Joshua vs Takam - Who Wins?

Tomorrow AJ steps into the ring once again - to defend his heavyweight titles for the first time.

After original opponent Kubrat Pulev pulled out with an injury Carlos Takam the French Cameroonian IBF no.3 contender has stepped into the breach to face AJ with only 12 day's notice

so can AJ win this one? My gut instinct it could be over by around round 8 with Takam laid out flat but given Takam's size he could push AJ all the way yet again for an AJ points win. If Takam was to beat AJ it would as big an upset as Douglas beating Tyson in Tokyo

Takam is a bit of an unknown quantity & whilst he has a respectable knockout ratio of his wins stopping 27 of 35 but scratch beneath the surface the ko's have been against a fair few unknowns with a sprinkling of fighters past their best ie Michael Sprott,Frans Botha etc.
The 3 losses on his record have primarily come when Takam has stepped up in class notably against Alexander Povetkin & WBO Champ Joseph Parker (before Parker became champion).I've seen a few of Takam's fights & he certainly is durable & can be a busy fighter but given that Takam took the fight in less than two weeks notice will play a big part in the fight.I heard on Sky Sports that when Takam took part in a public workout he was blowing 15 minutes into a workout raising question marks over fitness & conditioning which suggests his only chance is to try & take Joshua early which is far easier said than done.
Even if Takam had 6 months preparation for the fight I would only see him lasting four rounds & as things are I see Joshua taking Takam out in 2 - 3 rounds max.

It's what usually makes the Heavyweight division probably the most exciting to watch as one punch in that division can certainly change everything.Joshua has sterner tests down the road with Deontay Wilder or either of the Fury's.

Even so There still is a possibility that even one punch can change the whole fight and probably history has a habit of repeating itself. Takam may well relish the fact the AJ is odds on favourite and he is the underdog and that could probably make him more dangerous than we dare to think he is. Douglas was pretty much in the same position as Takam when he faced Tyson and look what happened!

Mind you ex champ Larry Holmes commented recently that Joshua certainly could have beaten Tyson at his best I'd say it was possible but would Joshua lasted 12 (or was it 15?) rounds back then when Tyson started?
I certainly do think Joshua could have despatched Berbick out in the same amount of time as Tyson did but I reckon he'd have needed to have a few more rounds to take Tyson (at his very best) out. I would say if AJ wins tonight he should step up and challenge Wilder or take on Hughie Fury or take on the Kiltschko re match. Even so at 67 Holmes still looks in good shape!!

(28-10-2017 06:49 )babelover48 Wrote:  Even so There still is a possibility that even one punch can change the whole fight and probably history has a habit of repeating itself. Takam may well relish the fact the AJ is odds on favourite and he is the underdog and that could probably make him more dangerous than we dare to think he is. Douglas was pretty much in the same position as Takam when he faced Tyson and look what happened!

Mind you ex champ Larry Holmes commented recently that Joshua certainly could have beaten Tyson at his best I'd say it was possible but would Joshua lasted 12 (or was it 15?) rounds back then when Tyson started?
I certainly do think Joshua could have despatched Berbick out in the same amount of time as Tyson did but I reckon he'd have needed to have a few more rounds to take Tyson (at his very best) out. I would say if AJ wins tonight he should step up and challenge Wilder or take on Hughie Fury or take on the Kiltschko re match. Even so at 67 Holmes still looks in good shape!!

Mike Tyson was in his prime in the run-up & when he became the youngest heavyweight champion at 21 when he beat the likes of Berbick,Spinks,Larry Holmes etc.During that period he was coached by the triage of Teddy Atlas,Kevin Rooney & his father figure Cus D'Amato (who unfortunately died before he became champ)when Tyson boxed with whats known as the 'Peek-a-boo' style of boxing behind a high a guard with lots of lateral movement not just making him a hard target to hit but set him up to throw his devastating trademark hooks & uppercuts at angles.
A lot of people said (me included)that Tyson wasn't the same fighter when he ditched long-time coaches Atlas,Rooney (who had coached since his amateur days) & instead employed yes-men & altered his style a bit where he used a lot less lateral movement making him an easier target to hit.

