Anthony Joshua had the chance to write his name into the history books and become boxing’s fifth three-time heavyweight champion on Saturday night in a record-breaking event at Wembley Stadium – but ultimately, he fell short. Now, as fans question whether the Joshua era of British boxing has passed – ‘AJ’ has addressed the fans across the country.
Daniel ‘Dynamite’ Dubois exploded onto Joshua from the opening bell onwards at the weekend, scoring four knockdowns in five rounds – the last of which saw a dazed Joshua unable to rise from the canvas and left falling flat on his face. Shortly afterwards, a disappointed Eddie Hearn admitted that he expects the Matchroom poster boy to rematch his younger domestic rival, although at present it remains unclear how the heavyweight division will pan out.
Despite immediate rumours of a rematch, many established figures in boxing have advised Joshua to hang up the gloves but in a video posted onto his social media, the London 2012 gold medallist told fight fans that his journey ‘is far from over yet’.
— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyjoshua) September 23, 2024
“Yesterday night we came up short but we have got to look at the positives. That is the mindset, that is the perspective that we have to have – a positive one, always. Look at what we have achieved in the space of eleven years – it is phenomenal. I want to thank every single one of you that has been riding with me, what a rollercoaster journey, but you know what the problem is? It is that it is far from over yet.
“We have done it once, we have done it twice, doing it a third time hasn’t been easy, but I believe that it is something that I can achieve. It is about making the right steps forward, working hard, improving and it has got to come from here [the heart] more than anything. It can’t come from any external voices or influences, it has got to come from here [heart].
“It has only been a day but when I am sat back and I am thinking, I have got a lot of this [heart], man. I know that I have got a lot of this.
“This is just a video to say thanks for your support, thanks for being on this rollercoaster journey with me. Keep your seatbelts tight because deep down in here [my heart], I know we have got a lot more to bring to the game and long may it continue. British boxing, I appreciate you, we rise up together – let’s go!”
It remains unclear whether Joshua has a definitive rematch-clause in his contract to trigger a second showdown with the IBF world champion, with Hearn claiming that he does and Frank Warren believing that he doesn’t. However, should such a clause not be present in the deal, Dubois could instead opt to wait to fight the winner of Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury’s rematch in a second battle for the undisputed heavyweight crown in as many years.
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