Joshua v Johnson

Evening all,

Not sure if this one has slipped under the radar a little but it looks like Joshua os fighting the opponent most people wanted him to fight next. Kevin Johnson in January. Should be able to give Joshau some rounds and will give him valuable experience without being a threat. Thoughts people? Can he make a statement and stop kingpin?

Cheers

Perfect next fight for AJ.

Unless he wins well in which case everyone will kick off again and complain that it was to easy again.......

Yeah, I don’t mind this fight for Joshua right now. Have said before that if Johnson came in a little bit lighter and wanted it a bit more, he’d be one of the better Heavyweights going. He actually does a few nice things in there which makes him hard to get out of there and can frustrate good fighters, or make them look bad – he’s not without skill.

He doesn’t throw anywhere near enough shots to get close to winning this fight, in fact it’s doubtful he’ll even win a round regardless of how long it lasts, but he’s canny, has a sound defence and knows how to survive. He also takes a good punch, so if Joshua can make a statement by becoming the first man to stop him or knock him out it will boost his stock.

It’s a sure-fire win for Joshua but I’m just pleased that he’s finally in there with someone who can make him think a bit and won’t just give him meaningless target practice. The fight will probably be derided in some quarters but I think it’ll be a decent learning experience for Joshua, and he should get plenty of credit if he knocks Johnson out. If he doesn’t at least he’ll get some rounds in the bank and we’ll see what his discipline and stamina are like.

He can make a statement, but it will be a manufactured one. Johnson has been in so many tough fights it's a timing matter to me at this point. Coupled with AJ's attributes, I simply cannot see Johnson being able to dodge him for 12 like he has others. AJ inside 4 is the only outcome.

Eddie better not duff us with a one sided undercard full of stay busy fights and 80/20 favorites. That be so annoying.

In summary: A good name to build AJ up more, a good progress check, but no threat. PR pick of the week for me.

The question then will become, who next.....?

Knew the negativity wouldn't take long....

Tony Thompson after that no doubt. Old and haggard.

AJ is gifted but let's not pretend that he will be put in a genuine 50/50 fight before he's had 20 pro contests. Eddie is on a PR campaign with him and it is great, and yes, he is dusting everyone who he comes across. I love AJ, and feel he could go all the way, I'm on his journey and followed him since the amateurs, but let us not pretend that he is being manufactured like a pop band right now.

sensible next step. Someone who will likely get some rounds under his belt without ever looking likely or... let's be honest.... Ever trying to win.

As Chris says, if AJ does stop him, there's some cachet in being the first to do so... If he has to go the distance for the first time, we'll at least see how that muscle bound physique holds up to 10 rounds, and whether he's capable of pacing himself and working out the puzzle of a cagey, durable (fat, lazy) pro.

If AJ doesn't stop him then he is worse not better than I thought. This fight is completely set up for a stoppage and bragging rights.

Perhaps. He's on a losing streak and used as a stepping stone now. But vk didn't stop him, some guys just don't get stopped. You'd need to see the fight before you could say AJ is worse than you thought because he couldn't stop him.

Its Joshua's 11th fight. Its a decent opponent.

I agree it is decent. However, he is headlining the O2 on a card that will likely be bad. For that reason decent isn't enough for me unless he pancakes KJ. Remember, Eddie loves a story, and as we know, Fiction allows the greatest discussions of the human condition to exist. So, let's see this specimen dismantle a gate keeper in style, and the story to continue.

... Now, I didn't say it was a headline fight!

"let's see this specimen"

Specimen: "an individual animal, plant, piece of a mineral, etc. used as an example of its species or type for scientific study or display."

Never, ever heard that word to describe a boxer before. You're not Russell Brand are you with all these weird and non-applicable words? If so please vacate the boards!

Joshua beats him up then Johnson becomes a fat old plodder and we've learned nothing. Struggles to connect and looks a bit off-song and suddenly he's just a hype job.

We've heard it all before numerous times.

For me he's the real deal* and is going to be something big, think of Wlad and how long his reign has been but with much more excitement and brutal knockouts.

*Until he fights Johnson and puts in a sub par performance.

Good man, but it is being given as the headline fight.

Mitchell in another final eliminator against a hand picked opponent from Mexico or SA.

Saunders being built up

Ward being built up

Ryder being built up

The card will fail at this rate...

NEVER heard SPECIMEN before? Ali, When We Were Kings... please go and watch that.

Call yourself a boxing fan?

'non-applicable' you use that phrase to describe words you feel don't fit the context? Interesting.

Another very obvious definition of specimen for you Captain...


a part or an individual taken as exemplifying a whole mass or number; a typical animal, plant, mineral, part, etc.

Surely this makes sense?

Back to boxing.

If he doesn't stop Johnson then so what, it'll mean he has rounds under his belt which he needs at some point and rather he get them against a guy like this, than Klitschko or another top ranked fighter. If not stopping him makes him worse than you thought then maybe your hopes are far too high.

If those rounds entail him gassing and windmilling and chasing a shadow around and winning on points due to KJ's negativity, what's the point?

I'd much rather AJ got hurt and dismantled him in 60 seconds through rage, that tell us more, in a positive sense.

To be honest, it's not a quote that jumps straight out at me no. And yes, I have watched it a fair few times. "Ugly dumb gorilla" "Uncle Tom" and so forth were some of the more cutting and well known quotes from Ali.

And no, I don't feel that "specimen" originally fitted the context as you weren't descriptive enough. "This fine specimen of a man" gives better readability and context.

But anyhoo.

