Having not beaten a credible name since December 2023, and losing his last three fights against top opposition, Anthony Joshua has has shared a cryptic post that seems to have a retirement date included.

Anthony Joshua was once the biggest British boxer, who provided his home fans with someone to get behind at the top level, since Lennox Lewis, he was the darling of the nation, especially after he clamied all but one of the belts in his April 2017 stoppage of Wladimir Klitschko, where the WBA and IBO belts joined the IBF strap in his cabinet.

The problem is that victory was over eight years ago, and Joshua hasn’t beaten some of that calibre since and in recent times, every time he has fought someone of that level, he’s lost badly. It now appears the Watford man himself shares the sentiment of many, and that is he should call it a day, if his Instagram story is anything to go by.

The End Maybe Near

Joshua posted a tribute to his promoter Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, who Joshua has been with his whole career, in that post there was one line that suggested his career won’t see 2026.

‘Shout to Matchroom Boxing for all you have done for me and continue to do for me,’

‘Long may you reign supreme and keep giving fighters opportunities to become champions and make boxing great.

‘Long may you reign supreme and keep giving fighters opportunities to become champions and make boxing great.

’12 years ago, I signed with you and 12 years later I will throw my last punch with you.

‘Royalty and loyalty is a perfect match for the great good. A toast to another 100 years of Matchroom Boxing

‘And to finish on this… If I could start from scratch, I wouldn’t change s***.’

Under the Matchroom banner, Joshua has become a two-time heavyweight champion but also suffered four defeats.

The Rise

Joshua won the gold medal in the Super Heavyweight division at the 2012 London Olympics, defeating fellow professional. Zhilei Zhang in the Quarter-final.

Then after signing with Matchroom, he made his professional debut on the 5th October, with a first round knockout of Emanuele Leo. His next three opponents, Paul Butlin, Hrvoje Kisicek and Dorian Darch, did one better than Leo, making it to the second round before being stopped.

After dispatching Hector Alfredo Avila, Matt Legg, his first Wembley appearance, and Matt Skelton within two rounds, Joshua was taken into the third round for the first time by tough German, Konstantin Airich in Manchester.

He then started having ten round fights but that didn’t stop the early stoppages, this time Denis Bakhtov and Michael Sprott were on the recieving end, and in two proceeding eight rounders it was the turn of Jason Gavern and Raphael Zumbano.

He was lined up for a Commonwealth Heavyweight title shot after stopping Kevin Johnson in two rounds, the title clash turned out to be one of his earliest wins, beating Gary Cornish in less than 90 seconds. His next fight kicked off a rivalry that still exists to this day, he met Dillian Whyte in December 2015 and overcame some difficulty to finally drop Whyte for the count in round seven, which lined him up for his first crack at a world title.

IBF Champion Charles Martin wasn’t much of a match and lost his title before the third round. His first defence against Dominic Breazeale didn’t put up much of a fight either, though he did survive up to the seventh. Joshua dispatched a soft touch Eric Molina who barely threw a punch in the three rounds that their fight lasted, but as the event ended everyone had forgotten the fight, as into the ring stepped Wladimir Klitschko.

Joshua and Klitschko traded blow after blow and both fighters were downed more than once, Joshua was tested beyond anything he had faced before, he found something deep inside to stop Dr Steelhammer in Round 11, becoming WBA, IBF and IBO Champion.

Anthony Joshua’s trainer breaks silence on Jake Paul fight, ‘Am I an advocate for it?’

Ben Davison, over the past decade, has carved out a reputation as one of Britain’s best trainers and now guides Anthony Joshua.

Not only has he presided over prospects such as Moses Itauma, but he has also been the cornerman for an elite fighter in Tyson Fury.

Joshua suffered a knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois in Wembley Stadium last year, which was marred by the ‘roll the dice’ comment, a tactic which Davison had to clarify.

While out of the ring since with an injury, news has mounted on a return, and Jake Paul has pushed his way into the conversation to potentially land the biggest challenge of his career.

Ben Davison is not an advocate for Anthony Joshua to face Jake Paul

Although AJ’s trainer is not convinced by a cross-over fight with the influencer, speaking to IFL TV, the 28-year-old gave his take on whether the matchup is something he’d like to see his fighter entertain.

He said: “Am I an advocate for it? No, absolutely not.

“(Is Joshua concerned with the money?) I think AJ is not overly interested in that sort of stuff, but I don’t make decisions for him.

“I think conversations have been had with a few people like Turki (Alalshikh) and Jake Paul.”

He has trained the Watford boxer for his last three fights after the heavyweight had a tumultuous time flipping from different coaches, from Robert Garcia to Derrick James.

Questioned further on how he would react to the Paul fight materialising, he dismissed the rumours as being used for hype.

