This is Rummy’s Corner.
Can Anthony Joshua bounce back after losing his unified heavyweight championship against
Oleksandr Usyk?
The short answer for me is, yes.
He probably can, but it remains to be seen whether he actually will.
So I think Joshua is capable of bouncing back, but he will have a tough journey ahead and
will need to do some real soul-searching to elevate his game to the next level.
But it would be foolish to write AJ off completely.
We have already seen him bounce back from a career setback, just two years ago.
In June 2019 AJ suffered a shocking upset loss at the hands of Andy Ruiz Jr. AJ had
jumped out to a good start, and he had Ruiz Jr in trouble when he dropped him in round
3.
But when AJ jumped in for the finish, Ruiz battled it out and he dropped Joshua twice
before the round ended.
Ruiz dropped AJ two more times in round 7 and the fight was over.
Six months later, AJ made the necessary tactical adjustments to avenge his loss with a lopsided
12 round unanimous decision.
It’s true that Ruiz came into the rematch heavier where he did not appear to be in top
condition.
Worse yet, Ruiz abandoned the tactics which helped him succeed in their first encounter,
and this played into Joshua’s refined strategy.
Regardless of the fact that Ruiz was less prepared physically, and regardless of the
fact Ruiz had abandoned the tactics that worked in their first encounter where he was more
patient and throwing with AJ - Joshua did exactly what he had to do.
It was an extremely disciplined effort where AJ executed a solid game plan almost flawlessly.
Looking back at their first encounter, a lot of fans reasonably believe that the fight
changed when AJ got nailed with an equilibrium punch during an exchange.
The way Joshua reacted to getting hit by that punch reminded me an awful lot of the way
Riddick Bowe reacted when getting drilled by Andrew Golota in round 2 of their rematch.
The idea that AJ never recovered from that punch in the first Ruiz bout is well within
the realm of reason.
Indeed, not only do many fans believe that punch changed the course of the fight, but
a lot of people believe that the punch changed the course of AJ’s entire career.
That the mental scars endured from that devastating loss continue to haunt AJ to this day, where
his confidence and determination have never been the same since.
That could perhaps explain AJ’s reluctance to switch tactics against Usyk.
Joshua remained steadfast in his efforts to try and outbox the master boxer, and even
when it became clear that this strategy was doomed to fail, Joshua was either unable or
unwilling to try and switch things up and make the fight more physical.
But even there, it wasn’t a total white wash for Usyk.
AJ did make some subtle adjustments where he was fighting effectively in rounds 5 and
6, and Joshua likewise was having some success here and there in the later rounds.
But the difference this time was that AJ’s costly mistake was both strategic and tactical,
whereas against Ruiz, the scope of the mistake was limited to that costly shot when AJ got
overeager and ate a monster shot he never saw coming.
If we go back a little further in time, when AJ faced former long reigning champion Wladimir
Klitschko - AJ started the fight tremendously, sweeping the first 5 rounds that culminated
with him flooring the former champion.
But in the very next round, Wladimir immediately shifted the tide when he scored a knockdown
of his own.
The momentum was all Klitschko after that, and Wlad was in control for the next several
rounds.
But AJ dug deep in that fight, started slowly working his way back into the fight, and he
persevered and scored a dramatic 11th round stoppage against the great Wladimir Klitschko.
AJ dug deep in that fight and exhibited championship heart.
But at the end of the day, he never really had a plan B.
There was no key adjustment made, same as the first Ruiz fight, and same as the fight
against Usyk.
In that sense, AJ is the type who doesn’t seem very versatile on the fly.
Meaning, he isn’t necessarily great when it comes to making adjustments during the
course of a fight.
But where AJ has a proven track record of making adjustments is in his preparation.
We saw ample evidence of this when he outclassed Ruiz in their rematch to avenge his prior
defeat.
So there is reason to believe that with a refined approach, at the very least, Joshua
has the ability to make adjustments in the rematch that will enable him to make a better
account of himself.
Personally, if AJ dives right back into an immediate rematch I think he deserves tremendous
credit for trying to immediately avenge a loss.
On that note, Deontay Wilder deserves credit for wanting to jump right back in there against
Tyson Fury after suffering such a devastating loss in their rematch.
But truth be told, I’m not sure boxers always get the credit they deserve when they try
to do this, and I’m reminded of Sugar Shane Mosley.
When Mosley dared to be great by facing guys like Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright - two
extremely talented boxers who were each stuck on the outside looking in, Mosley lost those
fights, and both times, he tried avenging his losses immediately.
But his rematch efforts fell short too, and I don’t think Mosley ever got the credit
he deserved for wanting to do that.
In that sense, AJ might be better off swerving the Usyk rematch and setting his eyes on the
Fury-Wilder 3 winner.
But if AJ does jump right back in there against Usyk, to me that is an admirable move.
But if he does go that route, can he actually make adjustments and win a rematch against
Usyk?
Personally, I’m not so sure that he can.
Usyk seemed all wrong for AJ, and I’m not sure if AJ is the type of fighter who can
do the things he’d need to do to reverse the outcome.
But at the same time, I’m not quick to count AJ out.
And if he can take something positive from his fight against Wladimir four years ago,
Wlad himself was written off several times before he became one of the longest reigning
heavyweight champions in history.
But for AJ to follow a similar path, he’s going to need to make a transformation of
mind and soul to overcome this setback.
Whatever happens, I look forward to seeing Joshua back in action and I wish him luck
in the future.
Thanks for watching everyone, I hope you enjoyed, and have a wonderful night.
This is Rummy’s Corner.