Anthony Joshua ‘s bout with Robert Helenius was intended to be a warm-up for the approach he would use in an attempt to beat Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia next January.
The majority of people would concur that if Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs) attempts to fight Wilder in the same manner as former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, he will lose miserably.
Joshua Must Find A New Coach
Neither Wilder nor the heavyweight champions Oleksandr Usyk or Tyson Fury can beat Anthony Joshua with his current strategy. If Derrick James is responsible for the new approach, Joshua should fire him and start working with Brian “BoMac” McIntyre, who is a coaching genius.
With Eddie Hearn’s careful pairings, AJ will remain a formidable opponent, but he will never again be a world champion. If Joshua can’t get back to his old fighting form after seven and a half years, his reign as world champion will be over.
To fight in the new Klitschko-like approach, Anthony Joshua would need abilities and ring IQ that he just does not possess. When Wladimir adopted his ugly spoiling style after his losses against Lamon Brewster and Corrie Sanders, he had the technical talent and IQ to continue his career.
His trainer, Emanuel Steward, allowed him to adapt to his opponents’ styles in most of his bouts. If Joshua wants to beat Wilder or any top heavyweight, he needs to change his style.
Is Anthony Joshua a more risky combatant?
Joshua’s hand speed and power are still intact, but he lacks the confidence to fire. He’s mentally fried and will get knocked out by Wilder. Joshua is now easier to defeat because of his new fighting technique, which is safer than his previous reckless approach.
If Joshua could revert to the aggressive style he displayed early in his career, he might have a chance to defeat Wilder if he charged at him as Tyson Fury did. Of fact, even Fury had trouble fighting that way; in the first and third fights against Wilder, he was clearly knocked out, but the officials spared him.
Joshua is only now starting to hit his stride. Is Joshua a riskier boxer? To be really frank, I don’t think so. According to Gareth A. Davies, “he was dangerous when he let his hands go.”
Because of his newfound caution in the ring, Joshua will give his opponents more time to see how tough he is and how much damage they can do. Take a look at Joshua after six rounds versus Helenius, who was 39 years old.
The damage that Wilder will deliver to Anthony Joshua will make Helenius look like a lightweight. “The highlight reel loop that ran all last week leading up to the fight showed an extremely dangerous fighter who had a kind of reckless style,” said Gareth, referring to the boxer’s first 17 fights from approximately six years ago.
It was disheartening to compare the way Anthony Joshua used to fight with the way he has fought in his previous four bouts. It’s like he’s a whole different guy. Andy Ruiz Jr stole the most valuable parts of Joshua and left behind an ineffective shell.
The only reason Joshua hasn’t lost in his last two fights is because Hearn has given him easy opponents to fight. Just think about the damage that Arslanbek Makhmudov could have done to Joshua if they had actually been in the ring together last Saturday.
Anthony Joshua and Deontay need to have a fight
Big blows are the focus here. This analogy was made to me by Eddie Hearn, and I agree with him,” Gareth stated. Like Klitschko after he got knocked out, I suppose. Wladimir Klitschko adapted a more cautious technique in which he avoided using his weapon as often.
” Joshua’s hesitation to throw combinations suggests he’s lost trust in his shot-taking skills. If Joshua was in 2013 form, he would have defeated Helenius in the first round without damage.
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AJ has lost the confidence to fight in that manner. “I remember Manny Stewart, the late great Manny Steward, screaming at Klitschko when I was covering some of his fights in Germany,” Gareth said. “‘You’ve finished him off. Even though Wladimir possessed tremendous strength, it often took him two or three longer rounds to finish his opponents than Manny felt comfortable with.
I see Joshua evolving into a style of fighter not unlike to that of Wladimir Klitschko. Joshua could now demonstrate his strategy for defeating Deontay Wilder. I was beginning to entertain the idea that he could outbox Deontay, but now I’m not so sure.
As with Helenius, Joshua plans to outbox Wilder and then try to strike a knockout blow. That won’t help you beat Deontay. He should try to land on Wilder across four or five rounds like he’s in a shootout. Is he capable of that? Isn’t the question worth sixty million dollars? declared Gareth.
According to Gareth, Deontay is a huge favorite over Joshua. “Yeah, he is a massive, massive favorite,” he stated. Wilder can get back up after falling. We know now that Fury can fall and get back up. Can Joshua get up after taking a massive hit from Wilder and return fire? To be honest, we have no idea.
Has he had the will to go hard at Wilder and start early? I’d encourage him to put it on early, “Gareth said, “and most people think that’s his best option.
