ANTHONY JOSHUA has been slammed once more by his upcoming opponent Otto Wallin, who doubled down on his criticism of the British superstar.
Joshua and Wallin are set to lock horns on Saturday in Saudi Arabia and the Swedish heavyweight really likes his chances as he claims his rival is on the “decline”.
The 33-year-old added that AJ is now “afraid of getting hit and of losing” following his two heartbreaking losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
Wallin told The Times: “I think he’s lost his confidence and momentum. You can see the decline.
“Usyk was ultimately just a better fighter, but Joshua looks unsure of himself.
“In the beginning, when I fought him, he was a seek and destroy kind of guy, but now he’s afraid of getting hit and of losing.
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“He’s aware of his vulnerabilities and it’s holding him back. The timing is right for me now.”
This comes after Wallin described Joshua as “mentally fragile”, despite his two successive wins over Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius which took his record to 26 wins and three losses in 29 fights.
The boxing star – who has won 26 out of 28 fights, losing once to Tyson Fury – also criticised the 34-year-old’s decision to change his fourth coach in as many years after Ben Davidson’s appointment.
Wallin told The Hook a week ago: “I would say he is still one of the best heavyweights out there and he’s made an amazing career for himself.
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“There has been a decline and I think he has reached his peak already. I think he is mentally fragile, he’s not sure of himself.
“He’s changed trainer and I think things can be very tough for him. People are very critical of him, he’s got a lot of pressure. So I think that weighs on him.
“I think it’s a problem for him, for sure [switching coaches]. I’ve had my trainer now for 10 years. We know each other really well. We trust each other in and out of the ring.
“He’s been with me for all of my pro fights except two, so it’s really been a good journey together and it’s fantastic we get this chance now to prove to everyone what we’ve been working on.
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“For Joshua, it’s hard. When you keep changing trainer, it’s usually a bad sign and I think it’s a bad sign for him too. I think it’s the perfect time to face AJ. He was a seek and destroy kind of guy, he was very aggressive.
‘When he first started, he had a short amateur career. He was knocking people out. Turned pro, knocking everybody out. Knocked [Wladimir] Klitschko out. And I think he felt invincible, pretty much.
“And then he lost to [Andy] Ruiz, he got stopped. He lost to Usyk twice. I think he knows now that he’s vulnerable. He knows he can lose and he can get hurt and he doesn’t like that. He doesn’t like getting hit or getting hurt.
“He cares a lot about what people think of him and I think it’s hard for him when people are being critical or there are boos in the crowd, I think that’s really hard for him
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
