Anthony Joshua told career is over even if he knocks out Jake Paul
Carl Froch believes Anthony Joshua's best days are behind him even if he brutally knocks out Jake Paul.
Joshua and Paul will meet in a professional heavyweight showdown on December 19 in Miami. The bout will be staged over eight three-minute rounds, with both men set to don 10oz gloves. The 'Problem Child' has not fought since his decision victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, while Joshua has not been seen in the ring since his crushing knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
The two-time heavyweight champion plans to use the bout with Paul as a warm-up ahead of a return to Saudi Arabia in February. Should the Brit come away unscathed from the two fights, he hopes to go head-to-head with Tyson Fury next summer. A win over the 'Gypsy King' would arguably be one of Joshua's biggest achievements yet, but Froch has brutally ripped into 'AJ' - insisting that his career is over.
“Does this damage AJ’s legacy? Well, I don’t want to be horrible, but what legacy? What is AJ’s legacy?” said Froch, . “For me, AJ’s legacy is bringing boxing to the forefront, filling stadiums back-to-back – filling stadiums, what, four or five times? I mean, I did 80,000 [people] at Wembley Stadium [in 2014], and he took off what I was the catalyst for.
“Me and George Groves doing Wembley Stadium was a post-war attendance record, and then he took it on from that. And fair play to him, he’s been involved in big fights, the general public got behind him. He climbed off the canvas with [Wladimir] Klitschko and wallop, he was catapulted to success.
“And fair play to him, but when he’s stepped up to elite level, he’s been found wanting. Even at mediocre level, with the [Andy] Ruiz loss. He got beat up that night, didn’t he? And then he lost twice to [Oleksandr] Usyk, and he got absolutely flattened, ironed out by Daniel Dubois – we all saw it. And for me, that was the end of him, and that was over a year ago.”
Froch adds that Joshua is cashing out by fighting in the 'clown world.' Reports have suggested that the official prize pot for the controversial showdown is £140million - with both men taking £70m each. Joshua has picked up several life-changing pay days over the years. He is believed to have earned up to £30m from his last win - a brutal knockout of former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in March 2024.
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Nevertheless, Froch is adamant that Joshua does not deserve to be in boxing's Hall of Fame whenever he decides to call it a day. “So his legacy, for me, will be what he did for boxing: bringing boxing back to the general public, bringing it back to a crossover fan, the armchair fan,” continued Froch. “People want to come and watch him fight not because they enjoy boxing, but because they want to be involved in a big event and a massive occasion.
“So that’s great for boxing, and that gets all eyes on the beautiful sport that I love, so fair play. But that’s his legacy. He’s not had a Hall of Fame career. I’m not showing off, but you’ve got to have back-to-back world-title defences and you have to be successful against elite-level fighters to be in the Hall of Fame. It’s got to be acknowledged, and that’s no slant on him. Does this [Paul fight] damage his legacy? A little bit, because he’s fighting in the clown world, isn’t he? But it’s big [money]. He’s cashing out, and fair play to him, but to what detriment to his legacy? A lot, really.”
Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul will clash in Miami on December 19, just six days before Christmas. The pair will likely walk to the ring at around 11pm local time which would be 4am in the UK. Fight times are usually set to benefit the American audience and are subject to change depending on how long the undercard takes to complete. The event is set to be shown live on Netflix.