“AJ” fell four times during the competition at the national stadium before his rival finished the job 59 seconds into the fifth round. This knockout victory meant that Dubois retained the IBF heavyweight title, which he held on an interim basis.
Joshua entered the fight as the favorite, especially since he had a four-fight unbeaten streak after consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk. The Watford-born superstar sent former UFC champion Francis Ngannou to his final fight, restoring his status as one of the most feared heavyweights in the world.
However, the defeat to Dubois leaves the 34-year-old with some decisions to make as he considers his next options. With his client already having a rematch clause, promoter Hearn told DAZN: “Like all these fights, the man in the middle is his excellency, so Frank and I don’t always talk about doing the fight.
“It is His Excellency who is talking to Frank, he is talking to me and of course we are also talking – we are keeping everyone updated,” he continued, explaining that talks are ongoing behind the scenes. So there is a certain period of time during which AJ’s contract in which he must make a decision.
“It’s not over yet, but he’s thinking strenuous, resting his body and wondering what he’ll do. This is still pretty fresh, just three weeks ago [loss against Dubois]. He is devastated by the defeat. Daniel’s had a great time in Brazil as the fresh champion and he fully deserved it.
He added: “So we’ll see, I think that’s the right answer. This is an crucial decision for Anthony, the Fury-Usyk fight is approaching. There are options for him but I don’t think there is a right or wrong decision, honestly we will have to see what happens in the next few weeks.
Hearn, in a less timid response earlier, suggested that Joshua is definitely considering returning to the ring against Dubois in the future. He informed Heavenly sports: “When you start thinking about it, I don’t think you should make a bad decision.
“I know he’s leaning towards a rematch. Because he wants to win the world heavyweight title – instead of fighting [Deontay] Wild [or] I’m waiting for [Tyson] Fury.”
The Matchbox Boxing representative added: “And then the whole next year will be full of excitement, not a fight for the world heavyweight title. If it’s all up to AJ, and it will be eventually, I think it will all work out.” It will be very hard to dissuade him from taking part in the rematch.”