Eddie Hearn believes the second fight between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois will be another highlight of the season in Riyadh after they exercised their rematch clause.

There will be many fans interested in watching the Joshua-Dubois rematch because they will want to see if AJ can avenge his loss. Of course, some fans will want to see if Dubois can retire Joshua with a second knockout.

That’s what makes the rematch intriguing and likely to generate massive PPV numbers. Hearn hasn’t said anything about whether Joshua will exercise his rematch clause immediately or wait until he faces Tyson Fury. That’s the fight the public wants to see.

Joshua (28-4, 23 KOs) will be off until the end of the year following his fifth-round knockout loss to IBF heavyweight champion Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) before returning in 2025.

Hearn likes the effort Joshua put in after being hurt in the first round and getting back up in the fourth and fifth. However, by then Joshua was already “damaged goods” and his punch resistance evaporated after the first round.

“He never stopped trying to land those massive punches to knock Dubois out, even when he had no legs, and that’s unbelievable heart,” Eddie Hearn told Stomping Grounds about Anthony Joshua still trying to win, even though he has been in impoverished form since the first round.

Joshua didn’t land many rights in the fight because he looked cautious and had too much muscle in his arms. AJ should have been leaner and more aggressive in this fight. The passive fighting didn’t work for him and it allowed Dubois to gain confidence. If Joshua had hurt Dubois early, it would have discouraged him from throwing.

“You saw him saying, ‘Come on,’ and he was waiting for him and he was waving with his chin up,” Hearn continued of Joshua. “People have criticized AJ in the past for not letting go of his hands. He let go of his hands at the worst possible times.”

Joshua didn’t land many punches in either round; there were a few in the third and fourth, but not enough to hurt Dubois as he should have. He made a massive deal about sending Dubois back to his corner after the fourth, but he didn’t do much in that round.

“I said, ‘You must be proud of yourself because it couldn’t have gotten any worse, and you never stopped trying to get back up.’ Even when he finally couldn’t get back up. [fifth round]trying to get up. Every time he got knocked down, he looked straight at the referee, ‘I’m fine.’ He kept calling for Dubois,” Hearn said.

Joshua put on a brave face when he was knocked down, but you could see he was worried and knew the fight wasn’t going well for him.

“When he came back into the fight and started hurting Dubois, he was already banged up and had been castrated,” Hearn said.

Joshua should have used his jab to set Dubois up for a right hook after he staggered him in the fifth. He had already hurt him. and didn’t need to unload a risky right hook on him.

“We’ll be respectful because I don’t think it’s fair, Daniel, but we have another fight with Riyadh, a season that we can practice. I believe AJ will want it to be Daniel Dubois.

“He felt like he was coming back into the fight,” Hearn said of Joshua, who believed he was gathering strength in the fourth and fifth rounds. “I spoke to him at length last night and he was really prepared to go into the trenches. He told me, ‘I’m really prepared to do whatever it takes,’ and he never stopped trying.”

If Joshua was grave about going to the trenches, he should have thrown more punches because he didn’t throw enough punches to give himself a chance to win the fight. If he could have thrown 40 to 50 punches a round, he would have won easily. He didn’t and seemed to be worried about gas.

“It was strenuous to watch at times in the second and third rounds. He never stopped hanging on, he never stopped swinging, and we should be proud of him for that performance.

“No, I don’t think so,” Hearn said when asked if there was a chance Joshua would retire after the loss. “He was in great shape. He just got caught so early. He didn’t really have a chance to get in the fight, but even under the circumstances he almost found a way to come back.

“So he’ll be devastated, he’ll feel sorry for himself and he’ll miss the rest of the year and then we’ll see him back in 2025,” Hearn said.

Joshua could have had a much better fight and has some regrets. As he takes the rest of the year off, Joshua will have to dwell on his defeat.

JOSH KELLY will hopefully fight for a world title instead of fighting Liam Smith again.

Smith was due to face Kelly on Saturday night as part of the Riyadh series at Wembley Stadium but withdrew due to a virus.

The Liverpool fighter’s slow replacement was “Black Panther” Ishmael Davis, whom Kelly defeated by a majority decision on points (115-113, 115-114, 114-114), which stunned the winner and his team.

Saturday night’s fight took place at middleweight, but Kelly is currently ranked second by the WBO and fifth by the IBF in the super welterweight division.

Kelly’s trainer Adam Booth spoke to him at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night and dismissed any ideas of a confrontation with Smith.

“That’s in the past,” Booth said. “Wasted months on this. World title or the massive fight (next).”

Booth, who has trained fighters including David Haye, George Groves and Michael Conlan, also shared his feelings on Kelly-Davis’ results.

“I scored it 9-3. I’m just disappointed with what the judges did. Winning is the most significant thing and you move on, but when judges do that to fighters, it can destroy their careers because you know perfectly well that if you win, the payouts go up and if you lose, they go down.”

