AJ didn't quit, he was waiting for the ref to replace his gum-shield. Fact.

[powerpuncher]

It was a weird stoppage but not a terrible one. The ref told him to walk forward multiple times and AJ just stood there.

[Ron Swanson]

As many fighters have said “when you start looking to your corner you’re asking out, all fighters know this” add that the ref repeatedly asked him to step forward and he didn’t means good stoppage. How long had it been, 20 seconds? I’ll go count and edit this

Edit-24 seconds before he waved it off, that’s a long time

[Gandalf]

It was a strange one. My initial position was that it was an early stoppage as Joshua was having a nightmare but he didn't seem 'hurt'. I mean obviously he must have been to keep going down, but he certainly didn't get Fury'ed or anything like that. I assumed Joshua was being given extra time as he was the money man and he wasn't wobbling about or doing anything strange. He seemed to have his senses, though by walking backwards, hands down, eating punches in the 6th, maybe he didn't. But yes, he had a massive amount of time and seemed to show no desire to continue. You would never see James Toney acting like that. He would just shake his head, sneer, hold his hands up, and get back on with it. Joshua might have his Gold medal, but he wasn't born to fight like a Toney or a Calzaghe. Those guys took the punches and if they went down then straight back on with it.

[Fenster]

Joshua did step forward when asked and removed his hands from the ropes, he then stepped back. All the while the ref is holding his gum-shield in his left hand whilst counting with his right. Joshua isn't unresponsive, he's shocked at it being waved off.

I'm not disputing the refs decision, merely stating Joshua acted like a fighter expecting his gum-shield to be replaced after he'd obeyed the refs command.

There's literally dozens and dozens of other refs who would have put the gum-shield back in his mouth or handed it to the corner to rinse let alone took hold of his gloves when he stepped forward. Wiped them.

Does anyone seriously think Jack Reiss or Steve Smoger or Micky Vann or Kenny Bayless or Steve Willis would have acted the same way?

[Primo Carnera]

Joshua did step forward when asked and removed his hands from the ropes, he then stepped back. All the while the ref is holding his gum-shield in his left hand whilst counting with his right. Joshua isn't unresponsive, he's shocked at it being waved off.

I'm not disputing the refs decision, merely stating Joshua acted like a fighter expecting his gum-shield to be replaced after he'd obeyed the refs command.

There's literally dozens and dozens of other refs who would have put the gum-shield back in his mouth or handed it to the corner to rinse let alone took hold of his gloves when he stepped forward. Wiped them.

Does anyone seriously think Jack Reiss or Steve Smoger or Micky Vann or Kenny Bayless or Steve Willis would have acted the same way?

I agree that he didn't quit, but I think the ref (who lets not forget is a foot away from the fighter.) made a good stoppage. maybe he should've given the gum shield to the corner to rinse and put back in, but maybe he didn't bother because he knew it was over.
at the end of the day, this is all periphery. Even Eddie admitted, the fight was done.

[TitoFan]

Food for thought here:

First as I've already stated, I don't believe Joshua "quit". Was he raring to go when he got up? No. He was still buzzed and the ref ultimately did the right thing. But the word "quit" is thrown around too loosely in boxing.

Also, I've seen that the majority on here have stated their own opinions as well, that Joshua didn't quit.

Howeverrrrrrrr.............

Had the exact same thing happened to Wilder instead..... would we have the same people saying the same things?

[KickMuck]

He was a beaten man. I think it was a case of just howmuch do you want to see the man beaten. Ref did a good job and stopped it. All we can all do is imagine what would have happened if he put the mouth peice back in and let them continue. Maybe he would have shook it off and got back in to the fight. Or maybe beaten to a pulp and exited the ring like David Price.

Regardless of what happened i will take the positives. Its great to see an upset of this caliber. And lets face it AJ is gonna come back with a bit of fire in his belly and take them belts back. Its all good for HW boxing, it has ruffled the feathers of the division. It will prompt fights that where hesitant and stale to happen. I love a good upset regardless of who it is.

[Fenster]

As many fighters have said “when you start looking to your corner you’re asking out, all fighters know this” add that the ref repeatedly asked him to step forward and he didn’t means good stoppage. How long had it been, 20 seconds? I’ll go count and edit this

Edit-24 seconds before he waved it off, that’s a long time

Many fighters have said that's nonsense too. One fighter looks at his corner for help another to signal they're fine.

It's utterly irrelevant counting seconds, boxing history is littered with "long counts," and the refs judgment influence the outcome every week.

Not sure if you're old enough to remember this epic, but Corrales has at least double the time Joshua has here.

[Ron Swanson]

As many fighters have said “when you start looking to your corner you’re asking out, all fighters know this” add that the ref repeatedly asked him to step forward and he didn’t means good stoppage. How long had it been, 20 seconds? I’ll go count and edit this

Edit-24 seconds before he waved it off, that’s a long time

Many fighters have said that's nonsense too. One fighter looks at his corner for help another to signal they're fine.

It's utterly irrelevant counting seconds, boxing history is littered with "long counts," and the refs judgment influence the outcome every week.

Not sure if you're old enough to remember this epic, but Corrales has at least double the time Joshua has here.

Yes, historically many fights have been messed up including your linked fight. You are supposed to be ready to fight after 10 seconds, not just off the mat. 24 seconds had passed and Joshua hadn’t proven to the 3rd man he was ready to fight. You know as well as anyone Joshua wanted out of that fight, whether he “quit” is up to interpretation. But what is clear is he wanted out. I’m in no way insulting the man, I’m just not going to say “he’s my countryman so I will excuse everything, he was simply waiting on the gum shield” because he wasn’t. How many people have said he seemed relieved afterwards including his own promoter? Why on earth would his own promoter say he was relieved if he was simply waiting on his gumshield? Answer is he wouldn’t be relieved, he would be upset because he would feel he had his titles stolen. Joshua doesn’t feel he had his titles stolen because he knows like I know and you know if you will look past biases that Joshua was done. The fight was over. Someone just needed to make it official. He looked for his corner to end it, they didn’t so he made sure the ref ended it by not giving the ref the indications he wanted to continue. Some call that quitting, the terminology is really irrelevant though. Joshua knows, Hearn knows, I know he wanted out of the fight. If you don’t know that you are just oblivious. I don’t think you are oblivious.

[Fenster]

“he’s my countryman so I will excuse everything, he was simply waiting on the gum shield”

I haven't made a single excuse for his loss, you're the guy spinning the narrative when I haven't disputed the ref's decision or AJ's defeat? Why would you possibly need to count seconds?

He looked for his corner to end it, they didn’t so he made sure the ref ended it by not giving the ref the indications he wanted to continue.

When the ref waved it off AJ wasn't looking at his corner he was staring directly at the ref following his directions. However, if it makes you feel better to believe he dogged it, fine. I was merely asking if anyone else wondered why the ref didn't replace the gum-shield? Many official reports don't even mention the shield coming out? One claimed the ref didn't pick it up when he clearly did.

Joshua doesn’t feel he had his titles stolen because he knows like I know and you know if you will look past biases that Joshua was done. The fight was over. Someone just needed to make it official.

I have never once disputed that.

[SlimTrae]

The ref is supposed to put the mouthpiece in when there it's a lull and that was a lull.

Did the ref have the piece in his hands or the corner?

I remember a few fights where a fighter was knocked down, piece out and the ref didn't count, while placing the guard back in.

One that comes too memory was Moored vs Cooper. After Bert got dropped, ref finished counting, Bert motioned to his mouth to which the ref got it in, but only after the count and they threw a few punches.


Did AJ motion to it?