Boxing fans have been quick to weigh in on the recent spat between two of the sport’s biggest names, Anthony Joshua and Carl Froch. The former IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion has been critical of Joshua’s recent performances, with many fans agreeing that the Olympian needs to up his game if he wants to continue his winning streak.
Following Joshua’s latest fight against Jermaine Franklin, which he won by unanimous decision, Froch came out with some hard-hitting comments. He questioned why Joshua was still fighting, given the dangers of the sport, and said that he had seen nothing in the bout that showed the athlete was hungry for further success.
Joshua responded by saying that he didn’t use boxing as a platform to disrespect other fighters and that he preferred to stay silent. However, Froch didn’t back down and reiterated his belief that Joshua needed to improve if he was to return to the top of the heavyweight division.
In a survey conducted by Express Sport, 76% of respondents believed that Froch was right not to apologise for his comments about Joshua. A similar number of fans, 78%, said that they thought Tyson Fury would have knocked out Franklin before the final bell in the same fight.
Despite Joshua’s win, only 20% of those surveyed said they thought the athlete was ready to take on Fury, who is undefeated and widely considered to be one of boxing’s best fighters.
As both Joshua and Fury look for their next opponents, there has been speculation about a potential night of boxing at the end of the year, which could see Joshua take on Deontay Wilder while Fury fights Oleksandr Usyk. However, nothing has been confirmed yet.
Ultimately, it seems that boxing fans are split on Joshua’s recent performances, with some believing that he needs to work on his hunger and others supporting him in his quest for further success. Regardless, it will be interesting to see who both Joshua and Fury face next, and whether they can continue to dominate the heavyweight division.
