The_budweiser Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 Barry McGuigan column: Anthony Joshua is box office - but he isn't ready to rule the world just yet Anthony Joshua’s handlers describe it as a gamble. You can say that again. If Joshua were my fighter I would steer clear of a world title shot for now. The newly minted IBF heavyweight champion, Charles Martin, is not the finished article himself. It is a measure of the value and interest in Joshua that Martin’s man, Al Haymon, has reached out across the Atlantic. It also tells you he thinks Martin can win. Joshua is a great kid and a fantastic prospect but he is not ready to rule the world yet. If he got past Martin, which he well might, he then has to defend against fighters who, with the necessary *experience, he would have a better chance of beating down the line. I thought he would get rid of Dillian Whyte in two rounds. It took him seven and not without being seriously discomfited. On that night at least he was too stiff, easy to hit and could not see left hooks. He still makes fundamental mistakes which against any half decent heavyweight would be his downfall. Far better to work on his short comings now, tighten defensively, get his head moving more. I understood Joshua was close to a deal with Malik Scott, which makes far more sense to me. Why put at risk what looks to me a brilliant future? It only takes one big punch to alter the course of a career. Frank Bruno was never the same again after walking into that big right hand of Jumbo Cummings. Bruno went on to win the contest and subsequently a world title but in big fights against Bonecrusher Smith and Tim Witherspoon, not to mention Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis, he was simply not the same animal. Barry McGuigan column: Anthony Joshua is box office - but he isn't ready to rule the world just yet - Mirror Online Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonRingRules Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 Re: Do you agree with McGuigan? - Anthony Joshua --- Maybe McG should have waited is what he means. Josh should jump on Martin as a fellow prospect should be able and then beat up Wilder. If he can't take a weak field, then maybe become a marshmallow salesman. Time to man up is now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repsac Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Re: Do you agree with McGuigan? - Anthony Joshua I agree with LRR. Not to mention it's not like Wilder has taken on top opposition since he won the title. Take the training wheels off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamasadlittleboy Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Re: Do you agree with McGuigan? - Anthony Joshua McGuigan is talking bullshit. Sorry but if Joshua isn't ready for the also-rans making up the IBF rankings the guy should hang the gloves up and find a new career. It's not like the IBF are ranking the best guys in the division [Fury, Ortiz, Povetkin, Klitschko and Wilder are outside of the IBF's ranking and seemingly have no intention of chasing the belt]. The IBF have served Matchroom stablemate Kell Brook nothing but patsies as mandatories and the same would apply at Heavyweight. IMO IF you are box office then you are ready to face all comers, if you're not then you can get bent charging £20 to be seen fighting developmental fights. If a prospect is being talked up like they are something special I want to see them do something special, not being protected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoztheMadman Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Re: Do you agree with McGuigan? - Anthony Joshua If he knows he is ready, he got the tools, the physique, everything...who knows what may happen in future, he may get injured and then his career can be in jeopardy. Or he may decide to do something else than boxing. So, if he's got the chance now, why not take it? If he loses, it will be a valuable lesson, if he wins, it's all good. It's true he hasn't been in there with the best yet, but the division is not exactly at its strongest now. This way, if he later would get injured, he can at least say "I held the IBF title, I was world champion." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_budweiser Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 Re: Do you agree with McGuigan? - Anthony Joshua IMO IF you are box office then you are ready to face all comers, if you're not then you can get bent charging £20 to be seen fighting developmental fights. Spot on Scott - With PPV status comes pressure and their should be no restrictions when it comes to matchmaking. But, this is boxing and we can't say were surprised anymore. Fans will pay PPV even to watch fighters fight in developing fights, until that stops, it will continue..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavpowell Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Re: Do you agree with McGuigan? - Anthony Joshua IMO IF you are box office then you are ready to face all comers, if you're not then you can get bent charging £20 to be seen fighting developmental fights. If a prospect is being talked up like they are something special I want to see them do something special, not being protected. You could extend that logic to "Klitschko's rarely on PPV, Joshua is on PPV, therefore Joshua is ready to face Klitschko." The result would likely be serious injuries to a promising young fighter. In my opinion, anything less than a proper world-title fight should not be PPV, and prospects should work their way steadily through the ranks, proving themselves against different styles and characters along the way. A world title should be the reward for a steady ascent to the top of the sport - it should not be a gold star for beating your first live opponent, nor for any success you had as an amateur. The IBF may well be offering little in the way of strong opposition, but in which case let him smash through them all to earn his shot. Not thar Martin or Glazkov deserved a chance either, but you have to draw the line somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamasadlittleboy Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Re: Do you agree with McGuigan? - Anthony Joshua Spot on Scott - With PPV status comes pressure and their should be no restrictions when it comes to matchmaking. But, this is boxing and we can't say were surprised anymore. Fans will pay PPV even to watch fighters fight in developing fights, until that stops, it will continue..... Lets not pretend I'm saying anything controversial here, but boxing fans are often idiots... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_budweiser Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 Re: Do you agree with McGuigan? - Anthony Joshua Lets not pretend I'm saying anything controversial here, but boxing fans are often idiots... Have you saw some of the comments on Twitter? So called boxing fans with so many dumb reply's (footy fans jumping on the band wagon more like) One of my favourite's I read was "Who the f**k is Charles Martin?, anyone?" Then his next tweet was something like "Joshua will KO this bum in 4" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selij Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Re: Do you agree with McGuigan? - Anthony Joshua Well we've found out the reason Frampton hasn't been allowed to fight anyone decent in god knows how many fights - he's got a glass jaw, but it doesn't mean AJ has - so McGuigan (the poison dwarf) needs to keep his beak out of AJ's camp's business and concentrate on his own business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavpowell Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 (edited) Re: Do you agree with McGuigan? - Anthony Joshua Well we've found out the reason Frampton hasn't been allowed to fight anyone decent in god knows how many fights - he's got a glass jaw, but it doesn't mean AJ has - so McGuigan (the poison dwarf) needs to keep his beak out of AJ's camp's business and concentrate on his own business. A glass jaw? on the basis he's been down a couple of times against a relative uknown and a couple against a noted puncher? Edited February 16, 2016 by gavpowell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now