Anthony Joshua not at the peak of star power, says promoter Eddie Hearn

Days ahead of Anthony Joshua's next fight, Eddie Hearn believes 'AJ' is no longer at the peak of his star power.

The former two-time heavyweight champion has been out of the ring since his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in August. Despite linking up with trainer Robert Garcia, Joshua again came up short, this time via split decision.

The defeat was an agonizing one for the former titleholder. It was his second loss in a row to 'The Cat', and for the first time in his career, Joshua was riding a losing streak. Failed negotiations for a December matchup with Tyson Fury didn't garner the Brit any fans either.

Anthony Joshua is now slated to return this weekend against Jermaine Franklin. The fight is viewed as a bit of a tune-up, as '989 Assassin' is a relatively unknown heavyweight outside of his decision defeat to Dillian Whyte late last year.

In a somewhat startling admission just days from Joshua's return, Eddie Hearn discussed the heavyweight's star power. In a recent interview with SecondsOut, the head of Matchroom Boxing opined:

"He's probably not, right now, at the peak of his powers in terms of his commercial star. But that can change with a great performance; he's still a massive name. As you can see by the turnout here tonight and so forth, I think we're in a situation now where he needs a good performance."

See his comments in the video below:

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Anthony Joshua next fight: 'AJ' teases retirement

If Anthony Joshua loses his next fight, don't think he will stop there. 'AJ' has had a rough couple of years.

Ever since his shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019, he has been unable to find steady footing. While he avenged that defeat to 'Destroyer', he hasn't been consistent.

Following the win over Ruiz Jr. in the rematch and a knockout victory over Kubrat Pulev, the Brit then had his two-fight series with Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua was dominated in the first outing and lost by a split decision in the next.

Holding three losses in his last five fights, Anthony Joshua discussed retirement in a recent interview. Despite many believing that a loss to Jermaine Franklin would send the Brit to retirement, that isn't the case. He said:

“I will, I’ll retire (laughs). If you’ve got that competitive spirit, so what if you lose a game of monopoly, you gonna give up? Every fight is a new chapter, I feel like, and every chapter is so important."

See his comments below: