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Eddie Hearn Talks Anthony Joshua’s Retirement Plan Ahead of Daniel Dubois Fight

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Eddie Hearn has suggested Anthony Joshua could have five more fights despite the British boxer insisting his retirement is inevitable. Joshua, 34, previously claimed he would retire when he turned 35 but is enjoying his boxing ahead of his fight with Daniel Dubois.

Joshua will fight for a third heavyweight title on Saturday, September 21, when he faces Dubois at Wembley Stadium, an arena close to his heart. Joshua last fought at Wembley in 2018, when he was undefeated and improved to 22-0 after defeating Alexander Povetkin.

It was also the stadium where Joshua defeated the great Wladimir Klitschko, but he is a completely different fighter now to the raw talent that was just starting out. Dubois is 21-2 and a grave threat to Joshua, but Hearn believes this could be the first of several fights to come.

“Everything changes after every fight, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him enjoy boxing so much,” Hearn revealed talkSPORT“The preparation, the team. It’s uncomplicated but effective. I think he really found his rhythm with Ben [Davison] and the camp there.

“And I think if you look back after Oleksandr Usyk’s fights, you can say, ‘How many more fights? Three? Five?’ Well, since then we’ve had four, and now we’re talking five [more] still. It’s always fight after fight.”

Hearn’s admission suggests a change in attitude behind the scenes for Joshua, who was at one point losing his dominance in boxing. A shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. shattered Joshua’s confidence, while back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk raised concerns about Joshua’s future.

Since then, he has rebounded with four straight wins, defeating Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and finally former UFC star Francis Ngannou. But despite Joshua’s rebuilding process, he revealed he will retire at the age of 35.

“I’ve always said 35,” Joshua said, discussing his retirement during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show. “I’ll be 35 in October, I think two more years if my body holds up.

“I’ve started some businesses that I can transition into naturally, that don’t rely on me being the front-runner.” Joshua had been expected to fight Filip Hrgovic, the Croatian fighter who held the IBF International heavyweight title for many years.

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But Dubois took the interim belt from Hrgovic with an eighth-round TKO, setting up the Joshua fight. Dubois has also rebuilt his career and sees the Joshua fight as a gigantic opportunity to make a statement. “It’s been a journey. I feel like it’s been a resurrection of my career,” Dubois told Sky Sports.

“I was at the bottom and now I’m back on top. It’s deeper than just me and AJ in the ring. It’s all on the line. Who has the stronger will, who’s really conquered their demons and who’s really ready to move forward, and I believe that’s me and I’m ready to go out there and show it.”

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UK Boxing

Daniel Dubois Accused of ‘Two Illegal Punches’ Before Anthony Joshua Knockout

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Eddie Hearn has made accusations against Daniel Dubois, claiming he threw two illegal punches during his fight with Anthony Joshua.

Despite being knocked out in the fifth round by Dubois, Hearn pointed out moments where Dynamite seemed to overreact, most notably claiming that Joshua was hit “in the testicles” in the third or fourth round of the fight, which took place on Saturday night.

He expressed his frustration that Joshua did not take full advantage of the time available to him to recover, but also praised Dubois for the decisive victory.

Hearn summed up Joshua’s resilience after the knockout: “I told him he must be proud that he even made it back in the fight because after the second round, for me, the fight was over, it was over.

“Even after the last knockout, he’s trying to get back up.”

The Matchroom boss added: “He couldn’t have tried to do one more inch. When you do that, you can look yourself in the mirror. He came to the end in the trenches. People want to talk about getting down on one knee and spitting out the mouthguard.”

Hearn further stated that the unfortunate low blows could have been due to inexperience, saying: “Listen, when Daniel Dubois hit him in the balls in the third or fourth round, I was yelling at AJ to take the full five minutes.

“It’s actually a bit of inexperience. At that moment, when he couldn’t stand, he was hit full force in the chestnuts.

“He told the referee, ‘It’s all right, let’s go,’ and I said, ‘What are you doing?’ Then it happened again. He just came out to fight tonight. It was a hell of a fight. As devastated as we are, Daniel deserves a lot of credit.”

“Tonight is his coronation night. Without being elevated to interim champion, tonight is the night he showed he is a true world champion. He also has a great future ahead of him.

“Of course I still want to fight. We tried to succeed and we failed. Do we run away now or live to fight another day? I am a warrior. Always walk with your head held high.

