Speculation remains rife over what Anthony Joshua’s next move will be, following his crushing knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois last month.
It had seemed likely that Joshua would jump straight into an immediate rematch with the IBF heavyweight world champion, however recent comments from promoter Eddie Hearn indicate this may not be the case.
The loss to Dubois was the fourth of AJ’s career and the second by way of stoppage, and most observers believe it was the most one-sided defeat the Watford man has suffered to date.
Former cruiserweight world champion turned pundit Johnny Nelson has weighed in on what Joshua should do next – and he believes it is time to call it a day.
Speaking to SecondsOut, Nelson explained his reasoning comes “from a good place.”
“My reply to that is, in my opinion, and I’ll give a justifiable reason around it, its coming from a good place, I didn’t like to see that [knockout to Dubois] happen to ‘AJ’.
“The maths in my head as to why that happened tells me he should walk away.
“If that keeps happening after all the success you have, what you’ve done for British boxing and all the champions you’ve fought, you keep regressing to that fight that makes such fundamental mistakes then it’s going to happen again and again.”
Though those around Joshua had been adamant that a rematch with Dubois was the frontrunner for his next move, there has been a change in tone over the past week.
Matchroom boss Hearn hinted that his charge may wait to see the outcome of the December 21st rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury before putting pen to paper on his next fight.
𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗡 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗦 𝗗𝗢𝗨𝗕𝗧 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗝 🆚 𝗗𝗨𝗕𝗢𝗜𝗦 𝟮
It now seems @AnthonyJoshua may wait for a potential fight with Tyson Fury..
Thoughts?#Boxing #EddieHearn #AnthonyJoshua pic.twitter.com/FYAmMT8W5u
— Pro Boxing Fans (@ProBoxingFans) October 24, 2024
Dubois’ promoter Warren, who boasts a host of heavyweights in his ever growing stable, insists there are plenty of options for his man that do not involve a second showdown with Joshua.
