Chris Algieri believes Anthony Joshua is damaged goods after his loss to IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois last Saturday. Algieri feels the 34-year-old Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) is done at the championship level and won’t be able to hang with the younger heavyweights coming up.
(Credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing)
The timing and reflexes that two-time champion Joshua had earlier in his career that allowed him to get out of the way of punches is now gone. Now he’s unable to get out of the way of incoming shots, as we saw last Saturday night with Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) knocking him down four times.
Eddie Hearn said earlier today that they will wait and see what happens with Tyson Fury’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk on December 21 before making a decision on Joshua’s next fight. Hearn hopes to fight Fury next instead of taking a rematch with Dubois, which would be risky for AJ.
“Yeah, I don’t see Anthony Joshua at championship levels against guys who are fighting for world titles,” Chris Algieri told Inside Boxing Live when asked if Anthony Joshua is done at a championship level after his loss to Daniel Dubois.
These contenders will likely knock out Joshua:
– Martin Cole
– Bakhodir Jalolov
– Filip Hrgovic
– Zhilei Zhang
– Fabio Wardley
– Worship Ajagba
– Jared Anderson
Some of these men, Joshua could potentially walk away if they fight him tentatively in the same manner as the four rebuilding heavyweights that Hearn has matched him against recently. But if they had started as quickly as Dubois did, they probably would have knocked Joshua out.
“Do I see him against Tyson Fury if he loses to Oleksandr Usyk? Yes. Do I see him fighting Dubois again and have a chance to win? No. Do I see him fighting Usyk again? No. I see him competitive against Tyson Fury if he passes Usyk? No. I don’t see him being competitive at the highest level.
“I just don’t think he has it anymore. Against Ruiz, he dropped Ruiz first. He looked good. He didn’t look good from the opening bell in this fight,” Algieri said of Joshua. “Anthony was so unabashed about his ability and the way he fought. It almost diminished Dubois’ performance.”
Joshua hasn’t looked close to the same fighter he was in the past since his KO loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019. He probably would have lost the rematch with Ruiz if the Mexican American had taken the training camp seriously and entered the fight. in good condition.
“I don’t think Anthony is used to fighting guys that are big and tall like him,” Algieri said of Joshua not expecting Dubois to nail him with a long right hand late in the first again “So, he thought he was safe. He usually shoots with guys who are shorter than him and usually against guys who don’t have a door like him.”
In the final 20 seconds of the first round, Joshua thought he was out of Dubois’ reach and was hit by a long right hand that dropped him as if he had been shot. AJ completely misjudged Dubois’ ability to get to him with his reach, and paid the price. After that defeat, Joshua was never the same. Whatever game plan Joshua had going into the match was out the window as he was forced to fight on the defensive.
“That punch landed right on the end of the punch, which is the most power you have on the end of the punch. Todd Grisham said, ‘I think he’s (Joshua) damn goods,’ and I have to agree now. 34 is 34, and for a guy who bases his success on athleticism, he’s going to degrade faster than other guys,” Algieri said.
Joshua has probably been damaged goods for the past five years since his knockout loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019.
The only reason AJ was able to continue is the way his promoter, Eddie Hearn, matched him. Until last Saturday’s fight with Dubois, the only good heavyweight Joshua had beaten was Oleksandr Usyk. We know how these two fights will end for Joshua.
