
Originally Posted by
TonnnnUK

Originally Posted by
Memphis
I cant help but like Dillian. Mad bastard, loves a ruck. Some of his decision making has been odd. Should have taken the Joshua fight for whatever was on offer, that's his call obviously and you have to respect his decision. But a crack at several belts against a bloke he's desperate to rematch, who he thinks he's got the beating of now that his shoulder is fixed, for a fuck load of money, rip their arm of man. The Tibbs thing as well. Dillian painted a picture of an amicable parting of professional ways but everyone immediately saw through that. I've no idea who's training him now?
He's put together some good wins over the last few years but they've all been at a cost. Life and death with Del Boy twice, boxed quite nicely against Rivas but it was by no means a canter and however iffy it was (more of a knock over than a knock down if you know what I mean) he still managed to find himself on the deck. Life and death with Parker, on the deck again and clinging on for dear life at the end. Looked like turd against Wach. He's doing the distance when he needs to but his conditioning doesn't 'look' great.
I hope he's in good shape and up for this and I hope he wins. I'm not suggesting that anything is conspiring against him here, but that good run of form on paper, doesn't tell the whole story of the ringer he's been through to get there. And lets be honest, a few peoples lives would be made a whole lot easier if he came a cropper and fell off the radar for a bit.
Definitely gotta feel a bit sorry for him always being cast aside, and frankly I'm quite surprised he's still sticking with Matchroom given his biggest rival is Eddie's golden boy and main priority.
He has earned his shot and got some good wins, but he's hardly been dominant as noted. I see him as a crude slugger, who can take a shot and get digging, which makes him live and dangerous. But I don't think he would beat Joshua, who himself is much better than he was in their first encounter. Has a shot against Wilder, but could easily be knocked out cold also while Fury would box rings around him.
Whyte might just about be the number 4 guy in the division, which probably reflects how poor it is as a whole.
I never really go in for the 'division is poor' stuff. Generally speaking, not just this crop. It's the party line, rolled out for every era and the answer is almost certainly the same every time, it kinda has to be. Would a 20 odd fight (insert anyone you like here) who's half way through their career, have beaten their counterpart from yesteryear who's completed a generally illustrious career at the top level. Of course they're not.
The deck is stacked against them to say the least and people paint a very rose tinted version of the past.
Take Joshua and stick him up against Lewis. I got no problem with anyone saying Lewis is better than Joshua, I'd probably go along with that. Again though, Lewis has completed an illustrious career, Joshua is half, three quarters through his? People will have you believe that Lewis existed on a vastly higher plain to Joshua, and so did the people he fought. It's just not the case though is is?
I don't spend a great deal of timing looking or thinking about this stuff because it's fantasy. But when I do, I tend not to look at A versus B. I go for A versus everyone B fought. That's what we're trying to establish here. Would A, the representative of this crop, have competed against the crop from yesteryear. For me the answer is an easy yes. Save for two or three names, would anyone have any issue with saying that Joshua dispatches them all in the same manner Lewis did?
Holyfield, Klitschko. I got no problem with anyone thinking Joshua loses those fights. Everyone else though? I ain't having it. Mercer? Mercer fought an inspired fight against Lewis and gave him hell. sandwiching that fight are also some pretty average fights against some average competition. Bruno? Ain't no way Joshua ain't knocking Bruno into next week for me.
Take Joshua as is and transplant him into the 90's early 00's. He'd be one of the names people fall all over as proof that the current crop couldn't compete.
would Joshua, Wilder, Fury or Whyte have beaten the best of the 90's and early 00's? Maybe, maybe not. But they would have been in there with a shout, no doubt about it as far as I'm concerned.
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