Anthony Joshua promises to bring back aggressive style against Alexander Povetkin

[smashup]

He looked good. He spent the entire fight setting up the finishing punch. He got Povetkin used to only being hit by the jab, but was obviously throwing it with enough power to bother him/slow him down. I'm surprised that the opening took 7 rounds to appear, but can't fault Joshua for being patient.

The only criticism would be that he might not have had a plan B should that not work. But it did. From a stylistic point of view, Povetkin was always going to give Joshua trouble, particularly early on. Short, explosive hookers are a nightmare for a taller guy. A peak Klitschko found it awkward to deal with and actually resulted to holding and leaning throughout the duration of the fight.

For what it is worth, Compubox had Joshua landing almost double the amount of punches landed by Povetkin. From seeing the post fight reaction to the scorecards, I can only assume fans pay more attention to aggression and power punching.

From Joshua's point of view, the perception of his vulnerability is heightened because of the ramifications associated with him losing. Re-watching the fight, without the suspense, and Joshua's control is more noticeable and should be applauded.

He now has wins over a Ring Magazine ranked #1 and two Ring Magazine ranked #3's plus wins over the current Ring Magazine ranked #5 and #8. For a 22 fight career, with a fairly limited amateur background (yes he won Gold but only had around 35 amateur fights) that is outstanding.

This 👌🏼😎

[El Kabong]

AJ looked very much like a Lennox Lewis Frank Bruno hybrid out there. He didn't seem all that hurried to do anything (Lennox) and he seemed a bit stiff (Bruno). I will say Povetkin came to fight, he did a great job in there and really gave a good account of himself. AJ stuck with a gameplan and took him out nicely, but I wouldn't say he pressed the pace or had an aggressive style...he certainly got hit more than he should have and I think Povetkin hurt him a couple times, or at least buzzed him.


Good win, Wilder and Fury should both be looking at that fight and thinking "Well he looks an easy night" but maybe that is by design....AJ didn't struggle at all, he was always in control, it was the quintessential professional title defense. AJ needs a little more work on the defense, but he's looking very stable as a fighter which is great for you Brits and fans of his.