Once upon a time, not so long ago, some called Daniel Dubois a “coward.” They questioned his heart, his integrity, and whether deep down he was truly a champion.

The critical thing is that he never questioned himself. Dubois fought the stigma. He rejuvenated his career with victories over Jarrell Miller (TKO 10) and Filip Hrgovic (TKO 8). His victory over Hrgovic earned him the interim IBF title, which was later elevated to the “full” list of titles.

Still, he and Anthony Joshua needed each other. They were two wounded boxing souls, connected by a common denominator—each had lost to the undefeated Ringo and world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Both needed to reclaim their heavyweight positions, both needed redemption in a strange way against each other.

Dubois won the belt Saturday night in a stunning fifth-round knockout of Joshua at “Riyadh Season: Wembley Edition” before a record crowd of 96,000 at Wembley Stadium in London, England, defending the IBF heavyweight title that Usyk vacated for a rematch with Tyson Fury in December.

The Ring’s No. 6 heavyweight contender, the 27-year-old Dubois (22-2, 21 knockouts) floored the 34-year-old Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) in the first, third, fourth and fifth rounds. The end officially came at :59 of the fifth round when Dubois caught Joshua in the jaw with a counter right punch.

“I just have a few things to say: ‘Aren’t you entertained!’” Dubois shouted to the energetic crowd. “It’s been a long journey. I’m grateful to be in this position. I’m a gladiator and a warrior who fights to the bitter end. Behind the scenes, working with my dad and having a mighty team helped me get through it. I’ve been on a rollercoaster and this is my redemption story.”

Dubois landed 91 of 230 punches (46%), including 27 power punches, while Joshua landed 60 of 139 (48%) and 16 power punches.

“Credit to (Dubois) and his team,” Joshua said. “We rolled the dice and we didn’t get it. You know I’m pissed off. You know I want to kick it. We’re still rolling the dice. I had a tough opponent, a swift opponent, but I made a lot of mistakes. That’s the game, as pissed off as I am.”

Daniel Dubois catches Anthony Joshua in round 1. From that point on, Joshua had no chance against Dubois. (Photo by Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)

Early on, Dubois attacked Joshua in the first minute. Dubois, dressed in black, entered the ring very composed, almost seemingly too relaxed. Joshua, in white trunks, seemed tense during his walk around the ring.

Dubois, weighing 248.6 pounds, his career-high, dropped Joshua with a powerful right hook to the chin in the final five seconds of the first round, after Joshua missed Dubois with a right hook.

Not wanting to lose momentum, Dubois came at Joshua in the opening minutes of the second round. Dubois looked to have Joshua in trouble again, but by the middle of the round Joshua seemed to have settled down. Joshua survived the round despite being struck in the back of the head by a right from Dubois.

Early in the third round, Dubois stunned Joshua with a quick combination. He forced Joshua to retreat and still look for his feet. In the final minute of the round, Dubois sent Joshua to the canvas for the second time. Dubois crushed Joshua with a left to the chin, and referee Marcus McDonnell did a very needy job of not seeing Joshua’s gloves touch the cloth.

Dubois dropped Joshua — officially — early in the fourth round. Perhaps it was a rebound from the previous round, as it looked more like a slip than a punch-induced knockdown.

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Joshua was everywhere. Dubois looked tired, but Joshua looked to be on his feet. With 1:29 left in the round, Dubois threw a right jab at Joshua that sent him sprawling backwards against the ropes. Slow in the fourth, Joshua didn’t seem to have much to lose.

As Joshua looked to be coming back in the fifth round, Dubois caught Joshua with a counter right to the chin with 2:11 left in the round. Joshua went down in the corner for the fourth time, and this time McDonnell made the right decision and turned it down at :59.

Joshua’s future is something to consider. He was supposed to eat Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019 and was knocked out in the seventh round, losing his IBF and WBO titles. He lost those same titles to Usyk in 2021 and lost to Usyk in a rematch in 2022.

He is now on his third trainer after parting ways with Robert McCracken following his first loss to Usyk in September 2021. He was previously coached by Derrick James and Robert Garcia before settling on his current trainer, Ben Davison.

“AJ kept fighting, never gave up and never stopped trying to get up when he couldn’t get up,” said Matchroom Promotions CEO Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter. “A huge, huge congratulations to Daniel Dubois. I’m sure AJ will exercise his rematch clause. Daniel Dubois deserves all the credit.”

When it comes to the number of missed opportunities Joshua has had, Dubois is on the opposite side. Dubois appeared to have knocked Usyk down in the fifth round of their August 2023 fight, which was considered a low blow, although some thought it was controversial. Usyk outlasted Dubois, stopping him in the ninth round.

When asked who he would like to fight next, Dubois said Usyk. He will have to wait for that chance.

Meanwhile, no one will call him a “give up” anymore.

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