Worrying footage has emerged following Anthony Joshua's stunning KO victory over Kristian Prenga, raising concerns about his form and corner advice.
Joshua knocked down twice in opening round
The former two-time heavyweight champion is due to fight long-time rival Tyson Fury later this year, but nearly saw the fight slip away after being knocked down twice in the first round by Prenga. 'AJ' survived the round and turned the tide in the second, eventually knocking the Albanian out.
Recent footage shows what was said to Joshua after the chaotic opening three minutes. A dejected 'AJ' can be seen sat on his stool while his corner barked instructions. The Brit teamed up with Oleksandr Usyk's team in the build-up to his fight with Jake Paul and had the Ukrainian's teammates again this past weekend.
Corner advice criticised
Despite telling his cornermen he felt 'good', Joshua was slammed for not 'listening' to the corner, before being begged to 'stay in the ring' and to 'not go down'. The 36-year-old was then told to 'fire'. The advice seemed to pay off after he scored a second-round KO, but fans were left concerned.
One fan posted: 'I just don’t think the fight is in him no more. You need killer instinct to be a fighter and you can see it’s gone.' Another sarcastically wrote about the corner advice: "'You don’t listen'. 'You need to stay.' 'Don’t go down.' Great advice." Others called the cornering 'terrible', 'amateur', and 'ridiculous'.
Boxing coach offers brutal take
Boxing coach Dave Coldwell offered a harsh verdict: 'Joshua is without a doubt shot to bits. Punch resistance looks completely gone. Last thing a fighter loses is his punch and that’s what got him out of jail tonight.'
Nevertheless, a date with Fury awaits, and Joshua sent a direct message after the fight: 'Wait a minute - have we got Tyson Fury in the room? ... Imma rip his heart out. I'm the meanest and vicious champion's ever been.' He also expressed respect for Fury and thanked his Excellency and Eddie Hearn.
