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Anthony Joshua desperately want Dubois rematch

Our Reporters6 months ago6 months ago04 mins

Anthony Joshua still wants an immediate rematch with Daniel Dubois. Dubois smashed Joshua into defeat with a stunning fifth-round knockout in their IBF world heavyweight title fight at Wembley Stadium last month. It was an astonishing upset that demolished the hopes of Joshua fighting the winner of the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury rematch for the undisputed heavyweight world championship in 2025. But rather than wait to finally take on his great rival Fury, former champion Joshua could choose to face Dubois once again in his next fight, as soon as February. Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports: “My initial thought after the fight was let’s just chill out, maybe wait for Fury-Usyk. “AJ’s reaction was quite a bit different. Obviously out of pride you always want to take the rematch. But it’s a little bit more calculated than that. “It’s more like, well, what happens if Usyk-Fury doesn’t happen? What if someone gets injured, and even if it does happen they’re not going to fight again until July, August? Then I’m out the ring for nearly a year and I want to be active.” Joshua could always fight someone outside of that top three of Usyk, Fury and Dubois, with heavyweights like Deontay Wilder or Dillian Whyte under consideration. But Hearn explained Joshua’s current thinking, saying: “I want to win the world heavyweight title, and I’ve got a shot there to win the world heavyweight title in my hand. “Obviously it’s a dangerous fight but I can’t box any worse than I did.” The promoter added that he “would expect the fighter to say I want the instant rematch” but Hearn insisted: “When you start actually thinking about it, I don’t think there’s a bad decision to make. “I know that he is leaning towards the rematch because he wants to win the world heavyweight title. Versus fighting Wilder, waiting for Fury and then you’ve got all next year bubbling around not really fighting for the world heavyweight title.” Joshua isn’t expected to have many more fights in his whole career. “It could be one, it could be five. If he beats Dubois, probably another two or three. If he loses to Dubois, he’s in a real tough position,” Hearn said. “People keep saying the Fury fight’s still there. But if they both keep losing? It will always be there but at the same time, at what value? That depends on how they do.” But Joshua is still likely to take that gamble. “If it’s solely down to AJ, which it will be at the end of the day,” Hearn said, “I think it’s going to be very hard to talk him out of taking the rematch.”

British boxing board suspends Anthony Joshua

Our Reporters6 months ago6 months ago03 mins

Anthony Joshua’s suspension by the British Boxing Board of Control until October 19 is due to his knockout defeat against Daniel Dubois. The former heavyweight champion is placed on a standard practice suspension of between 28 and 45 days, as any boxer is once they suffered such a loss. In Joshua’s case, the BBBofC opted for the 28-day minimum suspension. BBBofC rule 5.8 section C states, “Any contest [wheresoever it takes place] being stopped by the Referee [other than by reason of disqualification], or the retirement of a Boxer, or by a Boxer being counted out in a contest; then the license of such Boxer shall be automatically suspended for a period of 28 or 45 clear days or more at the discretion of the Board’s Senior Medical Officer present at the tournament. “At the completion of the period of suspension, no Boxer shall return to the ring until he has been certified fit to box by a doctor who may be appointed by the Board or at their discretion by an Area Council. “Written certificates of fitness to box again must be received at the Registered offices of the Company at least 24 hours prior to the Boxer’s next contest.” Joshua will be free to return to action as soon as possible. However, AJ is not expected to fight again until at least spring 2025. Joshua could battle Tyson Fury or opt for a rematch with Dubois on Pay Per View, and his team could be changed following a bad defeat. The 2012 Olympic champion was dropped four times by Dubois and taken out in five painful rounds in the fourth loss of his career and the second via stoppage. Andy Ruiz Jr. did similarly to Dubois in 2019, as Joshua tumbled down the heavyweight rankings and found himself out of the top five for the first time since 2016.

Anthony Joshua issues statement on retirement

Our Reporters7 months ago7 months ago05 mins

Anthony Joshua still believes he can become a three-time heavyweight champion despite being knocked out by Daniel Dubois. Joshua was attempting to win a world title for the third time when he challenged Dubois at Wembley on Saturday night – but he was dropped three times before being stopped in the fifth round. Joshua then insisted he would not retire after suffering his fourth career defeat – and has now said he is confident he can still win back his crown. “We came up short but we’ve got to look at all the positives,” he said in a video posted to social media. “That’s the mindset and that’s the perspective we’ve got to have; a positive one always. Look at what we’ve achieved in the last 11 years, its phenomenal and i want to thank every single one you who has been riding with me. “What a rollercoaster journey, but you know what the problem is, it’s far from over yet. We’ve done it once, we’ve done it twice and doing it a third time hasnt been easy bit its something I can achieve, it’s about making the right steps forward, working hard and improving. It’s got to come from the heart more than anything. It can’t come from any external voices or influences; it’s got to come form the heart. “It’s only been a day but when I sit back and think, i know I’ve got a lot of heart. Thanks for your support, thanks for being on this rollercoaster journey with me. Keep your seatbelt tight because deep, deep, deep down in here I know I’ve got a lot more to bring to the game and long may it continue.” Joshua has a clause in his contract which would allow him to force a rematch with Dubois. And the champion’s promoter Frank Warren is open to a sequel. “I haven’t got a problem with a rematch. If they want to do it, if the terms are all okay and we’ll sit down and talk about it,” he told talkSPORT. “But it’s all too soon to say who he’s going to be fighting next. He needs to now savour the moment. He had some stick in the past from a couple of professionals. Fellow professionals which I thought was a liberty. He’s shown now what he’s all about. He gritted his teeth in that fight. He gritted his teeth in the two fights previous to that when he was an underdog in each of them. Went in with three undefeated fighters, one after the other ranked fighters. He’s had four fights this year against and four of those fights are all world rank, including one champion and one two time former world champion. How many fighters have done that?”

Dubois demolishes Joshua in ‘Battle of Britain’ to retain title

Our Reporters7 months ago7 months ago02 mins

Britain’s Daniel Dubois demolished compatriot and two-times world champion Anthony Joshua with a fifth-round knockout to retain his IBF world heavyweight boxing title at a packed Wembley Stadium. Dubois sent his fellow Briton to the canvas in the opening round with a stinging right, the referee delivering a standing eight count, and the 27-year-old proceeded to tear up the pre-fight predictions as swiftly as he ripped into his opponent. Joshua was on the ropes again in round two but managed to ride out the storm before round three came crashing down around him again. With Dubois landing more banging right-handers, Joshua’s defence failed to protect him and he was literally on the ropes as he took another count. Joshua could barely stand at the end of the fourth, after going down again with two minutes remaining, and he lasted just 59 seconds of the fifth with the rebuilding of his career suddenly in ruins. “I’ve only got a few words to say: Are you not entertained?,” declared Dubois after the biggest win of his career. “I’m a gladiator, I’m a warrior to the bitter end. I want to get to the top level of this game and reach my full potential. “I’ve been on a rollercoaster ride. This is my time, this is my redemption story, and I’m not going to stop until I reach my full potential.” Organisers said a British post-World War II record of 96,000 spectators attended the fight at London’s Wembley Stadium.