Anthony Joshua has been told he needs to return to being a "beast" ahead of his heavyweight return.
Joshua has not fought in the ring since losing for a second consecutive fight to Oleksandr Usyk in their Saudi Arabia rematch last August. The British star has since parted ways with trainer Robert Garcia and is eyeing a comeback in spring after travelling to the US to begin his training camp.
AJ's return is yet to be officially confirmed but it has been revealed by promoter Eddie Hearn that he will take on a top 15 ranked opponent as he eyes a return to world title contention in 2023. One man who is also eyeing world heavyweight supremacy, Filip Hrgovic, has suggested that Joshua has been focusing too much on trying to box his way to victory.
I’m careful not to learn too much and become something that I’m not, take away my advantages,” said Hrgovic during an interview with Tru School Sports when assessing how Joshua must go about his comeback to return to the top. “I think that happened to Anthony Joshua.
"He was a beast. He was a knockout artist and then he started to learn too much about boxing and he started to box too much, overthinking.”
Hrgovic himself believes he has what it takes to beat Joshua and his rival Usyk if an opportunity to land a world title shot of his own presents itself in the new year. It will be a year for Joshua to rekindle his title hopes and potentially earn a mega-fight at the end of the year which could come against long-term foe Deontay Wilder.
Joshua will need a win to halt his decline in form which has seen him now lose three fights in his career including his surprise defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019. It looked set for Joshua to receive an immediate title shot against Tyson Fury in December, but it collapsed and now the Briton will have more time to regroup before his comeback.
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And his promoter Hearn has warned that his career could be over if he is unable to overturn his form with a win in his planned spring bow. "This is the most excited I've been on Anthony Joshua's journey so far because I think it's exciting," Hearn told iFL TV. "You go into that fight in April – you know that with defeat, it's all over, really. It would be a third back-to-back defeat.
"And yet a great performance and a showreel knockout gets everyone saying, ‘We’re back, we’re back baby. That’s what I can’t wait for, because I love it when our backs are against the wall.
"That’s the best moments and this is one of those moments for AJ. AJ then wants a big fight in the summer. "
