Carl Froch believes if Anthony Joshua has a “bad defeat” in his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk then the British boxer could hang up his gloves.
Joshua is due to fight Usyk on 20 August after losing to the Ukrainian last September. Froch does not know where the 32-year-old would go if he was to suffer another damaging loss.
“If Anthony Joshua loses his rematch to Oleksandr Usyk and it’s a bad defeat - a conclusive points loss or a heavy knockout - it could be the end for AJ,” Froch wrote in his BBC Sport column. “I just don’t see where he can go after back-to-back defeats.
“I wholeheartedly want him to win and I am not totally writing him off. He has all the physical attributes, he’s big enough and strong enough, but I have to be brutally honest and say I don’t think he will win.”
Froch, who stepped away from the sport himself in 2014, is also conflicted on whether the first fight will aid Joshua in his preparations.
He added: “Mentally, Joshua’s got a mountain to climb before that first bell goes and I’m not so sure that first fight is going to help him, but he can take a bit of peace that he really didn’t perform.
“The first fight tells him it’s pointless trying to outbox this guy. It ain’t going to happen and that’s an advantage.”
But while the commentator may doubt Joshua, the star has come out swinging with trash talk.
He told Sky Sport News: “You’ve got to focus on that aggressive aspect, that competitive spirit and at the end of the day, I don’t give a damn about your jab, I don’t care how good that jab is, I don’t care how good this is. I don’t care how good you are - my competitive spirit will overcome all obstacles.
“That is something you should never neglect in your search for improvements. Your competitive nature can take you a long way.”
