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Message: [QUOTE="JAXCUSE, post: 4329195, member: 516"] I agree, it was an interesting fight. Joshua was better prepared (Robert Garcia - new trainer) and actually had a strategy this time. Usyk is just too good and adapted. One guy is a really elite professional champ. The other is a good fighter (with flaws), but he ain’t elite…. Usyk won this fight between the ears and in the “chest” (heart)…. Like he always does… Usyk outfought Joshua in the first fight by taking away Joshua’s hammer - the RH. Once that weapon was gone, AJ was toast. He couldn’t change up (again - he’s not elite). Garcia tried to get Joshua to go inside early - use natural strength/size, go the body and “turn” Usyk into AJ’s hammer this time. I think that was the Brit’s “theory of victory” for the rematch. It worked a couple of times. But Usyk ain’t ”chinny” like AJ is. Like you said, Usyk just figured that out and kept sliding the pocket, used levels to deliver his left and stymied him. And Joshua couldn’t (or wasn’t willing to) just “big boy” Usyk and try to blow the smaller guy away by making it a pier 6 brawl. That ain’t his style and doesn’t have the “motor” to fight that way. I’ll give AJ credit - he tried to do that in the 9th. But didn’t “get him” and Usyk just replied in kind the next round. Fight over…. I think the “weirdness” we saw from AJ post fight was (maybe) due to this - nothing worked and it “flipped him out” mentally…. Saw the same thing from Wilder (vs Fury). Personally, I think it’s just immaturity and bad sportsmanship. But our media “sells“ that crap these days… IMO, the two Ukrainian “stars” (Usyk and Loma) have the best feet in boxing. Fury has excellent feet too. So subtle and they both just “glide” in the ring to create angles, distance, level, etc. Reminds me of the tape I’ve watched of old timers like Benny Leonard, Jimmy McLarnin, Barney Ross, Jimmy Bivins, Archie Moore - not flashy, but just so effective at creating advantage with their feet. For me, guys like that are exciting to watch. But I’m a fight nut; not like most of the general sports public. I like watching guys get bombed out too and Usyk can close (ask Tony Bellow - brutal KO sequence in their Crusier fight). We’re not gonna see that every time from a guy like Usyk though. He’s a smaller guy hitting bigger guys now. Even chinny AJ lasted 24 rds with him. I hope we get Fury/Usyk and have an accepted unified Heavyweight Champ. Sport is better when the heavies are interesting. Like you said, I favor Tyson because he’s an adaptable bigger man. Will fight you anyway you want. But the same is true of Usyk. Even though Usyk is now a “full“ heavyweight, I just think the physical advantage might be too much to overcome for the Ukrainian (vs Fury). But I hope we get to find out…. I keep hearing Crawford/Spence fight is close, yada, yada, yada. I’m afraid the only way this happens is if Spence tells Haymon to get out of the way and make it happen. Sad if “promoter and network politics” prevent this elite/signature matchup that could decide the mythical “P4P best” in the sport. [/QUOTE]

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