“When there is news, there’s news to discuss, isn’t there? For the minute, we are just making up random stuff to have a conversation about,” he said.

“I get it, AJ does numbers anytime his name is mentioned, so I get it, but for me, there is nothing of substance to have a conversation about.”

Tyson Fury makes his bold £1 million prediction on Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua

Predictions on a potential scrap have come in from former UFC star Darren Till, who thinks Paul can last, but now domestic rival Fury has weighed in on the bout.

Boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn, has said Anthony Joshua could stop fighting next year.

He admitted Joshua could have only three more fights left.

Hearn has guided the British boxer’s professional career since he won the Olympic Games gold at London 2012.

The two-time world heavyweight champion is still planning his next move, having not fought since a damaging knockout defeat by fellow Briton Daniel Dubois nine months ago.

“Probably 2026 will be his last year in the sport,” Matchroom boss Hearn told the Ariel Helwani Show.

“You never know, but thinking about it, it’s probably three fights away.

“If I’m advising AJ I’m thinking, ‘We’re back this year, two Tyson Fury fights, what else is there to do?”

Anthony Joshua’s biggest problem that’s hurt his career and ‘nobody will dare tell him’

Anthony Joshua has suffered a fall from grace following his defeat to Daniel Dubois, and one ex-world champion has questioned those in AJ’s camp.

Former cruiserweight world champion Johnny Nelson believes Anthony Joshua’s opportunity to compete for boxing’s most prestigious titles has passed. Nelson has pinned the former world No.1’s decline on his lack of a support system that would push him to peak performance. Just three years ago, Joshua, 35, was positioned to unify the heavyweight division before back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.

The Olympic gold medallist then seemed to be mounting a comeback after stringing together four consecutive victories, only to endure a crushing fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last year. Nelson, who hung up his gloves in 2006 following a decade without defeat, reckons the boxing world has “seen the best” of Joshua and he has partly attributed his tumble from the world title scene to ‘AJ’ lacking the proper individuals in his camp.

“It’s very hard to have people around you that’ll tell you how it is,” ‘The Entertainer’ told the Mirror, courtesy of NewBettingSites.uk. “You’re going to have people around you that want to stay in your employment, stay in that circle. So they’re going to tell you stuff that you want to hear.

“They’re not going to tell you, ‘You need to be doing this, you need to get a hand up, you’re getting hit, you’re getting beat up by this guy here. Why are you doing that? Why aren’t you running this time? Why are you going to open that crisp packet when you should be in the gym?'”

Nelson claimed: “Nobody on his squad are going to dare tell him that with any conviction. And so now all of a sudden the roles have changed, whereas when you’re hungry, and you need it, they want to drag you up.

“Now he’s the boss. They work for him. And so that’s where the problem is. And I think that along with time, along with age, along with experience, along with appetite, once they get out of kilter [it’s over]. AJ’s in that position.”

A clear tone of disappointment could be detected in AJ’s voice as he watched Usyk’s brutal knockout of Dubois at Wembley on Saturday.  Promoter Eddie Hearn informed his fighter they “should have beaten Dubois,” with the former world champion responding plainly: “I know.”

Joshua’s perfect record was shattered when he endured another shocking defeat in June 2019, suffering a seventh-round stoppage against Andy Ruiz. Whilst he secured revenge just six months afterwards, it provided yet another illustration of the Briton’s misjudgement.

His pair of points losses to Usyk can scarcely be deemed disgraceful considering the Ukrainian’s triumphs since stepping up to heavyweight. However, the same cannot necessarily be argued regarding his IBF title bout with Dubois, especially given the condition he displayed during that period.

Nevertheless, it’s arguably significant that both of those shocking defeats to Ruiz and Dubois occurred during periods when AJ was experiencing tremendous momentum in his career.

The first materialised when Joshua boasted a perfect 22-0 record and possessed the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO titles, whilst Dubois conquered him precisely when it appeared he had regained his dominance, having stopped each of his preceding three opponents.

He now confronts an uncertain future, with  a potential bout against YouTuber Jake Paul being suggested, whilst rumours of a Tyson Fury encounter are perpetually circulating.

Nelson proceeded to compare Joshua’s predicament to that of former training partner Prince Naseem Hamed, who was once a world-beater himself.

“I’ve been around Prince Naseem, an amazing fighter. And I was around him from the very beginning of his career,” Nelson continued. “But then all of a sudden he started to surround himself with yes men. He deleted all the people that kept him grounded and said it how it was to him to keep him real.

“And the more yes men he surrounded himself with, the more his boxing life turned into chaos. He lost fights he shouldn’t have done.

