throws the two belts the WBA and ring magazine title outside of the ring and even confronted Usyk and tells him how do you beat me, its a big disappointment for those who adorn and look up to him instead of congratulating Usyk he despises him, Usyk for his part is very calm, Usyk deserves the match and Joshua has no right to disrespect Usyk, he should be sanction for his action.

Anthony Joshua confronts Oleksandr Usyk after defeat & throws belts out of the ring

He probably knows that his career as a boxer is basically over, Usyk will never accept to fight him again as he beat him twice already, Joshua has no chance against Fury, assuming he came back, and I do not think he could beat Wilder either, so he knows he is out of any chance of winning another title no matter how hard he tries as his opponents are better than him, so he is frustrated with Usyk as he has basically single-handedly forced him to retire.

It's a meltdown I have never seen a boxer losing and stealing the spotlight from the champion it should be the champion's moment but he tried to reason out to the crowd and try to regain their respect, but he should understand that a loss is a loss and he should be gracious in defeat, he should do a soul searching and think of a new direction for his career, I believe he can still fight he is in the same position like Wilder so why not promoters match these two whoever loses should retire, that would be exciting for the boxing community.

Wilder vs Joshua was a fight fans wanted to watch for a long time but at least I always got the impression Joshua avoided Wilder, and now if Joshua wants to have any chance at another title fight he has no option but to fight Wilder and beat him, would he do it? I hope he tries as I still want to watch the fight, but if I am honest I think that as long as Wilder is healthy and is not suffering from some long term injury after his fight with Fury that Wilder should beat Joshua and deliver a KO on him.

[inthelongrun]

I'm surprised most people thought that Wilder is better than Joshua even during their undefeated days. I always see AJ as being more technical and composed than Wilder. During their undefeated days as champions, there were rumors of a unification fight and I saw the odds favored AJ. If AJ is mentally unstable then Wilder is also or maybe even more mentally affected by that embarrassing knockout loss to Fury. Both fighters can get hurt too. Wilder may have the hand speed advantage but AJ has a better defense with his hands always high.

Wilder is scheduled to fight Robert Helenius and we will see if he is back with his confidence. I would also love to see AJ fight someone not that dangerous to get back his confidence as well although we know that his huge contract might need an opponent that is also popular and marketable. Andy Ruiz would be a perfect tune-up but not sure if it makes sense financially due to what happened in their boring rematch. Maybe a new name for AJ like Chisora, Pulev, and Hunter.

[Welsh]

I also think Joshua gets knocked out by Wilder, however I imagine he'll go back to that safe boxing technique he did against Ruiz in their second fight, which isn't very entertaining. I still think Wilder catches him regardless though.

I was a little more impressed by Joshua on the weekend. He did better than expected, and he had Usyk hurt a few times it seemed with those body shots. Ultimately, he hasn't got enough of a skill set if plan a doesn't work. Whereas boxers like Fury, and Usyk have multiple ways. I still do believe that Fury has the entire tool kit needed though, whereas Usyk only has a little more than Joshua.

Next fight I'd make is Joshua vs Wilder, Fury vs Usyk, and then allow the winners to take each other one to clear up any doubt. I'd imagine Fury would win, and Wilder. I know Wilder has already faced Fury a number of times, but they've always been entertaining so I wouldn't mind seeing a fourth.

Fury, and Joshua need to fight at some point though, otherwise they'll always be the what if questions. Fury needs to cement himself as the goat of this era in my eyes. He's already so close to doing it, despite his dividing personality.

[yazher]

Wilder vs Joshua was a fight fans wanted to watch for a long time but at least I always got the impression Joshua avoided Wilder, and now if Joshua wants to have any chance at another title fight he has no option but to fight Wilder and beat him, would he do it? I hope he tries as I still want to watch the fight, but if I am honest I think that as long as Wilder is healthy and is not suffering from some long term injury after his fight with Fury that Wilder should beat Joshua and deliver a KO on him.

If given another chance, he should not decline or avoid it because his record is not doing well nowadays and Wilder is a worthy opponent for him because they both came from a losing streak which will not gonna give them both goosebumps when fighting each other. If they want to have a great comeback, they should really work on getting this fight into reality because this is the only chance for them to get their popularity back.

