Anthony Joshua has been advised to take a year away from the ring by former cruiserweight world champion Johnny Nelson.
Joshua, 33, was once unbeaten in over 20 professional fights but has now suffered defeat three times in his past five fights. The former two-time heavyweight champion first lost his world titles in a shock loss to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019, but avenged the loss later that year. 'AJ' lost his titles to Oleksandr Usyk last September but failed to win them back in his rematch against the Ukrainian in August.
The Brit parted ways with his longtime trainer Rob McCracken following his first loss to Usyk, partnering with accomplished coach Robert Garcia for the rematch with his rival. Joshua is now on the hunt for another trainer as he sacked Garcia over the phone after losing to Usyk again and Nelson thinks his countryman should consider taking a year off from boxing.
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“I think he should take a year off to sit back and reset. Spend time at many gyms, training, submerse himself in it. Feel comfortable with it and say, ‘Now, I’ve reset, now I can do this.’ Just look at what he’s achieved. He started boxing when he was 18 years old,” Nelson told iFL TV.
“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 and belief back. He needs to reset and 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 has more money than you and I will ever spend."
Joshua admitted that he is reaching the end of his fighting career and insists his greatest achievement will be making it out on the other side of the fight game. There are several big fights to make for Joshua, such as a rematch with Dillian Whyte or a long-awaited clash with fellow knockout artist Deontay Wilder, but Nelson has urged the Brit to use his head when deciding what to do next.
“It’s to the point where even the fans are saying, ‘Oh God.’ 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," Nelson added.
