Carl Froch says Anthony Joshua is joining ‘clown world’ and questions his legacy

By PA Sport Staff

Former world super-middleweight champion Carl Froch has delivered a brutal verdict on Anthony Joshua’s decision to face YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami next month.

Froch accused the 36-year-old of “cashing out” his career by entering the “clown world”, but argued that it hardly matters because Joshua has little legacy to protect.

Joshua will take on Paul over eight rounds in what will be his first fight since he was floored four times and stopped by fellow Briton Daniel Dubois in September last year.

Froch said on his Youtube channel: “Does this damage his legacy? A little bit, because he’s fighting in the clown world, isn’t he? He’s cashing out, and fair play to him, but to what detriment to his legacy?

“He’s not had a Hall of Fame career. I’m not showing off, but you’ve got to have back-to-back world-title defences and you have to be successful against elite-level fighters to be in the Hall of Fame. It’s got to be acknowledged, and that’s no slant on him.”

Joshua had been angling for a long-awaited fight with Tyson Fury, but will instead face Paul, who stepped up his boxing career late last year by outpointing 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.

Promoters claimed Paul’s clash with Tyson was the most streamed sporting event ever, peaking at 65 million concurrent streams, and they clearly hope to cash in further on Joshua’s reputation as a legitimate contender.

Froch believes Joshua is only too aware that his days as a headline act are over, which is why he has accepted the unusual challenge posed by Paul.

“For me, AJ’s legacy is bringing boxing to the forefront, filling stadiums back-to-back – filling stadiums, what, four or five times? He took off what I was the catalyst for.

“And fair play to him, but when he’s stepped up to elite level, he’s been found wanting. Even at mediocre level, with the (Andy) Ruiz loss.

“And then he lost twice to (Oleksandr) Usyk, and he got absolutely flattened by Daniel Dubois. And for me, that was the end of him, and that was over a year ago.”