ANTHONY JOSHUA has been accused of being gifted a “very easy route” to world titles and having already peaked in his career.
The two-time heavyweight champion returns on April 1 against Jermaine Franklin following consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has vowed it will mark AJ’s route back to the gold in a bid to reign for a third time.
But esteemed British boxing trainer Brendan Ingle believes Joshua, 33, has already reached the peak of his powers.
Ingle told Boxing King Media: “For me, I don’t think we’ll ever see the best of Anthony Joshua again.
“I think he’s had his peak. There could be a number of factors – wealth, a lack of commitment, a lack of ability to learn.
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“I don’t think we’ll ever see him get to the top again.
“When you’re on that winning streak and you feel like you’re invincible, it counts for a lot and you’ll get off the canvas.
“I think Anthony Joshua did exceptionally well, but I think he had a very easy route to those world title fights.
“The [Wladimir] Klitschko fight was a tester, but he was past his best and Tyson Fury had already beaten him in his backyard.”
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Joshua knocked out Charles Martin to win the IBF title in 2016 in just his 16 professional bout.
He would unify the belts by beating Klitschko in 2017 for the vacant WBA strap, two years after Fury upset the Ukrainian in Germany.
Joshua added the WBO belt to his collection in 2018 by beating Joseph Parker but lost all three in a shock to Andy Ruiz Jr a year later.
AJ did avenge his loss to Ruiz in their Saudi Arabia rematch six months later, but again lost them to Usyk in September 2021.
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This time, in his rematch in the Middle East, Joshua failed to regain the belts and now returns off two defeats.
AJ has linked up with trainer of the year candidate Derrick James in Texas as he looks to rejuvenate himself.
Hearn said: “For me, this is a really exciting run for AJ’s career, a new training team out in Texas.
“He’s in a great place. He’s ready to launch his attack on the heavyweight division all over again, but he had a very tough night’s work on April 1st.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
