Though rivals, Filip Hrgovic had a healthy dose of both respect and fear for former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. While the former may still be present, the latter has ostensibly dissipated for Hrgovic.

Joshua, 33, once stood as the proud holder of the WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF heavyweight titles. However, following consecutive shortcomings at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua’s reign at the top of the heavyweight mountain came to an end.

In their first meeting, a fleet of foot Usyk boxed circles around a listless Joshua. Although his hulking physique suggested that he would attempt to bully his man, Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) opted to box and move, leading to his untimely demise.

Nearly one month later, Joshua would come up short once again, losing yet another showdown against Usyk, this time via split decision. Hrgovic, a highly-ranked contender in each of the four sanctioning bodies, has been mystified by Joshua’s performances as of late.

Hrgovic, at least thus far, has remained true to himself. The 30-year-old from Zagreb, Croatia, has mostly run through his competition, stopping some of the more durable heavyweight contenders around. But, in his most recent trip to the ring, Hrgovic (15-0, 12 KOs) was forced to peel himself up off the deck before scoring a close and somewhat controversial unanimous decision victory on the night.

Now, as the 30-year-old Croatian continues to closely examine the overall career of Joshua, he has a difficult time recognizing the fighter that stands before him. In addition to the former Olympic gold medalist opting to box on the outside against Usyk, the two-time champion has remained uncommitted to a singular coach. Due to a combination of his lack of aggression and propensity to soak up knowledge, Hrgovic is convinced that Joshua has simply lost his way.

“I’m careful not to learn too much and become something that I’m not, take away my advantages,” said Hrgovic during an interview with Tru School Sports. “I think that happened to Anthony Joshua. He was a beast. He was a knockout artist and then he started to learn too much about boxing and he started to box too much, overthinking.”