Carl Froch: "AJ won’t ever beat Usyk or Fury"
Former world champion Carl Froch spoke extensively about Anthony Joshua’s potential comeback and offered some career advice for Chris Eubank Jr.
"The Cobra" doesn't believe AJ is the same fighter he was and suggests he needs to plan his comeback route strategically by avoiding certain fighters.
Speaking to BonusCodeBets, this is what Froch said:
AJ won’t ever beat Usyk or Fury; a KO against Franklin is a must
"I don't think he will ever beat Usyk or Tyson Fury. Deontay Wilder probably knocks him out. But who knows, if he can commit and dedicate himself, he's big and strong and capable. But we need to see how he performs against Franklin. It's either going to be an explosive KO and look great, or he's going to jab and keep out of harm's way. He can be a bit nervous and herky-jerky now. I think the belief has been knocked out of him after that he lost to Ruiz – that was bad. And then outclassed by Usyk. I think it's done him a lot of damage. I'm intrigued where they go with him. I'm not writing him off, he's big enough and capable enough – he's a tidy boxer. But he's changed training again. I'm concerned where he goes and what his ambitions are in terms of what's left for him in the sport."
Deontay Wilder is a dangerous fight for Anthony Joshua – AJ would lose
"Would I put AJ in with Deontay Wilder? Probably not. It's a dangerous fight for him and one he loses. He probably gets chinned. I can't see him beating Tyson Fury, too much of an ask, especially right now. It's good he's fighting Jermaine Franklin. It's a good match. Franklin gave Dillian Whyte a good test and it's a fair match up for AJ to come back into boxing after losing back to back against Usyk. He's entitled to one steady fight.
It's a must win, he has to win. After that, who does he fight? Wilder – too risky. Fury – I don't think he wins that fight. Probably Dillian Whyte is the way he'll go but he's done it all ready. Whyte lost to Fury and that Franklin fight was close. He showed his level. It's still a good fight that will sell on PPV. but it's a shame. I don't know where he goes. It's going to be a difficult job navigating him back to world champion."
Anthony Joshua wasn’t his best under Rob McCracken
"AJ was underperforming under Rob McCracken towards the later stages of their partnership. He lost to Andy Ruiz. Rob advised him not to take it because things weren't going right in training camp. He didn't listen to Rob, he went out to New York and got beat. He took the rematch, listened to Rob, boxed and moved and kept out the way and won. That was a steady, easy night's work for AJ. Ruiz turned up around 20 stone, it was ridiculous. It was a touch for AJ to get that kind of money in such an easy rematch. But then he eventually faced Usyk and I don't think he was doing what he was told. I don’t know whether he had made too much money, whether the desire had started to go, or whether he believed his own hype but he wasn't putting the work in.
"He's got a lot of commercial activity outside of boxing, a lot of pressure on his shoulders. I think that affected his performance. He's got to remember what got him to where he is; the sparring, the hard work, the hard runs. When you start cutting corners; missing runs, missing sessions and not turning up for sparring – he had an injured elbow so you don't want to jump in and spar – that's all going to affect your performance when you step through the ropes. And against Usyk you need to be 100 percent getting through those ropes. You need to at least be the best version of yourself whether you're managing injuries or not. You got to give yourself every chance and I don't think AJ was doing that with Rob."
Anthony Joshua’s attitude has let him down as of late and his vast commercial deals hasn’t helped him
"Don't get me wrong, I haven't been around the camps, but looking at his performance and listening to him beforehand – It must be hard, he's made a lot of money, a lot of commercial pressures, a lot of sponsorship outside, he's doing adverts for Under Armour, Lucozade, Beats, Hugo Boss – these blue chip companies are behind him and brings massive pressure. I just think he took his eye off the ball, off the boxing game. He wasn't fully dedicated to his sport. He's got to get up and do the runs. Marvin Hagler said it's hard to get out of bed when you're wearing silk pajamas."
AJ needs to go back to ‘’Klitschko’’ days to regain glory
"If AJ can go back to that fighter who climbed off the canvas against Wladimir Klitschko and then sent him into orbit with that uppercut, if he can rediscover his finisher's instinct, and go back to using his size and combinations, he can still be a threat to anyone at heavyweight. If he can set his mind right and banish the ghosts of Ruiz and Usyk, he has a chance to get back to the top of the mountain – but it’s a big ask. He’s been a great ambassador for British boxing, only time will tell what he has left."
Chris Eubank Jr is a celebrity fighter, he doesn’t have the skills as a pro anymore
"Eubank has shown his levels and limitations. I was surprised he was knocked out by a career super welterweight. He's a celebrity fighter. He's very tough like this dad. Well he used to be. But when he got clipped on the chin by Liam Smith, I'm questioning Eubank Jr. He's in his thirties, is he struggling with weight, can he hold a punch, will he win the rematch – I'm not so sure. If anyone needs to go down the celebrity boxing route and try and get something going it's Eubank. He's got the name and following. Obviously he's a pro fighter, he went the distance with Saunders and he went the distance with Groves, so he is capable. But I don't think he's good enough to have a big impact in pro boxing. He missed out on the amateur experience and had a fantastic career in terms of money earned for the level of ability he's got. But I'm surprised he's activating the rematch with Smith."
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