LENNOX LEWIS wishes he could have mentored Anthony Joshua out of his wilderness years — but will welcome him into his three-time-champ-club.
The pair have been at loggerheads for most of the 34-year-old’s pro career, with AJ insulted by some of the 59-year-old’s educated criticisms and once labelling Lewis a “clown”.
After a shock 2019 loss to Andy Ruiz, AJ started adding unproven coaches to his proven squad, in an impossible effort to rebuild his style in the winter of his career.
When Team GB mastermind Rob McCracken was axed, after the 2021 first loss to Oleksandr Usyk, a major figure was needed to replace the man AJ labelled ‘The General’ and his very own Alex Ferguson.
Lewis — another London-born Olympic winner and three-time world champion — might have been the perfect candidate but previous squabbles kiboshed that call coming.
Instead yes-men and pad-men let the 18st KO machine waste his prime years trying to become a silky stylist overnight, until Ben Davison got AJ back to his best last year.
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Britain’s last undisputed heavyweight king told SunSport: “I would have nipped that in the bud, absolutely.
“But there are a lot of complex parts to that. People do things their way and the way they know how to.
“The problem with a lot of the boxers is they are doing it for the first time, their managers and people around them are doing it for the first time. So they don’t try to get information from people that have done it. That, to me, is a waste of time.
“A lot of boxers waste a lot of time and are loyal to the people who helped get them up.
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Joshua vs Dubois fight predictions
THIS weekend Wembley will witness one of the biggest all-British fights of all-time.
But who will emerge victorious under the famous arch? Some of the biggest names in boxing have been having their say…
Oleksandr Usyk: “My favourite is Anthony Joshua but I am very bad at predictions. But I will predict Anthony Joshua.”
Dillian Whyte: “I just think that it’s one of those fights where it is a genuine 50/50 fight in my opinion.”
Joe Joyce: “I was initially edging with Joshua but I don’t know, Dubois is coming on.”
Frazer Clarke: “As heavy-handed as Dubois is and as good a fighter as he’s becoming, I still have to go for Joshua.”
Francis Ngannou: “Even though Joshua lost against Usyk twice and Dubois fought Usyk and almost knocked him down and almost won, I would still give this to Joshua.”
Click here for more fight predictions for Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois
“But those people can only take them so far, then you have to go to the people who have been there, know the business, know how to run the business and know all the tricks that may come up. Then you are on a different level.”
Lewis is selective about his media appearances, his time is valuable and he chooses his words wisely.
He seems to suggest Joshua’s skin may have been a bit too thin around the time Lewis was asked to discuss his failure to fight Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury — and crown a four-belt king before Usyk swooped in.
And this whole sorry stand-off could have been straightened out with a quick phone call.
He explained with the precision of his old jab: “Sometimes I am concerned that, when I am saying something, it comes out correctly.
“In the past I have said stuff that has just been taken wrong.
A lot of boxers waste a lot of time and are loyal to the people who helped get them up.
Lennox Lewis
“But I am a positive person and I don’t like putting people down, so for them to take it the wrong way, without speaking to me about it, is a problem.”
If Lennox was anti-AJ, now would be the perfect time for him to unload.
Daniel Dubois will defend his IBF belt against Joshua in an all-British heavyweight title fight at Wembley Stadium. And victory tomorrow against underdog Dubois would elevate Joshua into one of the greatest pantheons in sport.
AJ previously held the WBA, IBF and WBO straps from March 2018 to July 2019 and reclaimed the belts later that year from Ruiz.
Only Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield and Lewis have ruled the blue-riband division three times and their standings in the sport are unquestionable around the planet.
ANTHONY JOSHUA VS DANIEL DUBOIS: All the information you need ahead of huge world title fight at Wembley
Joshua — with a peak Wilder and Fury still missing from his resume and back-to-back Usyk defeats — could be considered fortunate to make the trio a quartet.
But because of his London 2012 Olympic win, his faultless conduct, the KOs, the comebacks, the way he carried the sport in this country means Lewis will gladly budge up and make room for his old verbal sparring partner.
“Absolutely,” Lewis said when asked if AJ has the credentials to join some of boxing history’s greatest. “To me, it’s just common sense.
“If a job is going to hire a graduate, are they going to hire them without checking the grades?
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“And in boxing people should also check the background achievements and how they got there.”
* Watch Riyadh Season Card: Joshua v Dubois, live on TNT Sports Box Office from 4pm tomorrow. Find out more at tntsports.co.uk/boxoffice
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
