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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

A boxer even older than Mike Tyson calls out to Jake Paul and threatens to knock him out

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Oliver McCall, who was 59, was defended for his decision to continue fighting, which contrasted with the criticism Mike Tyson faced during his November fight with Jake Paul because of his age.

On November 15, Tyson, 58, went head-to-head with “Problem Child” at ATandT Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

He outperformed his eight-round unanimous decision by appearing slower and less agile than his younger counterpart during the match. Considering Tyson’s age and his absence from professional boxing since 2005, fans were not shocked by Paul’s victory over the former WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight champion.

Paul, a YouTuber-turned-boxer who is 31 years Tyson’s junior, looked noticeably fresh during the fight, improving his professional record to 11-1 with the victory. However, McCall did not face the same criticism as Tyson when he entered the ring four days later at the Texas Troubadour Theater under the Country Box banner, a year Tyson’s senior, to face 54-year-old Stacy Frazier.

McCall improved his record to 60-14-2 (no contest) via second-round TKO after knocking his opponent down twice in the fight, ending the fight with a crushing right hand 25 seconds into the fight. Concerned for the well-being of older boxers, Kevin Walters of the Tennessee Athletic Commission recently commented on how fighters are cleared to fight.

He said News from the world of boxing: “By law, every veteran over the age of 35 undergoes additional neurological examinations before obtaining their first or renewed license. All applications are processed in accordance with Tennessee laws and regulations.”

Despite debates about safety, McCall seems far from retired, and he eagerly challenges Paul after his victory in the ring: “I’ll lose about 10 more pounds and I’m ready for anyone. Oh, I’m going to knock out Jake Paul.

“I want to get revenge for Nate Robinson and then Mike Tyson for what he did to Mike Tyson. “That would be awesome” – incorrectly calling out Logan Paul to fight as NBA character slayer Robinson, when the real antagonist was actually Jake.

Oliver McCall, a boxing veteran who famously defeated Lennox Lewis for the WBC heavyweight title in September 1994, is preparing for another fight despite his advanced age. With a professional debut in November 1985 and a 24-5 record before a stunning TKO victory over Lewis, McCall demonstrated remarkable longevity in the sport.

He successfully defended the title once, but lost it to Frank Bruno almost a year later. Now, at an age when many boxers have long since hung up their gloves, McCall is preparing to step into the ring against Gary Cobia on Jan. 21 in Nashville.

However, there is a twist in the story when a fight hangs in the balance; Walters revealed that Cobia has not yet applied to the Commission for a license. He explained: ‘Commission staff consider all applications for licenses and permits. Veterans who are thirty-five years of age or older undergo additional neurological examinations to obtain or renew their licenses. If the person is eligible for a permit, the Commission may approve the application.

“Gary Cobia has not yet applied for a license. If he applies for a license, Commission staff will review relevant information, documents and any suspension status.”

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UK Boxing

Eddie Hearn claims Joshua is hurting over the loss of Dubois

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Dubois destroyed Joshua in five rounds in September Photo Credit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua has suffered since his devastating defeat to Daniel Dubois. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua has suffered since his devastating defeat to Daniel Dubois. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

Eddie Hearn claims Anthony Joshua has suffered the psychological impact of his brutal defeat to Daniel Dubois.

Hearn saw his man Joshua get crushed by Dubois five rounds in Septemberwhose bid to win the IBF world heavyweight title collapsed in front of a record crowd of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.

The head of Matchroom says the two-time world heavyweight champion cannot accept defeat.

“I saw the pain he felt after losing to Dubois,” Hearn said Chris Mannix.

“And he suffered it because he wanted it so bad.

In September, Dubois defeated Joshua in five rounds. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
In September, Dubois defeated Joshua in five rounds. Photo: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing

“He is striving to achieve this great performance.

“He puts in all the work to make sure he performs well tonight, but he didn’t perform, and worse still, he didn’t perform well.

“He’s at rock bottom.

In my opinion, he didn’t take the defeat well and that’s a sign of someone who cares, and that’s a sign of someone who wants it, and he wants it bad, he still does.

Fury suffered his second defeat in a row against Usyk. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions
Fury suffered his second defeat in a row against Usyk. Photo: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions

Joshua, 35, is on holiday in Nigeria and told the media that he finally wants to face fierce rival Tyson Fury this year.

In December, 36-year-old Fury suffered a second straight defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, and Hearn maintains that “AJ” is only looking for fights with Fury or Dubois.

“This is the biggest commercial fight in boxing,” he added.

“It’s just a massive fight and for AJ, when you look at his resume, there’s only one thing missing: I know the fight with Wilder that we signed a contract for and he got beat, but it’s just Tyson Fury.

“Actually, AJ only has two things to do, one is to try to get a rematch with Dubois, who obviously has a tough fight against Joseph Parker, and the other is to fight Tyson Fury.

“As long as Tyson Fury wants to continue fighting and is motivated to fight, I just believe it will happen because I don’t see any other option for Fury.”

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UK Boxing

Eddie Hearn’s ‘immediate’ message to Tyson Fury that Anthony Joshua hopes he will accept

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Eddie Hearn says the road is clear for the long-awaited dream match between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury – provided the Gypsy King wants it. Both British boxing legends have suffered painful title defeats. Joshua was knocked out by Daniel Dubious at Wembley and Fury lost his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia last month.

These defeats have naturally dampened some fans’ enthusiasm for a Joshua-Fury fight, although it would still be an appetizing and lucrative prospect even without the belts on the line. Joshua has made it clear he wants this fight, while Fury considers his future after his second defeat to Usyk.

If the 36-year-old Gypsy King decides to extend his career, Joshua’s promoter Hearn insists the fight could happen “immediately”. Matchroom boss said A place of stomping on YouTube: “This is the fight everyone wants. Tell me about the bigger fight? There is not one.

“I don’t know if it will happen. There were no discussions. Fury is recovering from this defeat and will decide what he wants to do after the break. If he wants to fight AJ, the fight happens immediately. We’ll see.”

Hearn says it is too early to put pressure on Fury and his team. He said: “I don’t think this is the time to start poking Tyson Fury. Don’t forget he lost on December 21st, so give him a few weeks to relax.

“Sooner or later, in the coming weeks, we will want to develop a plan for Anthony Joshua. That’s when the conversation with Frank Warren will happen [Fury’s promoter]Spencer Brown [Fury’s manager] and His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] and say, “We want to create AJ-Fury – what do you think?” We’ll go from there.”

Warren will also not put any pressure on Fury. He writes recently in his Daily Star columnthe Queensbury boss said: “I will not pick up the phone and ask Tyson Fury to fight again.

“If there is an opportunity for him, it will be passed on. But I won’t give you any advice on whether Tyson should take it. I haven’t talked to him yet about fighting Anthony Joshua and I will only do so if he comes to me and says he wants to get in the ring with him.

“My only hope is for Tyson to be cheerful and content with his life. If that happens, I will be more proud than you can imagine. If he decides to box again, I will support him 100%. This is a decision for me. him, his wife Paris and their family.”

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