Beyond Boxing

We have had a week to digest the Usyk-Joshua 2 aftermath and what is clear is that Eddie Hearn faces his toughest challenge.

The value stripped off AJ is hard to recapture since he is miles from the world title picture and if he looks to reclaim his throne, the fans will demand he does it the hard way.

Enjoy the episode and as always, the support is appreciated.

What is the Joshua project?

It was the attempt to take a boxer and turn him into a standalone business. Anthony Joshua would be THE face of boxing and if the right image was created, the commercial deals would fly in for both the Joshua organisation and his promoter/broadcaster.

This meant we swallowed spin and BS in quantities never seen before, and many fans still do.

This defeat has to be the end of that because it has taken boxing to a dark place where reality becomes insignificant.

What we saw on Saturday night was a childish outburst from a man that has given everything to be great, but has been found wanting.

There is no shame in that, it is the fate for most of us. What is a shame, is ruining the greatest night in the career of another for your own gratification.

Anthony Joshua knows it himself, past all the muscle and the bluster, he simply lacks the skills to stay composed under pressure and the heart to rescue a losing situation. Those are the pre-requisites for greatness.

The tears were for a dream that he now realises will never materialise, something we all knew a while ago.

This episode gives the audience their voice. I am truly your servant in this episode.

Some great questions that forced me to think hard, but i enjoyed it.

please let me know what you think.

The biggest fight since...the last biggest fight, and ahead of...the next biggest fight is nearly upon us.

Can Joshua do anything different this time, or will the old demons return to haunt him?

The worst kept secret is out.

Conor Benn will fight Chris Eubank Jr. on October the 8th at the O2.

Yes, it feels like a money grab, but as fans this is a fight we'd have paid for, whenever it happened.

All we can do now is get behind it and make it a legendary occasion.

Not a bad Matchroom show on Saturday.

Hopefully they will accelerate Dalton Smith's progress because he has the foundations to be a world champion.

Can we also stop with the Matchroom gimmicks? Chinese food, Five Guys and all the other rubbish.

Saturday night was probably the best Sky show in terms of setting expectations. Everything seemed to go right for them and let us hope this is the start and the foundation now.

Isaac Chamberlain gave us fight of the year and the real shame is that there had to be a loser. In reality both fighters were elevated by this fight and the future is bright for both.

Probably some roster changes needed to sustain consistent entertainment. However, one name they got right was Ben Whittaker. To some, it's a no-brainer, but others will still need convincing.

The young man can do things that beggar belief and we should get behind him.

www.umarsadiq.com

One of the more fascinating people to have laced up a pair of gloves.

In some ways, Umar Sadiq never needed boxing - qualified accountant, multiple interests etc - but it drew him in and gave him the platform to successfully tackle life.

We join him as he embarks on that next chapter and seeks to apply the lessons learned in the ring to the stage and screen.

Some additional ideas to build on Ep:102

Topics covered:

Failures of S&C

A weak gym culture

Why a lot of boxers do not fulfill their potential

How I approach all of this