This Thursday, like each Thursday her at FightHype, I ask you to tug up a seat alongside my bulging, bulbous sack and anticipate a load of gooey, salty boxing reality to be shot proper into the faces of boxing’s purveyors of ignorance. This week, we’ve questions/feedback concerning Anthony Joshua, Robert Helenius, and Devin Haney vs. Shakur Stevenson.
Is AJ OK? What About Soiled Dillian?
Hello Paul.
Simply needed to get your ideas on Anthony Joshua and his struggle this Saturday. As a substitute of Dillian Whyte, he’ll be combating Robert Helenius on, actually, every week’s discover. Do you see any problems arising from this flip of occasions? Assuming AJ will get by Helenius, how do you see the remainder of his profession taking part in out? What are his probabilities of regaining a world title and standing as an elite no. 1 or no. 2 heavyweight. Additionally, what do you consider Whyte popping soiled once more?
Thanks for placing within the work you do, I don’t miss something together with your title on it as a result of I can at all times depend on some severe reality telling. Take care my man.
— Terry from Philly
Hey Terry.
Thanks for the sort phrases.
I’m not going to go all the best way on the market and say that Helenius will upset Joshua, however I’ll say that Helenius as a +900 betting underdog (as of this writing) is a reasonably irresistible lengthy shot guess you probably have some extra cash laying round.Â
Per week could be very quick discover, nevertheless it’s not like Helenius is Pernell Whitaker. It gained’t take lengthy to determine what he does and what he’ll be attempting to do. The larger concern for Crew Joshua is whether or not Joshua’s head might be rattled with the opponent change. Joshua’s head has been flitty and floaty for years and all of us noticed how nicely he dealt with the final late alternative opponent he confronted. However, having stated that, Helenius shouldn’t be pretty much as good or as robust as Andy Ruiz and, most definitely, he’ll go down onerous early within the struggle. By the best way, Helenius combating every week previous to the Joshua struggle is, IMO, a constructive for him. But it surely gained’t be an element on this final result.
Truthfully, it doesn’t matter what occurs this Saturday, I believe Joshua is a spent bullet and he’ll by no means reside as much as the potential so many noticed in him. He’ll generate income and he’ll be capable of beat opponents together with his sheer physicality, however anybody approaching elite stage will stand a great likelihood of beating him soundly. I don’t imagine his head and coronary heart are within the sport anymore and no coach will put that burning drive right into a fighter as soon as its gone.
As for Whyte? Isn’t this the third time in his profession he’s confronted banned substance controversy? This can be a lengthy topic for one more day, however I discover it cute how folks suppose that there’s any actual PEDs testing in boxing. There’s not– not less than not by way of really random, impartial testing with the regulation, enforcement, and binding penalties wanted to make it really efficient. It’s nonetheless a free for all on the market. I attempt to avoid PEDs speak for that reason. When the answer being provided up is PEDs testing carried out by way of the whims and whimsies of promoters and fighters, it’s secure to say that no person is de facto being severe about doing one thing.Â
Devin-Shakur
Magno.
Will we see Devin Haney vs. Shakur Stevenson or will that go down as one other in a protracted line of fights that couldn’t and/or wouldn’t be made? From following the social media banter, evidently Haney shouldn’t be that severe about taking over Stevenson’s problem and that Stevenson is rigid to the purpose of being belligerent in relation to making a deal. What say you?
– Mark C.
Hey Mark.
Just like the above talked about PEDs stuff, social media negotiations are one other factor I attempt to tune out. The fact is, for essentially the most half, if individuals are actually severe about making a struggle, they don’t negotiate in public– except it’s a fighter who has no regard for his promoter’s skill to barter fights for him, which, actually, is extra of a “them” problem than a “me” problem.Â
I don’t blame Haney for not eager to take care of Stevenson. Shakur is a tricky, robust out and, presumably, a career-staller for him. And, on the finish of the day, it’s not all that large of a struggle for the danger concerned. From each a enterprise sense in addition to a sensible sense, it’s infinitely extra logical for Haney, particularly at a really younger 24 years of age, to maneuver as much as 140 and pursue the challenges there. Solely a Tank Davis struggle could be sufficiently big to maintain him at 135.Â
So, the place does that go away Shakur? He’ll decide up some belts as soon as they’re vacated by Haney and there’s not less than one large struggle on the market beneath the Prime Rank umbrella, in opposition to Vasiliy Lomachenko. Though, truthfully, we’d see Loma swerve away from Shakur for that very same threat vs. reward problem. Stevenson finds himself in a little bit of a Catch-22 predicament proper now. He wants a very large struggle to raise his title and bankability, however he can’t get that large struggle with out the title worth and the bankability. Will he want to go away Prime Rank to get the place he must go? I don’t know. But it surely’s past clear, with the story of so many stars earlier than him and now with guys like Haney and Terence Crawford, that prime fighters who keep a stage of independence and freedom are likely to get to the place they should go sooner and get a bigger piece of the pie once they do get there.Â
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