Anthony Joshua has posted a heartfelt message to his supporters addressing his stance on retirement. Joshua was outboxed by a stunning performance from Daniel Dubois as the 34-year-old suffered a knockout defeat in his IBF heavyweight title fight at the All-British event.

Although Dubois entered the fight as the defending IBF champion, the main motive for the fight was Joshua’s return from defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, who was looking to become world champion for the third time in his career.

However, the London 2012 Olympic gold medal winner was truly crushed by his former Great Britain team-mate, who knocked him down four times before he was devastatingly beaten with a right hook to the chin in the fifth round.

Never before in his professional career had Joshua been completely dismantled in the ring, and the incredible nature of the knockout left many fans fearing Joshua’s best days were behind him. But AJ spoke out after the defeat, addressing calls for him to hang up the gloves.

“We fell miniature, but we have to look at the positives. That’s the attitude and perspective we have to have – positive, always,” Joshua said in a video posted on his social media pages.

“Look what we’ve accomplished in 11 years, it’s phenomenal. I want to thank every single one of you who’s been on this rollercoaster ride with me. But you know what the problem is? It’s not over yet.

“We did it once, we did it twice, doing it a third time wasn’t straightforward. But I believe it’s something I can achieve. It’s about taking the right steps forward, working strenuous and improving.”

He added: “It has to come from here (heart) more than anything else. It can’t come from any outside voices or influences, it has to come from here (heart). It’s only been a day, but when I sit down and think about it, I know I have a lot of it (heart).

“Thank you for all your support, thank you for being with me on this up and down journey. Hold on to your seatbelts because deep, deep, deep down I know we have so much more to give, so much more to give to the game and long may that continue. British boxing, I appreciate you. We stand together, let’s go!”

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Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn stated in the ring after the fight that he was confident Joshua would return to face Dubois in a rematch. The Matchroom Boxing boss said: “I’m sure he’ll exercise his rematch clause. I think that’s a certainty.”

He added: “But he will need rest, and it’s a threatening fight. This guy [Dubois] He’s still gaining confidence, but he’s going to believe he can hurt Dubois. He’s going to believe he can beat him. But full credit to Daniel Dubois, he deserves all the credit tonight, that was a great performance from Daniel.”

However, Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren is potentially considering a second fight with Usyk, as he plans a rematch between the Usyk winner and Tyson Fury in December, who will face “Dynamite.”

“Oleksandr Usyk is considered the best heavyweight in the world right now and he (Dubois) had the toughest fight against him at the time, there’s no doubt about it,” Warren said.

“He hurt him” [during their first fight in 2023]I would like to see him fight him now – but of course he has to fight Tyson [Fury] first and I think Tyson will take his skin.

A journalist for a British national newspaper claims he was refused entry to Anthony Joshua’s knockout match with Daniel Dubois after criticising Saudi Arabia for ‘sportwashing’. The Daily Telegraph’s Oliver Brown has been banned from Wembley Stadium after calling the build-up to the season’s event in Riyadh a ‘Saudi Disneyland’.

Before the fight, Brown wrote: article headlined: “Joshua-Dubois’s brazen act of sports speculation is turning London into a Saudi Disneyland.”

Saudi Arabia invests money in a range of sports, from boxing and soccer to tennis and golf. The term “sportswashing” refers to countries and individuals using sports to improve their damaged reputations.

The Gulf kingdom has been accused of human rights abuses, including executions of political activists, discrimination against women and religious minorities, and mistreatment of migrant workers.

Brown described Joshua vs. Dubois as “a convenient vehicle for showcasing the kingdom’s prestige to the world.” Claims that a senior PR person working on the fight sent him an email a little over three hours after his article was published.

The message allegedly said: “Should I conclude from your comments that you no longer wish to participate in this event since you clearly disagree with Saudi Arabia’s involvement in boxing?”

Brown responded by telling PR he still wanted to attend the event to cover it. He claims he has received assurances that his accreditation remains dynamic from Frank Warren’s Queensbury Promotions, with details of where to pick up his pass.

But the journalist continued: “When I arrived on fight night as arranged, the press officer had an orange armband ready for me to access the upstairs media room. But then people started showing up in the lobby to say I had been denied entry and that there was nothing they could do.

“I made numerous calls and sent numerous messages asking if someone would come down to at least discuss the situation in person. All went unanswered.”

Fans were left bewildered when the Saudi national anthem was played before the British fight. Wembley also lit up in the green colours of the country’s flag as singer Rashed Al-Majed sang to the crowd.

Dubois solidified his claim as IBF heavyweight champion by knocking out Joshua in the fifth round in front of 96,000 fans. Promoter Frank Warren says that although there is no rematch clause, Dubois would be open to fighting Joshua again.

We have contacted Matchroom Boxing for comment.

Frank Warren has said he will not interfere with a potential superfight between Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury, despite it being “awkward” to watch his two top heavyweights go head-to-head.

Dubois, 27, defended his IBF heavyweight title in spectacular style, knocking out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round during their fight at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night.

Dynamite defied all odds and thwarted Joshua’s fight with Fury by landing a right punch on AJ that knocked him out.

Fury is scheduled to face division king Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch on December 21, and Dubois has expressed interest in fighting the winner.

Warren, who manages both Dubois and Fury, admitted: “I’ll tell you honestly, I would be in a very, very awkward position if I had to fight that. I would have a problem with that.

“If that’s what they wanted and the business required it, that’s their business. It’s not something I would push. If there’s an offer that makes sense and they want to do it, that’s their business.”

Saudi boxing mogul Turki Alalshikh had ambitious plans for Joshua to face Fury next year, regardless of whether the Gypsy King beats Usyk or not.

Alalshikh envisioned Fury defeating Usyk to win the WBA, WBC and WBO belts, while Joshua would defeat Dubois to win the IBF title, which would set the stage for an undisputed clash between the Brits.

However, Dubois’ victory has dealt a stern blow to those plans, although Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn insists his client is still hopeful of a fight with Fury.

Hall of Fame promoter Warren said, “Everybody was planning on Tyson fighting AJ, and I told them it wasn’t going to happen. I told them straight up. I’m not stupid. I’ve been doing this for a long time.”

Warren defeated two-time champion Joshua, who turns 35 next month, to earn a rematch with Dubois despite suffering a one-sided defeat from his younger opponent.

He added: “I think it’s something that needs to be considered. Everything is on the table.”