Anthony Joshua has made the call to wait and watch instead of heading straight into action with a rematch. This decision to weigh his options and make an eventual call has split the fans and pundits into two, as they continue to scratch their heads and try to make sense of it. Simon Jordan, of talksport, believes it all has to do with the British boxer’s team’s lack of belief in him.

Joshua, 35, is coming off a loss to Daniel Dubois where the IBF title was on the line. He looked out of his depth and made several errors, which resulted in a knockout loss. While there were speculations of a rematch, ‘AJ’s camp has decided against it. Why?

Let him cater for his minor injuries and wait for the result of Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury. He could gather the spoils and pick an all-British affair against Fury if the Ukrainian champion defends his unified title. Alternatively, another loss to ‘Triple D’ could effectively end his career. This approach didn’t sit well with Jordan, 57, who expressed his displeasure openly.

The English businessman told TalkSport, “His commercial team are going, ‘Maybe that’s not the right way to go. Maybe that could finish you if it goes badly’. Is that not confidence-sapping? Because if your team doesn’t believe in you, how do you believe in yourself?”

Therefore, according to him, Joshua, at 28-4, could have challenged for a title with a rematch instead of waiting for a dead rubber match. In addition, fighting someone else now would hamper his boxing credentials and popularity. But is it a well-thought-out decision? Or is it a decision to keep the Watford native’s career floating for the moment?

Anthony Joshua: gamble of waiting

Eddie Hearn admitted on his social media handles that Joshua would return in the summer of next year. The British promoter had gone through a patch of activity, fighting five times in the last 18 months. So, the former world champion needed a break to come back fresh. However, this also means he would be pushed down the hierarchy, as the likes of Fabio Wardley would take the spot and challenge for the IBF title.

And what if ‘Gypsy King’ emerges victorious and sets up a trilogy with Usyk? This could effectively keep him out of the action for a high-stakes fight until the end of the next year. Then he would have to scramble for a fight against Joseph Parker or Deontay Wilder to climb back to the top. Not to mention the loss of the chance to become a three-time world champion against Dubois. It remains to be seen how well Joshua’s wait-and-watch strategy pans out.

What do you make of these comments about Anthony Joshua? Who do you think he should fight next? Let us know in the comments below.