DDGO2 wrote:If those rounds entail him gassing and windmilling and chasing a shadow around and winning on points due to KJ's negativity, what's the point?

What's the point? How about showing what he has in the tank?

[quote="hampo171"]If he doesn't stop Johnson then so what, it'll mean he has rounds under his belt which he needs at some point and rather he get them against a guy like this, than Klitschko or another top ranked fighter. If not stopping him makes him worse than you thought then maybe your hopes are far too high.[/quote]

See my * about a sub par performance. And to be honest if Joshua bashes him from pillar to post there's a rather good chance Mr Johnson won't be seeing the full 12 anyway. If he goes on his bike then I'd expect Joshua to eventually catchup with him eventually.

We'll learn much, much more when he actually gets hit back rather than just chasing someone round the ring who's sole intent is on surviving. You can bet your bottom dollar that his handlers would rather a few hairy moments over 5 rounds before Joshua gets his man out of there than chasing around after someone for 12 rounds.

He has a tank IMO. A tank isn't as vital for him at this stage if he looks like a chump doing the rounds.

Captain, thank you, you have highlighted one of the greatest and most iconic moments in boxing. And contradicted yourself massively whilst doing it. Good job. Steer that ship, captain.

AJ needs rounds but not against KJ. He no longer does anything awkward he simply throws arm jabs whilst running backwards. His shot output against Derek was appalling, against AJ it will be even less. Possibly as low as 10 a round. Better to blast him out, that's not a true 12 round fight IMO.

Good point on AJ captain.

DDG02 who would you like to see Joshua fighting?

He has had 10 fights and not been in the pro ranks for much more than a year. If he had been fighting duds and having 4 or 5 months off I would agree he has been held back. But he hasn't so the Sprott fight aside I don't really see the problem with how he has been managed so far.

Has to fight Derek after this, has to. He will put up more of a fight than KJ even if he is gun shy now. KJ is so gun shy he makes Luther King look like Billy the Kid. RIP Luther.

Going by his last showing Chisora wouldn't put up any sort of fight and having been stopped twice doesn't have the intrigue of the Johnson fight.

No offence to you guys with all this distance S**t but what I see is a guy getting old on a desperate losing streak scrambling for a couple of last paydays...

He'll be well paid for this and want to be able to invest it....

He'll probably come to lie down..

0-3 .......and 35....

Smacked out early...So he can count his money...

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:No offence to you guys with all this distance S**t but what I see is a guy getting old on a desperate losing streak scrambling for a couple of last paydays...

He'll be well paid for this and want to be able to invest it....

He'll probably come to lie down..

0-3 .......and 35....

Smacked out early...So he can count his money...

Have to agree with this

me too

DDGO2 - out of interest, who are you comparing AJ to when saying this is such an awful match-up for someone with only 10 fights under their belt??

DDGO2 wrote:Has to fight Derek after this, has to. He will put up more of a fight than KJ even if he is gun shy now. KJ is so gun shy he makes Luther King look like Billy the Kid. RIP Luther.

Chisora wont be fighting in January after the Fury fight. Can see him being out until April at the earliest.

Saying that unless AJ destroys Kingpin you'll be disappointed is yet another ridiculous statement from you DDGO2. Are you deliberately inflammatory or just a massive Mr Winklechops?

AJ inside 4 and the hype train continues.

Or Kingpin takes him the whole 10/12 Aj looks really good Boxing his ears off and the hype train looks like it may have some truth to it

I love AJ but he is hyped.

This is a good fight for AJ if Johnson tries. See if he can break him down. Good match up for 11th fight. Johnson has done 12 with the best about.

Kj shot and fat, no reach, height ,output or power. what we will learn is what AJ does with a man who runs away for as long as it lasts. He needs to fight a come forward man at least remotely his size.

g that unless AJ destroys Kingpin you'll be disappointed is yet another ridiculous statement from you DDGO2. Are you deliberately inflammatory or just a massive Mr Winklechops?

rich coming from a man who is openly insulting me. grow up.

Think this one (try and remember it's his ELEVENTH fight,) is to try and get some rounds under his belt. Is he hyped up, of course he is doesn't mean there isn't the talent there.

Who would you consider a good test for him at this point in his career?

Chris Aerola, the guy comes to win and has fought at the same level.

Jonathon Banks, Dillian Whyte, so many more.

KJ is going to be ugly to watch, and the fascination with the 12 rounds. It's only relevant when a boxer has to WORK. Context people, KJ will not do anything to make AJ work, nothing.

Isn't Aerola a bit too experienced for an 11 fight novice, dunno who the other 2 are what do their records look like.

The fascination is seeing if AJ can stop a fighter that hasnt been stopped before and how he does if he does get taken into the later rounds.

I seem to remember a few people predicting Price would have an easy night against Thompson.

Well Johnson has never been hurt and while he doesn't show an awful lot of ambition recently he will at least test Joshuas patience

Good fight expect Anthony to come through in good style

My concern is that AJ is headlining and KJ may make it a stinker. Otherwise it is a good test of how AJ breaks down a fighter at a certain level

what? this is a timing pick. KJ is so ready to go it is ridiculous, and he will go, not by KO, by TKO for not throwing anything back.

I like the fight but let us not pretend it's a big test. Chris A is a much better test. 11th fight, let them all have a go at him, if he's what Eddie says Chris A gets banged out cold. He' not good because he got battered by good fighters. That doesn't make him good, surely? Bum rushed an American footballer, whoopie.

Price is a bum if you can't see that then find a new sport to follow, please.

I really hate the term bum especially when it's applied to fighters clearly not worthy of the tag in the first place.