Via Jack Tiernan: Anthony Joshua is having a hard time getting rid of the anger and sour taste in his mouth because of his condescension at the hands of giant underdog Oleksandr Usyk on September 25.
AJ is having a hard time forgetting what happened to him one fateful night, and he can’t let go and move on after the failure.
Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn says former IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) is still feeling the aftermath of the bout blow on his pride that he suffered in the decisive round 12 loss to Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs), and that he was not satisfied with the way he lost.
Heavy muscle 6’6″, 245-lb Primo Carnera-esque Joshua was completely outclassed and outperformed by the faster, more mobile and better skilled Ukrainian Usyk. AJ feels he could have done a better job than he showed, but it wasn’t his night.
Joshua is determined to take revenge
“He is still focused on the Usyk rematch. He’s still angry because he doesn’t like to lose and he’s frustrated with the way he lost,” Eddie Hearn told Schmo about Anthony Joshua is still bitter about his loss.
Joshua’s obsession with getting revenge on Usyk would ultimately be his downfall, sending him blindly into his second loss. But this time, it will be much worse for Joshua as he is likely to be eliminated and will have no chance of returning after this loss.
No matter what Hearn tries to do after this defeat, he will not be able to recover Joshua’s career which is why it is such a terrible idea to do this fight.
You must feel a bit sorry for Hearn as he is the one who could have saved Joshua if he was more assertive and willing to risk his rage by telling him the bitter truth.
Hearn should do his best to tell Joshua not to enter this fight with Usyk. If this were a war-like situation, Hearn will neglect his duty if he didn’t warn Joshua he would be up against a superior force that would quickly overtake him and obliterate him within minutes.
As a seasoned promoter, Hearn knows what Joshua faces in the face of the much more talented Usyk, and that’s why he should warn him as a good scout should plunge into an almost invincible battle.
AJ has talent, but unfortunately, Usyk is a lousy style fit for him, and he always will be. Fury confronts much better than Usyk due to his size, clumsy style, chin, and top-notch regulation.
Heard the ‘Returning process’ has begun
Hearn said of Joshua: “The process of getting back has begun, wanting to avenge his loss. “He wants to be a three-time world heavyweight champion, and I believe he will. I believe he can beat Oleksandr Usyk,” said Heartn.
This writer suspects that Hearn is passing on words that he knows have no truth in them.
After eight years promoting Joshua, Hearn knows his limitations all too well and he knows what will happen to him when he faces Usyk in the rematch. He is sending Joshua into another ambush where he has less than a single puncher’s chance.
Hearn will be watching the Joshua-Usyk 2 campaign from the safety of his seat tonight, hoping AJ can correct the mistake in his rematch against Usyk in April.
If the rematch goes the way this writer predicts, Joshua will suffer an even worse defeat on the battlefield than the last. The consequence would be that coach Rob McCracken was quickly dispatched.
Joshua’s sale of McCracken would be a clear sign that he’s hitting the nuclear button out of desperation and is ready to change things in hopes of fixing what’s irreparable.
We saw the same thing with other fighters when they started to lose. For example, when Oscar De La Hoya’s career started going downhill, he switched coaches and went with Floyd Mayweather Sr for a separation, but that didn’t help.
