Eddie Hearn danced across the matter of whether or not Anthony Joshua could be keen to undergo one other profession rebuild if he misplaced to IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois on September twenty first at Wembley Stadium in London.
Hearn didn’t wish to admit that Joshua, 34, may very well be dealing with retirement if he’s destroyed by Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) as a result of that’s a really actual risk. Even when Joshua didn’t retire, he could be placing his profession on the road in a rematch.
Joshua is coming off a prolonged two-year, flour-fight rebuild after his second loss to Oleksandr Usyk in 2022.
He’s spent plenty of time getting back from that defeat, and there’s no telling if he’s totally again or not as a result of the opposition that Hearn has matched him in opposition to has been non-world-class fighters. Francis Ngnanou, Otto Wallin and Robert Helenius will not be world-class fighters.
So, we don’t know what’s going to occur with Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) when he will get in there with Dubois, a fighter who’s within the zenith of his profession at 27, stuffed with confidence from three consecutive impress performances.
“Each struggle for Anthony Joshua is necessary at this stage. He’s making an attempt to turn out to be a three-time heavyweight champion, however he has misplaced and rebuilt already. How excessive are the stakes for him in a struggle like this?” mentioned Chris Mannix to Matchroom Boxing, speaking to promoter Eddie Hearn about what occurs to Anthony Joshua if he loses to Daniel Dubois on September twenty first. “If it doesn’t go his method, may he be keen to rebuild once more?
Joshua most likely gained’t agree to a different four-fight rebuild as a result of his delight could be wounded if he walked away from a loss to the a lot youthful Dubois, who he was anticipated to beat. He must struggle Dubois once more, and that’s the place issues might actually crumble.
Would Joshua be keen to maintain going after shedding twice to Dubois? Dereck Chisora confirmed that the British public doesn’t care how usually he loses. Would it not be the identical for Joshua?
“Coming off the Usyk defeat, everybody was speaking about when it was Franklin and Helenius, and significantly Wallin and Ngannou. ‘Oh, if Anthony loses right here’ or ‘Oh, if he loses right here.’ What if he wins? I believe that the strain of defeat for Anthony has all the time been there, however it’s solely on himself,” mentioned Hearn.
These are poor examples by Hearn. Followers didn’t suppose Joshua was going to lose to Otto Wallin or Francis Ngannou. These two fights had been seen as mismatches in favor of Joshua, and the identical together with his bouts in opposition to Robert Helenius and Jermaine Franklin.
“I used to be with him final Friday for camp. He’s pumped for this struggle [Dubois],” mentioned Hearn. “He’s speaking, ‘I’ve received to win this struggle.’ Usually, it’s chilled. ‘Yeah, I’ll be advantageous.’ He is aware of the significance of this struggle. We all know the specter of Dubois. Nobody is making an attempt to badmouth Dubois.”
Joshua is clearly nervous, understanding how necessary the Dubois struggle is for his profession. He’s received the Tyson Fury mega-payday forward of him in 2025, and he understands that he can’t again into that struggle off a loss to Dubois.
“We don’t must undersell Dubois. We’re conscious of the chance,” mentioned Hearn. “He’s a younger man in his prime that has a excessive quantity and that could be a large puncher. It is a very harmful struggle, however you’ve got two heavyweights which might be within the type of their profession proper now.
“I used to be watching some sparring of AJ again up to now and watching a few of his fights when he beat the likes of [Wladimir] Klitschko [in April 2017]. I really understand now what a uncooked novice AJ was when he was preventing the likes of Klitschko. He was upright and all brawn,” mentioned Hearn.
Joshua doesn’t appear like he’s improved since his struggle with Wladimir in 2017. He’s gotten older and slower and doesn’t throw as many punches now as he did again then. He struggled in opposition to the 41-year-old Wlasdimir in that struggle, getting dropped. If this had been a youthful Wladimir, who nonetheless had Emanuel Steward in his nook as his coach, Joshua would have been in bother.
Steward had handed away 5 years earlier, and Wladimir didn’t comply with in directions from his nook to go after Joshua after he dropped him. He was urged to, however he wouldn’t do it.
Steward would have motivated Wladimir to complete Joshua, and AJ’s profession would have by no means taken off the best way it did. Destiny labored in Joshua’s favor, however it might have rapidly gone the opposite method if he’d fought Wladimir when he was youthful and nonetheless had Steward.
“He’s now an entire all-around fighter, however it doesn’t matter within the heavyweight division. You’re in with an enormous puncher, and it will probably change. This struggle [Joshua vs. Dubois] may very well be over very early, or it might go deep. AJ, as all the time, ready for each eventuality.
“It is a large struggle for him personally. Three-time heavyweight world champion. That’s not an accomplishment that many have achieved within the sport,” mentioned Hearn.
It is a very large second for Joshua, dealing with a younger fighter with the facility, chin and the motivation that Dubois is bringing to their struggle on September twenty first.
