Anthony Joshua’s quest to become a three-time world heavyweight champion hangs in the balance following his devastating defeat to Daniel Dubois.
The 35-year-old found himself on the receiving end of a punishing fifth-round stoppage in September, climbing off the canvas three times before getting stopped in his tracks by a pulverizing right hand.
But despite the destructive nature of his fourth professional loss, Anthony Joshua has expressed his desire to, once again, reign supreme over the land of the giants.
And yet, after ruling himself out of an immediate rematch with Daniel Dubois – needing more time to recover – a route back to the top has only become more complicated.
Roy Jones Jr wanted to train Anthony Joshua ahead of Daniel Dubois fight
Joshua was given a lofty ranking by the WBC shortly after his defeat to Dubois, presenting him with a potential route to face the winner of Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury’s rematch.
In the meantime, though, top heavyweight contenders Zhilei Zhang and Agit Kabayel will look to claim the WBC interim title on February 22.
Yet still, with Zhang already teasing a possible clash against Joshua, a path towards another world title shot has suddenly become more realistic.
But regardless of the opportunities that could emerge next year, the Brit will nonetheless be forced to reassess his approach to the sport.
Someone who offered to assist him with that is boxing legend Roy Jones Jr, whose involvement ahead of the Dubois fight was ultimately denied by team Joshua.
Even so, Jones believes that, if given the opportunity to work with ‘AJ’, he could, in fact, be the answer to all his problems.
“Of course things would have been different if I had the chance to work with [Joshua], but you can’t blame people for their opinion and the way they do things,” Jones told Covers.
“I feel bad the way they thought about me working with him, I know what I could have helped him out with and how much I could have changed him but I can’t change what doesn’t want to be changed.
“It’s still possible he becomes a world champion, he still has the heart, he’s still got the athletic ability, so I think he could.”
Roy Jones Jr has worked with Chris Eubank Jr
Despite leaving behind a decorated legacy as a fighter, Jones is yet to earn his stripes as an elite boxing coach.
The American linked up with former world title challenger Chris Eubank Jr back in 2020, guiding him through three victories before the Brit suffered a fourth-round stoppage defeat to Liam Smith.
After that, Eubank called upon the services of Brian ‘Bomac’ Mcintyre, the head coach of Terence Crawford, before settling with seasoned trainer Johnathon Banks.
And so, it is yet to be seen what kind of impact Jones can have in the world of coaching.