Carl Froch: I don’t think Anthony Joshua’s legacy can be compared to mine

Former WBA and IBF super-middleweight champion Carl Froch has told William Hill’s podcast, Up Front with Simon Jordan, that Anthony Joshua’s boxing legacy is not even comparable to his own, and that Joshua didn’t listen to legendary trainer Rob McCracken before his first fight with Oleksandr Usyk. 

Featuring on William Hill’s Up Front with Simon Jordan, a podcast hosted by the former Crystal Palace owner who speaks to sports stars and celebrities and challenges their opinions whilst scrutinising their careers, Froch discussed Joshua’s legacy, and how it compares to his own: “I don’t think Anthony Joshua’s legacy can be compared to mine. You have to look at who you’ve fought, what level you fought at, the timing of the people you fought, and how many unbeaten fighters you’ve beaten.

“I beat Jean Pascal for my first world title, who then went on to become a light heavyweight unified world champion. I beat Jermaine Taylor, Arthur Abraham, Mikkel Kessler, Glen Johnson, Andre Dirrell in a very close fight, and then I went on to beat George Groves who was also unbeaten and 10 years younger than me, in not one, but two fights. When you look at that run of fights and that level of opposition, time after time, with back-to-back title fights, you can’t compare that to Anthony Joshua.

“Anthony Joshua beat Charles Martin, who is a nobody that was gifted his title, and an old Wladimir Klitschko who had been sat on the sofa for the best part of two years, came out of retirement and nearly beat him. He beat Joseph Parker and Alexander Povetkin, but I’m not being funny, Joseph Parker isn’t bad but he’s not an all-time heavyweight, and Povetkin wasn’t bad but he was past his best. The record and the names just don’t stack up.

“If Anthony Joshua fought [Deontay] Wilder and didn’t get knocked out, kept out of the way, and then stuck it on him late and finished him off like he used to, then goes in and has a fight against Tyson Fury and makes a really good account of himself, or maybe even beats him, then his legacy is solid and he deserves to be right up there.”

Joshua totally disregarded Rob McCracken

Froch also discussed Anthony Joshua’s previous fights against Oleksandr Usyk, and how Joshua’s actions in the fights showed his disregard for the advice of trainer Rob McCracken.

“He didn’t listen to Rob McCracken. He didn’t do what he was told, and he totally disregarded him,” said Froch. “As a result, the relationship broke down and Rob wasn’t in his corner for the rematch, the writing was on the wall. Rob McCracken must have known that their relationship was going to end, because anyone could see that Anthony Joshua didn’t listen to Rob in the first fight.

“I’ve heard from other people talking about Joshua’s training camp, and they have said that he did not want to do runs, and he didn’t want to spar. If you don’t do the sparring and you don’t do the running – the two most fundamental things – you won’t be ready for the fight. To think that tactically he could all of a sudden out-box one of the best boxers in the world, you can’t out-box a guy who is from a smaller weight division and is faster than you, you can’t out-box him.

“It just shows that his mind is all over the place and for whatever reason he has no confidence in Rob, it might be because he lost against Andy Ruiz and he got his head punched in, and he got knocked out badly.”

Fury doesn’t have a massive legacy

Following on from the Anthony Joshua discussion, Froch spoke on current WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s apparent lack of legacy, and how a fight with Usyk is necessary.

“I can’t give him a massive legacy” said Froch. “He’s fought Deontay Wilder three times, and he nearly got done in the first one which was a draw. He nearly got done again in the second, and it was three great fights against a guy who is not a massive heavyweight. He’s a massive puncher but because he’s not that big and heavy, Tyson Fury can keep him out of the way, lean on him and just control the fight, so it’s quite easy for Fury to do what he does because he’s so big. If he fights Usyk and he fights Joshua and he makes mincemeat of them then he’ll be the best of a generation.

“If Tyson Fury really wants to fight Oleksandr Usyk then why is he demanding a 70/30 split, and then when it gets agreed turning round and saying that the fight isn’t happening? His bluff was called, and he realised he couldn’t get ready in six weeks, when he was trying to look like the bigger man.

“I do think Tyson Fury wants to fight Usyk. He’s very confident and he’s got every reason to believe that he can beat Usyk, because he’s twice the size of him and he’s a great fighter. He’s an unbelievable heavyweight.”