Anthony Joshua is ‘mentally fragile’ and on the ‘decline’ next opponent Otto Wallin claims on The Hook, with the Swede insisting AJ ‘knows he’s vulnerable’ and switching coaches again is a bad sign
- Wallin will face the British fighter in Saudi Arabia on December 23
- The Swede turned heads when he took the distance from Tyson Fury in 2019
- Otto Wallin's chance with Anthony Joshua is a 'golden ticket' for his career… but this will be a new AJ when he walks away on December 23 – The hook
Anthony Joshua is 'mentally fragile' and clearly deteriorating. His December 23 opponent Otto Wallin told Mail Sport's boxing podcast The Hook.
Wallin will face AJ on the star-studded card in Saudi Arabia, looking for the biggest win of his career against the two-time heavyweight champion of the world.
The Swede turned heads in 2019 when he outlasted Tyson Fury, leaving the Gypsy King needing 47 stitches for a cut above his eye.
That Fury defeat is still the only one of his career and with 26 wins to his name he represents a dangerous and difficult foe for Joshua.
AJ remains focused on his desire to win another world title, but Wallin believes the Briton is already in physical and mental decline.
Wallin believes Joshua is not the force he used to be and now is the perfect time to fight him
“I would say he's still one of the best heavyweights and he's built a great career for himself,” Wallin began.
'There is a decline and I think it has already reached its peak. I think he is mentally fragile, he is not sure of himself. He has changed coaches and I think it could be very tough for him. People are very critical of him, he is under a lot of pressure. So I think that weighs on him.”
Joshua is now on his fourth trainer in as many years since splitting from Robert McCracken.
Ben Davidson, a man who previously worked with Fury, is the latest coach to get a chance, but none of Robert Garcia, Derrick James or Angel Fernandez could make it work.
“I definitely think it's an issue for him,” Wallin said of AJ's coaching change. 'I have had my trainer for ten years now.
'We know each other very well. We trust each other, both inside and outside the ring. He was at all my pro fights except two, so it's been a really good journey together and it's fantastic that we now have this opportunity to prove to everyone what we've been working on.
Wallin caused Tyson Fury plenty of problems when they clashed in the US in 2019
'It's difficult for Joshua. “If you keep changing coaches, that's usually a bad sign and I think it's a bad sign for him too.”
Although Joshua is only a year older than Wallin at 34, he has been at the top of the sport for much longer.
Wallin believes AJ is no longer the fearsome prospect he once was and will get his chance at the right time against one of the division's big names.
“I think this is the perfect time to face AJ. He was a search and destroy kind of guy, he was very aggressive.
“When he started, he had a short amateur career. He knocked people out. I turned pro and knocked everyone out. Knocked out (Wladimir) Klitschko. And I think he felt pretty much invincible.
The Swede remains one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the division with 14 KOs
Wallin insists Joshua's decline began when Andy Ruiz Jr. made him realize that he is not invincible
“And then he lost to Ruiz, he got stopped. He lost twice to Usyk. I think he knows now that he is vulnerable.
“He knows he can lose and get hurt, but he doesn't like that. He doesn't like being hit or injured. He cares a lot about what people think of him and I think it's hard for him when people are critical or when there's boos in the crowd, I think that's very hard for him,” Wallin insisted.
Should Joshua win, he would be on a collision course with Filip Hrgovic at the top of the IBF rankings.
Should that title be vacated by Oleksandr Usyk if the IBF imposes a mandatory challenger, Joshua will see this as his quickest route back to a world title and big money as a unification fight.
