Anthony Joshua has been warned his career could be over if he loses again to Oleksandr Usyk.
Three-time world super-middleweight king Carl Froch claims a third defeat in five fights would cost Joshua his place among the elite of the heavyweight division. Froch feels Joshua has been on the slide since his shock loss to Andy Ruiz Junior in 2019 and believes another defeat could finish him off.
“It’s fascinating this fight because if AJ gets blown away, if he gets outboxed and maybe stopped, it could be the end of his career, it could be curtains,” he said. “I think depending on how he loses this, retirement is definitely an option. He’s been massively successful, he’s financially secure, he’s absolutely nailed it. He’s beaten the Matrix, he’s smashed life, look at what he’s done.
“It just started falling apart when he got beat by Ruiz. He’s trying to come back now, but since that loss to Ruiz, I feel something was taken away from him, it took part of his self-belief.“I don’t want to say his soul or his spirit because that’s too deep, but I’ve not seen AJ do anything since that makes me think this is a guy who could beat Tyson Fury.”
Joshua, 32, could fight on and he would have the option of a rematch against his old rival Dillian Whyte. But Froch, who is part of Sky’s coverage, is not sure he would have the desire to rebuild his career from the very bottom. “There would still be a place for Anthony Joshua in the heavyweight division,” he said.
“But for someone who’s had such a privileged career as AJ’s had, he’s performed well, he’s done well, unified the heavyweight titles, I just don’t think if he gets beat, he will be happy to be No 3, No 4 in the world, playing second fiddle to the top boys.
Will Anthony Joshua beat Oleksandr Usyk? Let us know in the comments section below
“I think this is a must-win fight if he’s serious about boxing and he wants to remain or get back to the spot where he can call himself king. Will he want to carry on boxing after a bad defeat? Will he have the mindset, the desire? I don’t know. I don’t think I would.”
Froch, 45, also questioned Joshua’s decision to replace his old mentor Rob McCracken as head trainer with Robert Garcia. McCracken guided Froch to become a three-time world champion and the Cobra says it is a huge gamble.
“If Rob couldn’t get the best out of Anthony Joshua late on in his career after he lost to Ruiz and after he lost to Usyk, I totally understand why Anthony Joshua has got rid of Rob McCracken,” he said. “I thought it was a bad performance and was it a bad performance because AJ wasn’t up for it or because Rob gave him the wrong tactics? Maybe it was a bit of both.
“I would never have parted with Rob McCracken because we had a special relationship. I can understand why he’s done it, but I still think it’s potentially a bad move, but we will wait and see. If he performs against Usyk on Saturday, we’ll all say it’s the best thing he’s done.”
- Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua 2 is live and exclusive on Sky Sports Box Office.
