“I think that his natural instincts, fire and hunger, have disappeared, and he is driven by his own ego. I think he has the wrong motivation to box right now and that's bad for him," Johnny Nelson said in an IFL TV interview about Anthony Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs), who won Jermain Franklin on points in his first fight since last August.
“AJ is now 33 years old, and he did a lot of things in the ring that he shouldn’t have done - when he was in the clinch, he looked into his corner, he shouldn’t have been like that at this stage, he should already know for himself what should he do. And when I say that he is 33 years old, I do not mean that his career is over, but that he should know how to behave in the ring, he should not make rookie mistakes. After all, if he had turned around like that, he could have been hit. I think the best that Joshua could show, we have already seen, ”said the former cruiserweight champion.
“AJ is an outstanding athlete and what he has achieved in such a short time is hard to compare to anything else. Fans were expecting a knockout from him, he wanted to give it to them, but in this fight there were some signs that he was not going to achieve it. I think he already knows too much, he knows what it's like to lose by knockout. Sometimes a boxer wants to win, and sometimes he just doesn't want to lose," Nelson added.
When asked about his preferences in a possible fight between Joshua and Tyson Fury, Nelosn replied: “I would bet on Tyson Fury, judging by recent performances. In my opinion, Joshua can beat Fury, but if you watch the last fights, then you have to bet on Fury."
