Anthony Joshua has been told to get a few wins under his belt before taking a fight against Deontay Wilder.
Joshua, 32, failed to win back his world titles when he lost a decision to Oleksandr Usyk earlier this month. 'AJ' had more success in the fight than he did against Usyk last September, but the Ukrainian was the superior boxer on the night as Joshua suffered his second loss on the bounce.
The loss marked Joshua's third defeat in his last five fights after going unbeaten in his first 22 professional bouts. Robert Garcia, who partnered with Joshua for his rematch against Usyk, thinks the former two-time heavyweight champion should get his confidence back by taking a couple of warm-up fights before challenging an elite heavyweight such as Wilder.
“I think it’s a really good fight," Garcia told ESNews of Joshua vs Wilder. "I think Wilder is dangerous, he’s got that one-punch power that’s hard to stay away from, and if he lands it’s going to be hard. Anthony has great footwork, great movement, great jab, straight one-twos, and he also hits very hard. He hits very, very hard, so it’s a very good fight.”
“I think the smart thing to do with Anthony is take a couple fights that are gonna’ be comfortable, that are going to be good for you, get your confidence, your belief in yourself. Then go after another big one. Our first fight together against Usyk? F***, that’s tough, right? I think Anthony’s got a lot left, but pick the right fights.
"Don’t go after the tough match right now. Not saying he can’t beat them, but he’s got the right. He went two straight, very tough fights. So get a couple comfortable wins. Everybody does it."
Who do you think Anthony Joshua should fight next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Wilder returns to the ring for the first time since his consecutive knockout losses to Tyson Fury in October when he challenges former sparring partner Robert Helenius.
A fight between Joshua and Wilder has been proposed for years, but the hard-hitting heavyweights are yet to meet in the ring. Once considered as the top-two in the world at their weight class, Joshua and Wilder are now both riding consecutive losses.
Wilder admitted that he didn't miss boxing during his lengthy absence from the sport after losing twice to Fury and pondered whether he needed to make his ring return or not.
