The anomaly that has haunted the heavyweight division for the last six months has been corrected. The universe is as it should be. Anthony Joshua, in an absolute masterclass, has reclaimed his belts and all is well.
Things were bad. Things were really bad. Prior to June 1, the heavyweight division was in the midst of one the most glorious hey days in decades. The three headed monster of Joshua, Fury and Wilder were barreling towards each other. Two things needed to happen before an absolute mega clash: Joshua needed to dispatch a pudgy late replacement named Andy Ruiz, and Fury and Wilder had to settle their controversial draw.
And then the universe collapsed into a black hole and all was lost. The dreams of the ultimate heavyweight fights went down the drain.
The criticisms on AJ rained down. It was now known by all that he was just a hype job. A body builder who had natural athletic finesse but no real boxing fundamentals. A big stiff idiot.
December 7th put all of that to rest. AJ silenced his critics, showing massive heart, technique, discipline, and most of all, pure boxing IQ. Even as the fight progressed, Sergio Mora questioned whether Joshua could continue his tactics for twelve rounds. Would he have the discipline necessary to box Ruiz on the outside all night, resisting the dramatic finish that would have heaped the praises similar to Wilder. AJ answered with a resounding yes.
Ruiz showed up fifteen pounds heavier than the last fight. He made excuses that he did not train as he should have. He suffered from his inability to deal with newfound superstardom and riches.
IDGAF about any of that. He still looked dangerous in the clinch. He didn’t tire over twelve rounds despite having to chase the light footed Joshua. AJ completely neutralized this man. The playbook has been written on Ruiz. And unlike AJ, who adapted brilliantly, will Ruiz be able to change his style? Will he have the dedication to rebuild himself? I’m not so sure.
And where does that leave us now in the heavy weights?
Wilder and Fury will hopefully settle their rematch February 22nd. A Wilder win will hopefully lead to unification fight, however, I wouldn’t hold my breath for that until 2021. A Fury win will undoubtedly trigger a Wilder rematch clause, that may or may not be immediate. AJ will have to deal with a number of mandatories or forfeit one of his belts. Hearn will push AJ to face Pulev for his IBF mandatory, and that will lead to an interesting scenario. Most likey, AJ will vacate the WBO, which will give the mandatory, Oleksandr Usyk the opportunity to fight for the belt, giving Eddie Hearn two heavyweight titlists at DAZN.
We will get our dream fight of Wilder/AJ or Fury/AJ? One can only hope. At least for now, things are as they should be.
Sincerely,
An AJ Stan