[hilariousetc]

So according to Frank Warren they've given official notice that they intend to fight and won't be vacating the belts so looks like they Usyk fight will happen. My only hope is that Fury doesn't get too greedy and will only fight if he gets the 500 million he's asking for, which is in insane, especially since they've already agreed to a 50/50 split with Usyk which would make it a billion dollar fight, though I'm sure that would be great for marketing. As I said before, I hope Fury asking for 500 million is just his way of starting high with the negotiations and they'll obviously be some haggling, but they'll likely settle on something like 100-250 million. One good thing is things look to be moving fast and they're wanting to get it done before the end of the year which could be a squeeze. If they leave it any longer though that's when the commissions will start trying to give mandatory fights which could throw a spanner in the works so it will be in everyone's interest to get a deal done soon.
 

I'm surprised most people thought that Wilder is better than Joshua even during their undefeated days. I always see AJ as being more technical and composed than Wilder. During their undefeated days as champions, there were rumors of a unification fight and I saw the odds favored AJ. If AJ is mentally unstable then Wilder is also or maybe even more mentally affected by that embarrassing knockout loss to Fury. Both fighters can get hurt too. Wilder may have the hand speed advantage but AJ has a better defense with his hands always high.

I'd like to see it but I think Wilder wins it fairly easy. He hits too hard. If he can knock down Fury 3-4 times or however many it was I think he can do the same to AJ. AJ probably won't fight Wilder anytime soon and will fight some easier opponents just to try get his mojo back.

[TopTort777]

Maybe a new name for AJ like Chisora, Pulev, and Hunter.

AJ already met Pulev and as I remember, their fight wasnt very dramatic. It was a matter of time when AJ would finish Pulev, because AJ completely dominated. I think we wont see anything new if they meet again. Chisora - isnt he old enough to consider him as "famous, but long ago not in prime". Hunter could be a good opponent, but just on a paper. I see no big names on his record list, I dont he will give AJ a good fight. But what about Dillian Whyte ? They have already met. Could be a good rematch, even though Whyte lost.

[Boristhecat]

I'd like to see it but I think Wilder wins it fairly easy. He hits too hard. If he can knock down Fury 3-4 times or however many it was I think he can do the same to AJ. AJ probably won't fight Wilder anytime soon and will fight some easier opponents just to try get his mojo back.

I also share this opinion, Wilder is too strong a puncher, and AJ will most likely lose to him by knockout in the first 6-7 rounds. And I do not think that now they should "restore their mental strength" by fighting with no-names. Now they are both "downed pilots" - to get back into business they need a normal fight and a fight between them would be the most logical solution.

[JollyGood]

I think Joshua will be knocked out if he faces Wilder, I am very confident about that.

With the news Wilder is making a comeback and also Joshua thinking about fighting again in 4 months time there is a possibility they could meet next year after both have had a couple of warm up fights. I just cannot see any way Joshua can get past Wilder because when Wilder catches you with a ferocious right hand the opponent usually falls and does not get up.

Only Fury managed to get up several times over his trilogy and still defeat Wilder.

I agree, and even before when both of them have an unbeaten record and then face each other, I think Wilder will win by knock out. Joshua is known to have a so-so chin, Wladimir Klitschko knock him down, and then Ruiz exposed him. So just imagine if the Bronze Bomber landed perfectly on Joshua's chin, it will be night night for him.

If Wilder caught him it would definitely night night for Joshua 

Warm up fight is obviously needed for Joshua if he wanted to continue. Wilder is up next, let's see if he already "exorcised the demons" with his 2 defeats from Fury.

I think Hearn will end up choosing a couple of easily beatable opponents for Joshua while he eases back in to the ring. Wilder also will have a couple of warm up fights and when they are over there really could be Wilder vs Joshua happening.

Wilder vs Joshua was a fight fans wanted to watch for a long time but at least I always got the impression Joshua avoided Wilder, and now if Joshua wants to have any chance at another title fight he has no option but to fight Wilder and beat him, would he do it? I hope he tries as I still want to watch the fight, but if I am honest I think that as long as Wilder is healthy and is not suffering from some long term injury after his fight with Fury that Wilder should beat Joshua and deliver a KO on him.

I also got the impression Joshua avoided Wilder, if I remember correctly that fight could have happened several years ago yet somehow it just did not go head.

[Welsh]

I'd like to see it but I think Wilder wins it fairly easy. He hits too hard. If he can knock down Fury 3-4 times or however many it was I think he can do the same to AJ. AJ probably won't fight Wilder anytime soon and will fight some easier opponents just to try get his mojo back.

