Do you think Joshua's rematch clauses hurt him in his career?

No, because he didn't half ass either of his first losses. He like most (aside from me) didn't see Ruiz as a threat, and since Andy was a late replacement, he hadn't had time to properly scout him, and didn't think his punching power was enough of a threat to warrant being as cautious as he should've been. And even then, he had Andy hurt and was going for the kill, when he walked onto a counter. Because he'd also underestimated how fast Andy's hands are and how solid his chin is. Regardless, no amount of preparation could've prepared him for that outcome, the only surefire way to fight Ruiz and get the win, is completely reinvent his fighting style and stay on the backfoot from beginning to end like he did in the rematch. No version of AJ or his trainers would have that kind of foresight the first time around.

AJ was always destined to lose to Usyk, I predicted it with full confidence a decade ago, and no version of AJ will ever have the in ring IQ, stamina, volume or skillset to ever have the upperhand for more than a few seconds, much less to outright get the win. So it's pointless to even ponder that one. If anything AJ should just chalk that one up to in retrospect knowing... he never had a phantom of a chance.

If anything the non stop rematches have done far more harm than good to AJ's confidence. Sure he beat Ruiz Jr, but in terms of being macho, he did it in the most undignified manner possible, hauling ass from an obese midget. Yeah, he got the win, but what kind of confidence can one take away from a fight like that? To have in the back of his mind, I better not trade with this tub of lard or else he might shatter my fragile mandible again!!! What a depressing thought to ponder for 12 rounds straight. What good did the rematch against Usyk do for his confidence? If anything, it polished it off. Why would Hearn and his handlers even push for it? I know most higher ups don't know **** about boxing when it comes to styles, but Jesus Christ, even the dried up 76 year old corpse of Jack Johnson saw this outcome coming from 100 miles away. How blind must they be? Or is it just straight up denial?