Comments Thread For: Sugar Ray Leonard Says Joshua Must Be Global, Fight in America

[Robbie Barrett]

you guys need to give it up with Ortiz, dude is 40 years old and has health issues. He left his run too late, it's never going to happen with him

Who has Ortiz even beat? The way they try to make him out to be a great fighter is ridiculous. Ortiz-Wilder was a fight of two unknowns, nobody knew how good they really were and we still don't know.

[R_Walken]

I think it’s pretty clear that AJ /Hearn would rather stay in the UK and be a big fish in a small market , then try to break into the US market

AJ turned down a 50 mil guarantee to fight in the States and chose to have his fights broadcast on a new unknown app in the States basically becoming invisible to the public

Not that there’s anything wrong with that strategy , I mean he’s packing stadiums , one of the UKs most recognizable sportsman and making crazy $ staying at home doing his thing

Boxing is such a niche sport in the States that even if he tried to crossover there there’s no guarantee that he builds his profile or makes more $ then if he just stayed at home

[R_Walken]

Do Americans fight globally when they've made it to the top? Did Mayweather?

Fighters are going to fight where they make the most money. That's the UK for Joshua. Fans have an old mindset for when the US was the home of HW boxing, that time has gone. UK is the new home of HW boxing. There's a big HW fight happening in the US in December and they've sold 7k tickets in over a month. HW boxing is dead in the US. US boxing needs Joshua, Joshua doesn't need the US.

Strongly Disagree

the Klitschkos didnt need america and neither does joshua

now joshua COULD fight there but i wouldnt advise it against wilder or fights where judges and referee might come into play

If ( Big If ) AJ could cross over in the States he’d make way more $ in the States compared to the UK.

But boxing is a niche sport in the States that it usually only allows 1 or 2 fighters to be the face of the sport at a time and make that kind of $

The US doesn’t need AJ and AJ doesn’t need the States but if he ever wants Mayweather type $ he’d try and crack that market because becoming known in the States is the only way to achieve that.

[Earl-Hickey]

Who has Ortiz even beat? The way they try to make him out to be a great fighter is ridiculous. Ortiz-Wilder was a fight of two unknowns, nobody knew how good they really were and we still don't know.

he's the only semi viable name on wilders record so they have to play him up.

Similar to how you don't hear any of them trashing fury, they need to build him up so they can act like its a great win.

[Earl-Hickey]

If ( Big If ) AJ could cross over in the States he’d make way more $ in the States compared to the UK.

But boxing is a niche sport in the States that it usually only allows 1 or 2 fighters to be the face of the sport at a time and make that kind of $

The US doesn’t need AJ and AJ doesn’t need the States but if he ever wants Mayweather type $ he’d try and crack that market because becoming known in the States is the only way to achieve that.

I agree but it's pretty unlikely he will break through in the states.

Outside of wilder theres nobody else to build great rivalries with

Lewis had Holyfield, Tyson and Bowe as foils, and Lewis wasn't making Tyson money

he might have to stay content with the 30m pays in the uk.

[JWHardin]

you guys need to give it up with Ortiz, dude is 40 years old and has health issues. He left his run too late, it's never going to happen with him

AJ's two biggest wins are against guys the same age or older than Ortiz. Why not add to his senior citizen list?

[Robbie Barrett]

If ( Big If ) AJ could cross over in the States he’d make way more $ in the States compared to the UK.

But boxing is a niche sport in the States that it usually only allows 1 or 2 fighters to be the face of the sport at a time and make that kind of $

The US doesn’t need AJ and AJ doesn’t need the States but if he ever wants Mayweather type $ he’d try and crack that market because becoming known in the States is the only way to achieve that.

Joshua would have to lose money to roll the dice in the US. Americans aren't even getting behind their own. I doubt they would Joshua.

[Earl-Hickey]

AJ's two biggest wins are against guys the same age or older than Ortiz. Why not add to his senior citizen list?

Because Ortiz brings no money, isnt a mandatory and he wont get any credit for beating him

why doesn't wilder fight povetkin?

same logic.

[Andre_parker1]

Strongly Disagree

the Klitschkos didnt need america and neither does joshua

now joshua COULD fight there but i wouldnt advise it against wilder or fights where judges and referee might come into play

Facts...if a fighter is top level and isn't American they want him to come over to the u.s so he could lose against their fighter..shades of canelo,kovalev,golovkin(canelo was used by an american/mexican promoter in delahoya to "beat" golovkin) but mayweather and ward are undefeated because they're one of them..Joshua and hearn are too smart for this..the wilder fight happens in the UK..period!

[Earl-Hickey]

Facts...if a fighter is top level and isn't American they want him to come over to the u.s so he could lose against their fighter..shades of canelo,kovalev,golovkin(canelo was used by an american/mexican promoter in delahoya to "beat" golovkin) but mayweather and ward are undefeated because they're one of them..Joshua and hearn are too smart for this..the wilder fight happens in the UK..period!

Yup.

It's happened again and again and again

I said before Canelo vs GGG 2 that Golovkin was cashing out because it was so blatantly obvious they would finish the job with him this time.

Joshua and Wilder are both huge punchers with questionable chins so it's not out of the question it becomes a cagey fight that goes 12 rounds, and there is simply no way the americans will leave a chance to get an undisputed heavyweight champion on the table.