“He was surrounding himself by the swimming pool in Bob Hope’s house when [Marco Antonio] Barrera was up in the mountains training. And he’s saying, ‘Yeah, I don’t have to do this.’ There was nobody around him to say, ‘What are you doing?’ It’s the same with a lot of modern fighters now.”

The earnings for top-tier boxers today are higher than ever, and Nelson is pleased that Joshua has amassed enough wealth to comfortably retire from the sport. However, there’s a lingering question as to why Britain’s former golden boy hasn’t fully realised his potential, with some suggesting that those in Joshua’s circle may share some responsibility.

Anthony Joshua has suggested that he will retire from boxing this year.

The 35-year-old has not fought since he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in the fifth round at Wembley last September.

Joshua required elbow surgery after his defeat to Dubois and the two-time unified heavyweight champion does not have another opponent lined up, although his promoter, Eddie Hearn, has held talks over a possible fight with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.

Boxing fans are also holding out hope of Joshua finally facing Tyson Fury, who announced his retirement from boxing in January after his rematch defeat to Oleksandr Usyk the previous month.

Anthony Joshua has suffered a fall from grace following his knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois, and one former world champion has raised suspicions around his camp

Former cruiserweight world champion Johnny Nelson believes Anthony Joshua’s days of challenging for the biggest belts in boxing are over. And he has attributed the former world No. 1’s fall from grace to his lack of a support network that will drive him to his best.

It was only three years ago that Joshua, 35, was in contention to unify the heavyweight division before consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk. The Olympic gold medal-winner then appeared to be back on the rise after putting together four straight wins, only to suffer a devastating fifth-round knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois last year.

Nelson, who retired in 2006 after going a decade undefeated, believes the boxing world has “seen the best” of Joshua. He at least partially blamed his plummet from the world title spotlight on ‘AJ’ not having the right people in his entourage.

“It’s very hard to have people around you that’ll tell you how it is,” said ‘The Entertainer’ in an interview with Mirror Sport, courtesy of NewBettingSites.uk. “You’re going to have people around you that want to stay in your employment, stay in that circle. So they’re going to tell you stuff that you want to hear.

“They’re not going to tell you, ‘You need to be doing this, you need to get a hand up, you’re getting hit, you’re getting beat up by this guy here. Why are you doing that? Why aren’t you running this time? Why are you going to open that crisp packet when you should be in the gym?'”

Nelson determined: “Nobody on his squad are going to dare tell him that with any conviction. And so now all of a sudden the roles have changed, whereas when you’re hungry, and you need it, they want to drag you up.

“Now he’s the boss. They work for him. And so that’s where the problem is. And I think that along with time, along with age, along with experience, along with appetite, once they get out of kilter [it’s over]. AJ’s in that position.”

There was a palpable sense of regret in AJ’s voice when he witnessed Usyk’s knockout of Dubois at Wembley on Saturday. Promoter Eddie Hearn told his fighter they “should have beaten Dubois,” to which the former world champion replied simply: “I know.”

Joshua’s undefeated career came to an end when he suffered another surprise loss in June 2019, a seventh-round stoppage at the hands of Andy Ruiz. Although he avenged that loss just six months later, it served as another example of the Briton’s oversight.

His two decision defeats to Usyk could hardly be considered lamentable given the Ukrainian’s success since moving up to heavyweight. But the same perhaps can’t be said for his IBF title clash against Dubois, particularly in the form he was in at the time.

However, it’s perhaps pertinent that each of those unexpected losses to Ruiz and Dubois came at points when AJ was enjoying surging highs in his career. The former materialised when Joshua was 22-0 and held the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO belts, while Dubois got the better of him just when it seemed he was back on top, having finished each of his previous three fights.

He now faces an uncertain future, with a clash against YouTuber Jake Paul being mooted, while speculation of a Tyson Fury matchup are never far.

Nelson went on to liken his situation to that of former training partner Prince Naseem Hamed, who was a world-beater at one stage himself.

“I’ve been around Prince Naseem, an amazing fighter. And I was around him from the very beginning of his career,” he continued. “But then all of a sudden he started to surround himself with yes men. He deleted all the people that kept him grounded and said it how it was to him to keep him real.

“And the more yes men he surrounded himself with, the more his boxing life turned into chaos. He lost fights he shouldn’t have done. He was surrounding himself by the swimming pool in Bob Hope’s house when [Marco Antonio] Barrera was up in the mountains training. And he’s saying, ‘Yeah, I don’t have to do this.’ There was nobody around him to say, ‘What are you doing?’ It’s the same with a lot of modern fighters now.”

The money on offer to boxing’s elite today is bigger than ever, and Nelson is happy for Joshua that he’s made enough to make a clean getaway from the sport. But while some may scratch their head as to why Britain’s former poster boy hasn’t quite lived up to his full potential, there’s a sense those around Joshua have to carry some of the blame.