Anthony Joshua Is Damaged Goods At 34

Chris Algieri believes Anthony Joshua is damaged goods after his loss to IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois last Saturday. Algieri feels that 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 the two-time champion Joshua had earlier in his career that enabled him to get out of the way of punches is now gone. He’s now unable to get out of the way of incoming shots, as we witnessed last Saturday night with Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) knocking him down four times.

Eddie Hearn said earlier today that they’ll wait and see what happens with Tyson Fury’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk on December 21st before making a decision about Joshua’s next fight. Hearn hopes to fight Fury next rather than take a rematch with Dubois, which would be risky for AJ.

“Yes, I don’t see Anthony Joshua at the championship levels against the guys that are vying for world titles,” said Chris Algieri to Inside Boxing Live when asked if Anthony Joshua is done at a championship level after his loss to Daniel Dubois.

These contenders would likely knock out Joshua:

– Martin Bakole
– Bakhodir Jalolov
– Filip Hrgovic
– Zhilei Zhang
– Fabio Wardley
– Efe Ajagba
– Jared Anderson

Some of these guys, Joshua could potentially knockout if they fought tentatively against him the way the four rebuilding heavhyweights that Hearn matched him against recently. But if they started fast the way Dubois did, they’d likely knock out Joshua.

“Do I see him in against Tyson Fury if he loses to Oleksandr Usyk? Yes. Do I see him fighting Dubois again and having a chance to win? No. Do I see him fighting Usyk again? No. Do I see him being competitive against Tyson Fury if he gets past Usyk? No. I don’t see him competitive at the highest level anymore.

“I just don’t think he has it anymore. Against Ruiz, he dropped Ruiz early. He looked good. He didn’t look good from the opening bell in this fight,” said Algieri about Joshua. “Anthony was so derelict of his ability and the way that he fights. It almost diminishes Dubois’ performance.”

Joshua hasn’t looked anywhere near the same fighter he was in the past since his knockout loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019. He likely would have lost the rematch with Ruiz if the Mexican American had taken training camp seriously and come into the fight in good condition.

“I don’t think Anthony is used to fighting guys that are as big and as long as him,” said Algieri about Joshua not expecting Dubois to nail him with a long right hand late in the first round. “So, he thought he was safe. He pulls back normally with guys that are shorter than him and normally against guys that don’t have a reach like him.”

In the last 20 seconds of round one, Joshua thought he was out of range of Dubois and was nailed by a long right hand that dropped him like he’d been shot. AJ completely misjudged Dubois’ ability to get to him with his reach, and he paid the price. After that knockdown, Joshua was never the same. Whatever game plan Joshua had going into the match was out the window, as he was forced to fight defensively.

“That punch landed right at the end of the shot, which is the biggest power you have at the end of the punch. Todd Grisham said, ‘I think he’s [Joshua] damaged goods,’ and I’m going to have to agree now. 34 is 34, and for a guy that bases his success on athleticism, he’s going to degrade faster than other guys,” said Algieri.

Joshua has arguably been damaged goods for the last five years since his knockout loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019.

The only reason AJ has been able to keep going is the way his promoter, Eddie Hearn, has matched him. Until last Saturday’s fight with Dubois, the only good heavyweight Joshua had fought was Oleksandr Usyk. We know how those two fights ended for Joshua.