Anthony Joshua will never get back to the top of the heavyweight division – that’s the view of esteemed Sheffield based trainer Dominic Ingle.
After two successive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, it was announced yesterday that ‘AJ’ would take on Jermaine Franklin in his comeback bout on April 1st at the 02 Arena.
However, in an interview with Boxing King Media, Ingle said he felt fans had already seen the best of Joshua and gave some potential theories for his decline.
“For me, I don’t think we’ll ever see the best of Anthony Joshua again. I think he’s had his peak. There could be a number of factors – wealth, a lack of commitment, a lack of ability to learn. I don’t think we’ll ever see him get to the top again.”
“When you’re on that winning streak and you feel like you’re invincible, it counts for a lot and you’ll get off the canvas. I think Anthony Joshua did exceptionally well, but I think he had a very easy route to those world title fights. The Klitschko fight was a tester, but he was past his best and Tyson Fury had already beaten him in his backyard.”
Ingle’s is not alone with his opinion, with some of the belief Joshua has not been the same fighter since his defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr back in 2019.
Franklin, who lost a narrow decision to Dillian Whyte back in November, pipped the likes of Otto Wallin and Demsey McKean to the post to land the big money fight against Joshua.
A win for Joshua is expected to set up a rematch with old foe Whyte for the summer, potentially at an outdoor stadium in the UK.