I admit I was as shocked as hell (like most people were)watching the Tyson-Douglas fight unfold & I heard rumours that Tyson didn't train properly (due to Tyson's hectic lifestyle out of the ring)for the fight believing he would blow Douglas away in a few rounds.I remember Tyson blowing in the early rounds but managed to knock Douglas down in the 8th round with an uppercut described by commentators as 'like being hit by an oak tree trunk' with a slowed/delayed count by the ref allowing Douglas to survive the round in which led to him knocking out Tyson out in the 10th & as they say the rest is history.
Tyson went from a fighting machine who loved hurting his opponent early on in his career to a fighter who lost a lot his hunger (particularly when he returned after his incarceration) & a fighter who was only interested in a payday & being surrounded by yes-men who wouldn't dare criticize him neglecting his training ruined him as well.
Tyson was a mere husk of the fighter he was when he fought the likes of Holyfield & Lewis.

If Anthony Joshua had fought Tyson at his peek (in his early 20's) I reckon the fight would have played out the same as Tyson-Bruno first fight where Bruno & Joshua are identically built impressive muscled specimens,but ultimately large muscle bulk in all combat sports whilst can increase punch power it does slow a fighter down as well as leading to conditioning problems.Like Tyson was too quick for Bruno he would have equally been too fast for Joshua.
I think Larry Holmes (a great fighter in his day) dismissal of Tyson comes from the grudge he has always had as Tyson was the only fighter to stop & knock Holmes out.

I watched Anthony Joshua on Bear Gryll's survival episode & he genuinely seems like a well grounded,level headed & all round great guy who I hope goes to unify & dominate the Heavyweight division.

Joshua V Tyson would have been an interesting fight, Joshua is a lot bigger than Bruno, and I think he is also a bit faster. Tyson at his peak (86 -88) May have been favourite to win but I think Joshua would beat the 1989 Tyson who fought Bruno, Tyson wasn't moving his head has he had been taught by Cus D'mato by this stage and even the ponderous Bruno was able to land a head shot.
Tonight should be pretty routine for Joshua, if Takem couldn't beat Joseph Parker, there should be no way he beats AJ.

Joshua wins with a 10th round stoppage.

Have to give Takam credit for taking AJ as far as he did & at two weeks' notice as well.
very gutsy

The result will have been the same probably, despite joshua's broken nose, but that stoppage was too early, let the guy get pummeled before you waste his time and money on pricey training camps. I wanna see a fucking fight if two blokes are still on their feet slipping punches.
Anyway, he's harder than me probably but joshua is all hype, nearly got done by old man klitschko ffs. Only noobs want joshua v fury, deontay wilder is the only fight i'm interested in. If joshua finishes that fight then fair play i'll put him in the top 30 heavyweights of all time afterwards, maybe. hype.

If world titles were given for durability/toughness Takam would be an undisputed champion by now (one of the commentator's said Takam is one of those fighters you could hit him with your best shots or a baseball bat & still keep coming for you).
He certainly deserves huge credit for making the fight competitive & taking the fight to Joshua & as for the stoppage I thought came a little too early as Takam was rocked but certainly not out on his feet but with hindsight & previous fights have shown it is better to stop the fight a little prematurely & let Takam live to fight another day than take one too many punches ending his career & more importantly his health.I could see Takam get another title shot with either a rematch against Parker or a shot at Wilder next year.

For me Joshua just like in the Klitschko fight looked lethargic & tired during the middle rounds & still very much looks like the unfinished article, I don't believe the extra weight Joshua came in at did him any favours which probably why he was blowing during the middle rounds.It was another fight for Joshua where he probably made it harder than it needed to be & he prevailed in another one of those 'gutcheck' fights (& a broken nose) that he can learn from.He certainly needs to iron out the glaring flaws in his game (conditioning) if he wants to hold the belts in the long term.

Congratulations on Katie Taylor on winning the WBA Woman's Lightweight Title in only her 7th fight less than a year after turning pro.

(28-10-2017 23:03 )DJ NATE Wrote:  The result will have been the same probably, despite joshua's broken nose, but that stoppage was too early, let the guy get pummeled before you waste his time and money on pricey training camps. I wanna see a fucking fight if two blokes are still on their feet slipping punches.
Anyway, he's harder than me probably but joshua is all hype, nearly got done by old man klitschko ffs. Only noobs want joshua v fury, deontay wilder is the only fight i'm interested in. If joshua finishes that fight then fair play i'll put him in the top 30 heavyweights of all time afterwards, maybe. hype.

Wilder to me fights like a man with a suspect chin, there is a panic in what he does. AJ is only 20 fights in, he is learning as he goes along, not perfect but improving. In an era with depth he would only be reaching european level at this time. He is the best out there at the moment.