After back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk for the unified heavyweight championship of the world, Anthony Joshua is seemingly at a crossroads. British boxing hero and former world cruiserweight champion, Johnny Nelson, has urged ‘AJ’ to take a year away from boxing to regroup and get his mind right before considering a return.
Johnny Nelson Urges AJ To ‘Reset’ Before Returning To The Ring
After back-to-back defeats to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, it looks like Anthony Joshua could have a long road back to the summit of the heavyweight division. Joshua lost the rematch to Usyk back in August, and is said to be returning to the ring as early as February/March of 2023.
However, some fans, the media and fighters past and present believe Joshua needs to rebuild. One of these people is Johnny Nelson. Nelson believes that Joshua has all of the tools to return to the very top of the heavyweight division, but that a ‘year off’ would do him the world of good going forward.
Of course, it isn’t as easy as that for ‘AJ’. The 33-year old signed a long-term contract with boxing live streaming giants DAZN and will likely have to fight early next year. This isn’t the way forward according to Nelson, who himself had to deal with losses during his boxing career before coming back stronger.
The former WBO World Cruiserweight Champion is a big fan of Joshua, but admits he thinks the London 2012 Olympic Gold Medallist needs a lengthy break to get his mind right and to recharge his batteries.
In an interview over the weekend with iFL TV, the Sky Sports Boxing pundit stated that he wants to see Joshua have a year off to get his head right, before returning to the ring:
“AJ is at the crossroads now where he’s going to different trainers, and then he said, ‘I might take a year off’. I think he should take a year off.
“Look at what he’s achieved. He started boxing when he was 18 years old,’ Nelson added.
“He’s achieved ridiculously good things, but he’s still broken. He’s still not over the two losses from Usyk. He still has got to get his strength back, his belief back.”
The former British cruiserweight boxer went on to add that it must be for the right reasons that Joshua returns. Nelson alluded to the fact that ‘AJ’ most definitely doesn’t need the money, so must only return to the ring for the right reasons:
“AJ, he needs to reset. He needs to think, ‘I need to be back here again’. He needs his motivation to fight, and he needs them for the right reasons because it’s not for the dollars.
“He’s got to do this because he wants to do this because he has a purpose to do this. He doesn’t just what to make up the numbers,” said the former WBO Cruiserweight Champion.
It is clear that Nelson thinks Joshua has what it takes to get back to the very top again. However, as Nelson speaks from his own career experiences, his advice to Joshua could well be golden.
“AJ has lost two fights off a bounce, and now he’s got to sit back and think, ‘I’ve got to make the right decision’. He needs to make it through the head, not the heart, because if he fights from the heart, he’s fighting for the wrong reason.”
There is no doubting the heart, grit and determination of Anthony Joshua. We all saw how much it meant to him in the aftermath of the second Usyk defeat, he was a broken man. His love for the sport of boxing still clearly burns as fiercely as ever. He just needs to regroup and go again.
Joshua still has one of the best resumés in recent heavyweight history, as well as still being young enough to come again at just 33-years-old. Potential fights with the likes of Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder are still absolutely enormous. It would be a real shame if these weren’t to happen in the near future.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has said that he wants ‘AJ’ to fight early in 2023, with March being rumoured for Joshua’s comeback. The likes of former foe Dillian Whyte, Otto Wallin and Michael Hunter are some of the names who have been throw in the hat for Joshua’s next fight.
One thing is for sure, the heavyweight division is a better place with Anthony Joshua competing in it. Whether he takes Nelson’s advice and has a longer lay-off, or whether he returns in early 2023 to face the likes of Dillian Whyte, ‘AJ’ is still a force to be reckoned with at heavyweight no matter what.
Anthony Joshua vs Dillian Whyte Future Betting Odds
Be sure to check out the best boxing betting sites ahead of a potential fight next year between ‘AJ’ and ‘The Bodysnatcher’ with various different sports betting apps. Also be sure to use the check out the best free bet offers from some of the most reliable betting sites in the UK.
Odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change
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