Promoter Eddie Hearn blames Anthony Joshua’s Fifth-round KO defeat on Saturday night time on the primary spherical knockdown he suffered towards IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois.
In line with Hearn, Joshua (28-4, 23 KOs) by no means recovered from that knockdown in spherical one and was straightforward pickings for Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs), who was like a shark that smelled blood within the water.
Joshua’s punch resistance was fully gone after the primary spherical, and he was subsequently dropped three extra occasions by Dubois earlier than the competition was waived off in spherical 5 when he may now not stand up.
AJ tried to get again to his ft after being knocked down by a right-hand counter by Dubous within the fifth, however he couldn’t rise in time to beat the depend from the referee.
The way in which the battle was taking part in out, Joshua would have had issues even when he hadn’t been harm within the first spherical as a result of he was getting hit an excessive amount of by Dubois.
AJ’s protection wasn’t there, and he couldn’t land his proper hand was any consistency to harm Dubois the best way he’d performed along with his 4 earlier opponents.
Ade Oladipo: “Eddie, I do know you’re clearly very disillusioned. It become a firefight. Lots of people mentioned this may very well be a Hagler-Hearns kind of battle, and once you battle like that, you simply by no means know. Each of them had been throwing heavy pictures. One among them was going to land, and sadly in your man, it was Daniel that landed extra.”
Eddie Hearn: “Effectively, it was the fourth spherical. It was an enormous proper hand that AJ took within the first spherical [from Dubois], and after that, he was preventing on coronary heart and want. I’m so happy with him as a result of he by no means gave up. His legs had been deceiving him and he simply stored on attempting.
“On the finish of the fourth spherical, he harm Dubois, and within the fifth spherical, he actually harm Daniel Dubois. Then he acquired grasping and walked straight onto a proper hand, and that’s all she wrote. If you’re in there with a large puncher, that is what can occur.
“AJ by no means gave up. He by no means stopped attempting to stand up, even when he couldn’t stand up [in round five]. I believe large congratulations to Daniel Dubois as a result of individuals doubted him. He was the champion, however actually the B-side coming into the battle. He deserves credit score now as an actual world champion as a result of that was an excellent efficiency.
“If we’re going to lose, shedding to a British heavyweight makes it really feel higher. So congratulations to him, however actually happy with Anthony Joshua, who by no means gave up,” mentioned Hearn.
