Will Anthony Joshua retire after Daniel Dubois defeat?

Anthony Joshua's future in Boxing is uncertain after he was on the receiving end of a scintillating performance from Daniel Dubois in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.

27-year-old Dubois dropped Joshua on numerous occasions as he dismantled his opponent within five rounds to retain his IBF heavyweight title.

It was Joshua who was expected to come out on top in the British heavyweight clash on home soil, but he never recovered after getting up from the canvas in the first round and the writing was on the wall long before Dubois' incredible counter right hook brought an early end to proceedings.

Joshua was attempting to become world champion for a third time after beating the likes of Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou in a recent resurgence.

But it was Dubois who stole the show and propelled himself to global stardom, while Joshua was left to ponder how easily he was dismantled in front of an expectant crowd.

Will Anthony Joshua retire?

Joshua's immediate reaction post-fight was a classy one; he maintained his cool in the ring and praised his opponent's performance.

He also spoke of being a 'warrior' and said that he would be back.

When the dust has settled on the fight, Joshua will have to reflect on the stunning nature of the defeat.

Joshua has recovered from setbacks before; he suffered one of the biggest shocks in Boxing history when losing to Andy Ruiz at Madison Square Garden, but then put in a thoroughly professional performance to regain his title in Saudi Arabia six months later.

After knocking out Kubrat Pulev at Wembley the following year, Joshua then lost consecutive fights to Oleksandr Usyk, firstly at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2021, secondly in Riyadh 11 months later.

Many thought Joshua's career was in decline but after an unconvincing points win over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023, the quality of Joshua's performances have gradually improved and he was provided with another world title opportunity against Dubois.

He has come back multiple times before but never has Anthony Joshua suffered a beating like the one Dubois gave him.

He was outworked and simply outclassed in five rounds that were painful to watch for Anthony Joshua fans. If he is to return to the ring, he will need to produce a vastly improved showing to avoid a repeat scenario.

Will there be a Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubois rematch?

Promoter Eddie Hearn immediately spoke of the probability of Joshua evoking his rematch clause against Dubois and Joshua has also vowed to carry on fighting.

The comments after the fight were what you would expect to hear; Eddie Hearn was not about to question the future of his own prized asset.

Nor was Anthony Joshua, a man who has done so much for British Boxing, about to raise his own self-doubts after headlining such an extraordinary event.

Once Joshua and his team have reflected on the defeat, they will make the call on whether Joshua is ready to go again against Dubois.

The two defeats to Usyk resulted in four comeback fights and two years of waiting to have another go at becoming world champion.

Joshua turns 35 in October and is unlikely to want to go down that route. If he does fight again, it will almost certainly be in the rematch.

Another defeat for Joshua could spell the end for the two-time world champion but can he get up off the canvas one more time?

Matt Gibbs

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