The thing for me is Fury can take a punch, and basically never looks rocked when he does get knocked down. He demonstrated this even against Wilder, except for maybe two of the knock downs. It's the first time I've genuinely seen Fury a little bit shaken up after receiving a punch, which is insane to think of considering the division he fights in.

However, on the other hand I've seen Joshua get rocked far too many times, even from somewhat minor shots. Plus, his recovery seems to be awful even without comparing it to Fury. So, I'd agree. I think Joshua takes one on the chin, and folds like a cheap garden chair.

I like Joshua somewhat, I just don't like how he has become the golden boy, and basically the iconic British fighter, despite Fury in my opinion being streets ahead of him in terms of fighting ability, but also personality.

[inthelongrun]

I'm surprised most people thought that Wilder is better than Joshua even during their undefeated days. I always see AJ as being more technical and composed than Wilder. During their undefeated days as champions, there were rumors of a unification fight and I saw the odds favored AJ. If AJ is mentally unstable then Wilder is also or maybe even more mentally affected by that embarrassing knockout loss to Fury. Both fighters can get hurt too. Wilder may have the hand speed advantage but AJ has a better defense with his hands always high.

I'd like to see it but I think Wilder wins it fairly easy. He hits too hard. If he can knock down Fury 3-4 times or however many it was I think he can do the same to AJ. AJ probably won't fight Wilder anytime soon and will fight some easier opponents just to try get his mojo back.

Maybe this time the odds would favor Wilder over AJ due to his hand speed so he might be the first to land. Fury on the other hand is not known to have the toughest chin in boxing. He went down before and I can't forget during his first or second fight in the US where he was knocked down by a former cruiserweight and light puncher USS Cunningham. Wilder's 40+ wins with only 1 non-knockout is just parallel to AJ's 20+ victories with only 1 decision win, although it became 2 during his second reign probably due to mental effects he fought safe against Ruiz.

Wilder an Olympic bronze medalist only fought for a world title when he already has 30+ wins and after fighting bums after bums which were unnecessary for an Olympic medalist. Whereas AJ fought for a world title after only a few fights. So they are the same when it comes to high level of pro experience. AJ even held 3 belts before compared to Wilder's 1.     

Maybe a new name for AJ like Chisora, Pulev, and Hunter.

AJ already met Pulev and as I remember, their fight wasnt very dramatic. It was a matter of time when AJ would finish Pulev, because AJ completely dominated. I think we wont see anything new if they meet again. Chisora - isnt he old enough to consider him as "famous, but long ago not in prime". Hunter could be a good opponent, but just on a paper. I see no big names on his record list, I dont he will give AJ a good fight. But what about Dillian Whyte ? They have already met. Could be a good rematch, even though Whyte lost.

My bad. AJ fought Pulev already before pursuing his mandatory with Usyk. I think Pulev was AJ's IBF mandatory before and Usyk to his WBO belt. Well, if Hearn doesn't mind rematches then Ruiz and Whyte are possible foes. Although I prefer a new name for AJ who's also not coming off from a defeat but beatable so I came up with Hunter and Chisora.

Wilder vs Joshua was a fight fans wanted to watch for a long time but at least I always got the impression Joshua avoided Wilder, and now if Joshua wants to have any chance at another title fight he has no option but to fight Wilder and beat him, would he do it? I hope he tries as I still want to watch the fight, but if I am honest I think that as long as Wilder is healthy and is not suffering from some long term injury after his fight with Fury that Wilder should beat Joshua and deliver a KO on him.

I also got the impression Joshua avoided Wilder, if I remember correctly that fight could have happened several years ago yet somehow it just did not go head.

It is actually AJ and Eddie over the years that pursued Wilder. I can read a lot of reliable articles on this. And I am yet to see a reliable source saying AJ ducked Wilder except they refused some offers but they submitted better counter offers. And only after Wilder's draw with Fury that Wilder suddenly admitted that he refused an AJ fight. There are a lot of reliable sources to prove this. The excuse is too shallow IMO. Maybe the truth is Wilder's ego cannot risk losing to AJ? Or maybe Wilder is one of those guys that worshipped Haymon? I always thought that PBC is like a cult. So many fighters sacrificed millions of dollars just to continue staying with Haymon's PBC like Quillin, Jermall, and Wilder. 

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/513180/deontay-wilder-explains-reject-anthony-joshua/