IBF heavyweight champion, Filip Hrgovic, has urged British-Nigerian boxer Anthony Joshua to retire from professional boxing, expressing concern over his recent performances and warning that continuing to fight could be dangerous.
Joshua is preparing for a highly anticipated heavyweight showdown against fellow British boxer Tyson Fury in Cardiff on Friday, December 11.
However, Hrgovic believes the former two-time heavyweight world champion has reached the end of his career and should walk away from the sport.
Speaking on the Ariel Helwani Show, the Croatian boxer suggested that financial gain was the main motivation behind Joshua’s decision to continue fighting despite his struggles in the ring.
“He is done; he shouldn’t be fighting anymore, but he wants to do one more fight. I think that he is going to make a huge amount of money and he is doing it because of that, but I think that he shouldn’t be fighting anymore,” Hrgovic said.
Joshua suffered a knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois when he challenged for the International Boxing Federation heavyweight title in 2024.
He returned to the ring last December and secured a knockout victory over YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in his first fight since joining Team Usyk and appointing Iegor Golub as his lead cornerman.
However, his subsequent outing in July raised further questions about his form after he was knocked down twice by Albanian boxer Kristian Prenga before recovering to secure a second-round knockout victory.
Joshua has since reunited with former trainer Ben Davison, who previously worked with Fury.
Hrgovic said he was shocked by Joshua’s performance against Prenga, particularly because the British-Nigerian had reportedly made significant changes to his preparations in an effort to revive his career.
“When I saw that last fight, I felt sorry for him because before the fight he said that he shut all of his businesses to focus on boxing. He changed his coach for the 20th time.” He started to work with team Usyk; he did everything that he could do, and then he comes to the fight with a journeyman, and he goes down in 10 seconds!
“I couldn’t believe it. I felt sorry for him, and I think he shouldn’t be fighting anymore. Based on how he looked in his last fight, it was a disaster. He is just not there, man.”
The Croatian champion also stressed that boxing’s physical demands made it important for fighters to recognise when their careers should end, warning that the consequences of continuing beyond one’s capabilities could be severe.
“It is not basketball, it is not soccer. In boxing you come to a point where you can’t fight anymore. It is a dangerous sport, it is a war, and I think that when you come to a point where you can’t fight, you can’t mess around with boxing,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hrgovic is expected to defend his heavyweight title for the first time against Frank Sanchez in Croatia in early 2027.
