Anthony Joshua can learn from Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield and bounce back from successive losses against Jermaine Franklin

Anthony Joshua failing to avenge his defeat by Oleksandr Usyk has critics writing off the British heavyweight star – but he can take inspiration from numerous boxers who lost to the same opponent twice, yet battled back to achieve all-time greatness.

Boxing’s unhealthy obsession with glossy records means that, unlike in UFC, a fighter’s stock plummets after a defeat. Doubly so if the boxer cannot reverse the result in a rematch. But legends from Bernard Hopkins to Marco Antonio Barrera returned with a vengeance after back-to-back losses to the same opponent – while heavyweight greats such as Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and Larry Holmes went on to have significant super-fights, challenging for and sometimes winning world titles, after double-defeats by the same foe.

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Losing to Usyk – a southpaw with an outstanding amateur pedigree who’s now an unbeaten two-weight world champion – in two competitive if clear decisions is not career-ending. Some boxers just have a style that a rival fighter will always struggle to solve. Perhaps Joshua, as he prepares to fight Jermaine Franklin under a new trainer, will have to accept that Usyk will likely always have his number.

But AJ can learn from these icons who reinvented themselves after their careers were branded ‘over’. In 1996, Mexican warrior Barrera was 43-0, a 122lb world champ and one of the sport’s rising stars when he was shockingly taken apart by ‘Poison’ Junior Jones inside five rounds. In an immediate rematch, Jones doubled-down with a unanimous decision win in Las Vegas.

Barrera’s reputation was in tatters but after three years’ rebuilding, he was served up as an opponent to his blood rival Erik Morales. Barrera officially lost that epic 12-round war, but most observers considered the split-decision a robbery. ‘MAB’ was back – and with a cunning boxer-puncher style, rather than the pressure fighter he’d been against Jones. Two official wins against Morales, plus his dismantling of previously unbeaten Naseem Hamed confirmed Barrera’s status as a modern great – and he was a better fighter after his defeats by Jones.

Joshua at age 33 is attempting a rebuild late in his career. But when Hopkins had his long middleweight reign ended by upstart Jermain Taylor in 2005, he was 40 years old. A second defeat by Taylor followed six months later and it seemed clear that Old Father Time had finally caught up with ‘The Executioner’.

Instead of retiring, however, Hopkins jumped up two weight divisions to light-heavyweight then upset lineal world champion Antonio Tarver in his very first fight. Wins against Winky Wright, Kelly Pavlik, Jean Pascal and a revenge victory against Roy Jones Jr followed as B-Hops had a spectacular run in his 40s, which cemented his standing as an all-time great.

Joshua’s doubters will say he doesn’t possess Hopkins’ boxing IQ (who does?). But he is seven years younger than Hopkins when he embarked on the last great run of his career – and one thing they do have in common is tremendous physical conditioning, which should aid AJ’s longevity.

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When it comes to heavyweight comebacks after a double-whammy of defeats, Holyfield stands out. After two losses to Riddick Bowe – the last by KO when the relentless Evander suddenly ran out of steam – Holyfield bounced back to pull off a career-defining win against Mike Tyson a year later. (Although Holyfield did, of course, also score a points win over Bowe in between his two defeats).

Even Tyson himself, who peaked in his early 20s and was never the same fighter after his stint in prison, still returned from his two losses to Holyfield to score some spectacular KOs. Enough at least to set up the most lucrative heavyweight fight of all-time with Lennox Lewis – a positive sign for AJ’s earning potential going forward if nothing else. As the saying goes: heavyweights are only ever one good win away from being relevant again.

Further back, Floyd Patterson suffered a far worse fate than Joshua – his back-to-back defeats by Sonny Liston were both brutal KO1s. Yet the Cus D’Amato-trained Patterson rebuilt, beat top contenders such as Eddie Machen and George Chuvalo, then fought Muhammad Ali for the world title only two years after his drubbings by Liston.

It’s early days but Joshua can even take heart from his would-be rival, Deontay Wilder. ‘The Bronze Bomber’ was stopped twice by Tyson Fury (and many believe he was fortunate to get a draw in their first fight and should be 0-3 against ‘The Gypsy King’). Yet in blasting out solid contender Robert Helenius late last year, Wilder looked just as dangerous as ever. If the American puncher can make peace with the fact he will simply never beat Fury, he can still be a handful for every other heavyweight out there.

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This is the mental challenge Joshua must overcome. Boxing history is packed with examples of great fighters who came up against a style or an opponent they just couldn’t work out – whether that be Shane Mosley against Vernon Forrest, Tommy Hearns against Iran Barkley or even Ali against Ken Norton (a rivalry Ali officially won 2-1, but with a case for Norton winning all three fights). But many of these legends picked themselves up, regrouped, and scored more career-defining wins. Mosley, for example, went on to defeat Fernando Vargas twice then upset Antonio Margarito.

As much as what AJ can learn under new coach Derrick James, however, the test will also be of his cerebral steel. His career – from Olympic gold to world title glory to getting up to stop Wladimir Klitschko to avenging his defeat by Andy Ruiz Jr – has been a story of triumph over adversity. Now he must swallow the bitter pill that his series with Usyk may not have the ending he craves; undoubtedly the main reason for his post-fight in-ring breakdown in Jeddah.

But if Joshua can move on from the Usyk defeats, learn from them and rebuild his self-confidence, there is no reason to believe he’s washed up. There’s no shame in getting outpointed by Usyk, arguably the most skilled pound-for-pound boxer in the sport. For Joshua, a slugfest with Wilder, a domestic scrap with Whyte and – yes – even a showdown with Tyson Fury could all still happen. For proof, AJ just needs a quick look through boxing history and to take a sharp intake of self-belief.