'He should jack it in' – Anthony Joshua told to RETIRE from boxing aged 33 if he loses Jermaine Franklin comeback fight | The Sun
ANTHONY JOSHUA has been told to jack his boxing career in if he fails to beat Jermaine Franklin in his return fight.
Franklin travels to London to spoil AJ's comeback plans on Saturday night at the O2 Arena.
Joshua, 33, is coming off two consecutive points losses to pound-for-pound star Oleksandr Usyk, 36.
Promoter Eddie Hearn hopes a confidence-building win over Franklin, 29, puts them right back on track for the big names and titles.
But former cruiserweight world champion-turned Sky Sports pundit Johnny Nelson insists another defeat should spell the end for AJ.
He said in a column: "If Anthony Joshua loses, he jacks it in. If he doesn't jack it, he should jack it (in).
READ MORE IN BOXING
Horse racing offer: Get £40 in FREE BETS with William Hill sign-up special
AJ already teeing up Whyte fight as he taunts rival over ‘conclusive KO’
"Because it's a hard mountain to climb. Especially when you've had the success and the heights that he's had.
"So he can't afford to lose. That's a must. Then from that, it's confidence building."
Joshua believes this is the start of his road back to the heavyweight title, which would make him a three-time champion.
And Nelson feels if AJ is not contending for the belts then he is better off hanging them up.
Most read in Boxing
Benn set to fight Eubank Jr in Middle East summer clash after failed drug test
AJ reveals Klitschko is hardest puncher he has ever faced despite losses
'Diva' Fury accused of ducking Usyk and blamed for fight's collapse
AJ admits he's on last chance and career may be over with Franklin loss
? Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin – Date, live stream, TV channel and all you need to know about heavyweight bout
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST NEW CUSTOMER SIGN UP DEALS
He said: "We'll see if he really thinks 'you know what, I can eventually become world champion again, I'll fix what I got wrong'.
"Because he's only been boxing 10, 11 years as a professional fighter.
"So if he thinks he can fix what he think he got wrong in regards to why he's not world champion, then there's a reason to stick around still chase the guys that are there, one of them has beaten him twice.
Of course there's that lucrative fight that everyone's talking about, which is him and Tyson Fury, which personally, I fell in love with the idea at first but it was teased so much and it never happened.
"So I don't even don't want to talk about it."
Source: Read Full Article