‘He’s not brave’ – Carl Froch compares Anthony Joshua to The Wizard of Oz’s Cowardly Lion as he warns of Deontay Wilder KO

Carl Froch has posted a savage assessment of Anthony Joshua’s boxing legacy and compared him to The Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz.

The former world super middleweight champion has faced backlash for saying AJ has ‘no real legacy’ in recent days but stood by his remarks live on talkSPORT on Thursday.

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Froch told White and Jordan on talkSPORT: “Listen, I say a lot of things that are kind of ironic because people listen, but I also tell the truth and I’m not afraid to speak the truth.

“I just think if Anthony Joshua retired now, what would he be remembered for?

“He would be remembered for beating an old Wladimir Klitschko who had been sitting on the couch for 18 months.

“He came off the canvas to do it in a big win, yes, but he didn’t beat the best version of Klitschko.

“And then people will remember him for losing to the big kid from Mexico, Andy Ruiz.

“I have to say he’s the ‘fat boy from Mexico’ because in the rematch he came off as a big disgrace, he was overweight, he was unprepared and he looked a mess.

“Okay AJ got the win and got his titles back, job done well done but don’t forget he was completely beaten and knocked out in the first fight.

“So what does he remember? Two losses against Oleksandr Usyk.

“Okay, he’s one of the finest fighters to ever live and breathe the sport, brilliantly talented, but he’s a cruiserweight coming in at heavyweight.

“So if you look at his legacy now, there’s nothing to shout and shout about.

“When people ask me the question, ‘What do you think of the fight against Deontay Wilder?’

“The way Anthony Joshua fights at the minute, which is a bit nervous, a bit scared, he’s not attacking, he’s not aggressive, he’s not tenacious like before.

“Ever since he lost to Usyk, and losing Ruiz actually, I think, took a piece of his soul and he doesn’t seem to have any momentum, he’s not brave, he’s almost like the [Cowardly] Lion from Wizard of Oz.

“I just feel like he needs help, he needs the right cornerman, the right training camp and the right fight.

“I think the Dillian Whyte fight is a good fight for him. If he does any work on him, people are going to start believing and thinking, ‘Okay, he’s ready.’

“But if he jumps right away with Wilder, he gets knocked out.”