One of the most iconic fighters the UK has ever produced has urged Anthony Joshua to call time on his career.
Joshua suffered the fourth defeat of his career on Saturday night when he was brutally stopped by Daniel Dubois in front of 98,000 at Wembley Stadium.
One of those in attendance was former world featherweight champion, Prince Naseem Hamed – and he believes it is time for ‘AJ’ to call it a day.
Speaking to IFL TV in the aftermath of the fight, Hamed expressed his desire for the Watford man to “bow out gracefully.”
“Whether he can or he can’t, I’d prefer him not to.
“He’s had his day in the sun like we all have. He’s done great, he won amazing world titles, he’s defended them, he’s earned his dough.
“Listen, he should bow out gracefully and that’s it, done. Because when he gets hit on the chin – we don’t want to talk about that right now.”
At 34-years-old, with millions in the bank and a two-time world champion, one could be forgiven for wondering what incentive there is for Joshua to continue boxing.
However, in the post-fight press conference, he confirmed he intends to do just that.
“Of course I want to continue fighting. We took a shot and we came up short.
“What are we going to do, walk away? We’re going to live to fight another day.”
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn claims there is a contractual rematch clause in place, should his charge wish to jump straight back in against ‘Dynamite.’
Given the fact the 2012 Olympic gold medalist was emphatically stopped inside five relatively one-sided rounds, this would not appear to be the wisest decision.
As for Dubois, he has fully announced himself to the boxing world, and eradicated the question marks that were raised over his credentials after defeats to Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk.
“̶Q̶u̶i̶t̶t̶e̶r̶.̶”̶
̶”̶N̶o̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶.̶”̶
̶”̶F̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶m̶p̶i̶o̶n̶.̶”̶What will they say about Daniel Dubois now? 😤#Boxing #JoshuaDubois #DanielDubois pic.twitter.com/iTR7hdzZSz
— Pro Boxing Fans (@ProBoxingFans) September 22, 2024
It is not clear as of yet what the 27-year-old’s next move will be, though an exciting few years look certain to be ahead.
