Hrgovic On Joshua After Prenga Knockdowns

IBF heavyweight champion Filip Hrgovic says Anthony Joshua should hang up the gloves after his December 11 superfight against Tyson Fury at Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

Hrgovic told The Stomping Ground that Joshua's mental state concerns him more than any technical adjustments the former two-time champion might make. "Anthony Joshua has already changed like 20 coaches," he said, per The Ring. "I think it's not about coaches. I think he's complicating things too much. He just lost that confidence in himself."

Joshua's Recent Camp Moves Add To Uncertainty

Joshua has worked with Team Usyk over his last two outings and is now bringing in Ben Davison, who previously trained Fury, to prepare for the Gypsy King. Since parting with longtime coach Rob McCracken in 2021, Joshua has also cycled through Robert Garcia and Derrick James.

The 30-4 Joshua wobbled twice in the opening round against Kristian Prenga this past July before stopping the Albanian in round two. That fight came months after a December car crash that killed two of his friends. "In his last fight, a guy who doesn't know how to walk properly knocked him down in 20 seconds," Hrgovic said. "Joshua went down from such a soft punch. I think he should definitely retire after this next fight."

Oddsmakers share Hrgovic's skepticism. Fury opened as a minus-200 favourite while Joshua sits at plus-155. The Croatian heavyweight acknowledged Joshua always carries knockout power but said the Prenga performance left him doubting whether the former unified champion can compete at the highest level anymore.

Fury and Joshua square off December 11 with both men looking to position themselves for another crack at the undisputed title picture.

Source: ringmagazine.com