“We’ve rolled the dice. It’s 13 world title fights, not all of them have been successful but they’ve all been fun and entertaining. We want to make history in British boxing and I think we’re doing that.”

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UK Boxing

Anthony Joshua shows off seconds before Daniel Dubois crashes in fresh footage

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Anthony Joshua showed courage and determination to fight Daniel Dubois all the way to the fifth round, and his belief that he could come back and win the fight was evident right up until the final moment he was put on the mat.

Joshua’s plan went to waste when he was floored by a powerful right hook from Dubois in the first round. According to his promoter, Eddie Hearn, from that point on he fought with “heart” and showed it in spades.

Further knockdowns followed in the third and fourth rounds, and it took Dubois quite a while to finish the job against the resilient AJ.

The knockout blow came in the fifth round, and boxing fans around the world and the 96,000 spectators at Wembley were stunned by the blow that sent Joshua crashing to the ground with greater force than ever before.

Crowd footage circulating on social media show the moments leading up to Dubois’ devastating right hook from a fresh angle. And 16 seconds before it landed, with his back against the wall, Joshua showed off by glaring and sticking his tongue out at a spectator.

The 34-year-old initially showed off his confidence by landing a precise right punch on Dubois. But when he moved in, the fight was over for good.

Sensing an opportunity and moving forward, AJ landed a hook, but before it could land, Dubois’ tiny, pointed punch connected right to the chin. The 27-year-old defended his IBF heavyweight title, although he may have to fight Joshua again to retain it.

“I think he’ll exercise that rematch clause, I think that’s for sure,” Hearn told Matchroom shortly after. “He’ll need some rest, it’s a unsafe fight, he’s just gaining confidence all the time.

“He’ll believe he can hurt Dubois, he’ll believe he can beat him. But full credit to Daniel Dubois, he deserves all the credit, it was a great performance.”

Hearn continued at the post-fight press conference: “I think 2025 is going to be an fascinating year for Anthony Joshua, one way or another, but he’s definitely going to come back and whether it’s a fight with Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury, whoever, you’re going to have a good time.”

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UK Boxing

Tyson Fury Gets His Wish As Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois Fight Predictions Are Exact

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Tyson Fury was sitting ringside at Wembley Stadium as Daniel Dubois knocked out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round of their IBF heavyweight title fight – and got the result he wanted.

Dubois (22-2) entered the fight as the champion but was still considered an underdog, knocking down Joshua (28-4) four times in the first four rounds before ending the fight less than a minute into the fifth.

Fury I felt the fight would end in a knockout, and he got his wish when he saw the result as a fan at ringside. Before the fight he said, “I think it’s a tough fight for both guys, they’re going to be hitting each other and it could go either way.

Although Fury was unsure who would win the fight, he predicted excitement: “It’s not a foregone conclusion[of who will win; they’re both heavy punchers and could knock each other out][ktowygra;obajsąmocnymipięściarzamiimoglibysięnawzajemznokautować[ofwhowillwin;they’rebothheavypunchersandcouldknockeachotherout

“I can’t wait for the fight. The real winners are the ones who come and watch people beat each other up.

“I’m going as a fan and I don’t have any percentages for either one; whoever wins, wins. I’m sure it’ll be an thrilling fight as long as it lasts, if there’s not a knockout either way I’ll be disappointed.”

“Opportunity can come to Daniel, you don’t know what role the crowd can play in the fight, but in my experience in a boxing fight you’re there and it’s a fight, and it’s like Donkey Kong.”

Fury is scheduled to face Oleksandr Usyk on December 21, 2024 in a rematch of their May fight. Usyk handed Fury his first defeat as a professional boxer, becoming the sport’s first undisputed champion since 1999.

If Usyk were to win, Dubois could challenge him to a fight in 2025 to settle the undisputed heavyweight title once and for all. However, the Ukrainian defeated Dubois last year, albeit after controversy after Dubois’ body blow that floored Usyk was ruled a low blow.

“I’m fighting for all the glory, for me I’m a hunter and I have to hunt,” Dubois said after defeating Joshua. “It’s been a journey and I’m grateful to be in this position. I’m a gladiator, I’m a warrior until the bitter end. I want to reach the pinnacle of this sport and reach my full potential.”

When asked who he would like to fight next, Dubois replied: “All the best, maybe Usyk, that’s a huge chance for me to redeem myself, but anyone can do it.”

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