The last three fights of Anthony Joshua read like a horror film in slow motion and the final reel hits Netflix on December nineteenth in Florida. Start with September twenty-first at Wembley against Daniel Dubois.
Four times Joshua crashed to the mat before the fifth put him away for good. He rose each time on autopilot — eyes vacant — no spark — just a big man waiting for the lights to go out. That wasn’t a fighter competing. That was a fighter accepting the end and the crowd felt it.
Rewind to March of 2024 in Riyadh against Francis Ngannou. On paper it looks savage — two knockdowns and a brutal finish in round two. Watch it frame by frame and the cracks show. Joshua charged forward like a wounded bull desperate to silence the noise.
He ate a heavy right hand early and his knees dipped hard. Luck and one perfect counter saved him that night. A mentally strong Joshua boxes calm and clean against a boxing novice. This version fought scared — swinging for his life from the first second.
Then December twenty-third in 2023 against Otto Wallin in the Saudi desert. Five rounds of plodding forward eating jabs looking slower than ever.
Anthony Joshua Last 3 Performances Prove He Is In A Terrible Place Mentally For Jake Paul
Wallin isn’t an elite puncher yet Joshua’s face swelled up and his feet turned to cement. By round five he moved in slow motion — breathing heavy — eyes darting to the clock.
He won on points but looked every day of thirty six carrying every mile of two knockout losses before that. No snap in the punches.
No belief in the stance. Just a man going through the motions hoping the bell rang before something worse happened.
Three fights. Three different stories. Same broken fighter underneath. The Dubois beating stripped whatever confidence remained.
The Ngannou win hid panic behind one lucky bomb. The Wallin slog showed a heavyweight running on fumes. Now prime Jake Paul steps in front of him — twenty eight years old — fresh — hungry — believing he belongs.
Paul has watched those tapes until the screen burned. He sees Joshua drop the right hand every single time he jabs.
He sees the freeze when the first clean shot lands. He sees a big man who quits inside long before the body finally falls.
Florida heat and humidity on December nineteenth will cook a fighter carrying that much damage. Joshua slowed to a crawl in the desert against Wallin.
He crumbled under Wembley lights against Dubois. Paul doesn’t need to outbox him for twelve rounds.
He just needs to move hit and watch the doubt flood back in. One hard counter over that lazy lead hand and Joshua’s legs go again. We’ve seen it twice already in the last twelve months.
The body can still look the part under the bright lights — ripped and massive. The mind shattered somewhere along the road and never got repaired. Prime Jake Paul faces a former king who no longer believes the crown fits.
There are a few factors in Joshua vs Paul that are now crashing down all around Joshua.
One thing all washed fighters have in common — the eyes go dead first. Joshua’s eyes died a long time ago.
Time will tell of course.
