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Likes: 
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AJ - Wilder: Let's be clinical
Forget about who is more likable and who sells more tickets.
Let's look at this strictly from a boxing perspective.
I think too much is made of Wilder's windmills. He doesn't throw them all the time. By the time he's throwing them, the other guy's practically on his way out anyway. So what difference does it make what the KO punch looks like? That he can't box? Total exaggeration. True, he doesn't have the classical style of an AJ. He's raw around the edges and a bit unorthodox in his deliveries. But he's not completely devoid of all boxing skills. One thing I do criticize is his penchant for throwing a pawing "jab", which is barely better than no jab at all. His trainer needs to fix that ASAP. With his height, reach, and build, Wilder should have a hell of a jab. Wilder's athleticism serves him well. He uses his feet to move him out of harm's way when needed, and he knows how to use the whole ring. In other words, he's rarely a stationary target. I think he could use more work on his left hand in general. A good hook would add to his arsenal. He's shown he can recover when buzzed... and talk about chin in the heavyweights is pretty useless anyway because at that size and power, you'd need armor to be KO-proof.
I still think AJ has the better win between the two. I rank Wilder's win over Ortiz higher than AJ's win over Parker, but below AJ's win over Wlad. Ortiz and Wlad were two pretty good wins, with Wlad's being better. Why? Ortiz and Wlad came to fight. So did Parker, but he was woefully inefficient, and AJ kept him at bay with very little consequence. AJ gets flack about being robotic, but I just see it as having the classical boxing style. His defense if better than Wilder's, IMO. Well... at least different. Wilder uses his long frame to lean away from trouble, but AJ's defense keeps him more in position to counter. One of AJ's more impressive weapons is his uppercut. He throws it beautifully, even from extremely close quarters. He barely missed Parker on several occasions. Had he connected we'd be talking about how impressive his knockout over Parker had been. Power and chin with AJ and Wilder cancel each other out. Again, if either connects flush, it's goodnight Irene. AJ having gotten back up to win against Wlad is a huge plus in his corner. It shows he can do it. Wilder has been buzzed.... AJ has been dropped.... both by huge punchers.
In the end, I favor AJ at this point, only because of AJ's better defense which would probably end up with Wilder getting tagged first.
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Originally Posted by TitoFan
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