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.
Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.
Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.
The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.
Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.
The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.
“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.
“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.
“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”
Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.
“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].
Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.
“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.
Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.
“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.
One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.
WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.
“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.
“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.
“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.
He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”
Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.
Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.
Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.
Lauren Price MBE will defend her world title for the first time on Saturday, December 14 at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool, while the Welsh champion plans to stage an all-British unification clash with welterweight rival Natasha Jonas, which will headline the Collision Course that night.
Price defends her WBA welterweight title against undefeated Colombian challenger Bexcy Mateus on the same night as Jonas attempts to unify the IBF and WBC titles with Ivana Habazin as part of BOXXER’s ‘Collision Course’ fight night, which can be seen live and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK UK and Ireland and Peacock in the US.
Price MBE (7-0, 1 KO) made history with an excellent performance, defeating former undisputed welterweight world ruler Jessica McCaskill in front of her fans in Cardiff in May.
Price, the first Welsh boxer to win Olympic gold, once again entered the record books by becoming the country’s first world champion in just her seventh professional fight. The 30-year-old from Ystrad Mynach, who has yet to lose a round as a professional, will now defend her world titles for the first time as she focuses on dominating the welterweight division.
Mateus (7-0, 6 KO), ranked No. 5 in the WBA rankings, is undefeated in the professional ranks and has won all but one of her seven fights by knockout. The 29-year-old from Bogota, fighting outside her native Colombia for the first time, will now have her first chance at global fame, with her goal to dethrone Price and take the top spot in the welterweight division.
Lauren Price said: “I’m excited to defend my belts and complete what has been an crucial year for me. I have full respect for Mateusz. I will prove that I am the best in the division and I will not let anything or anyone stand in my way of being undisputed.”
BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: “It’s a massive night for the women’s welterweight division with three world champions competing. Natasha Jonas returns to her hometown for a mandatory unification fight against Ivana Habazin, and Lauren Price defends her world titles against undefeated challenger Bexcy Mateus. The fight for the undisputed continues. If Natasha and Lauren win on December 14, it will set the stage for a massive “Battle Of Britain” world title unification fight next year.
There’s reason to celebrate as BOXXER delivers a Christmas cracker to end the year. In addition to the world championship fights between Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price, fight fans can expect a gala full of drama and entertainment.
Undefeated Irishman Stephen McKenna (15-0, 14 KO) will face English champion Lee Cutler (14-1, 7 KO) in an invigorating super welterweight fight for the silver WBC International title.
McKenna impressed fans in his three-round fight against Joe Laws last August at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley. The two struck out in the first round, then McKenna began to apply the pressure, losing Laws three more times and maintaining his undefeated record after a third-round stoppage.
English cruiserweight champion Viddal Riley (11-0, 6 KO) returns to action from a rib injury that has kept him out of the ring since a career-best victory over Mikael Lawal in March. Riley will be looking to shake off the ring rust as he takes on high-profile opponents in the recent year.
Undefeated Chorley super middleweight Mark Jeffers (18-0, 5 KO) scored an explosive fifth-round knockout victory over Darren Johnston in May and will be looking to bring more drama to Liverpool’s Exhibition Center as he goes in search of his 19th professional win.
Mason Cartwright (20-4-1, 8 KO) from Cheshire, a former two-time British title challenger from Ellesmere Port, will be counting on local support as he returns to the title track.
After signing a promotional contract with BOXXER, local star Frankie Stringer (8-0, 1 KO) can achieve his third victory in 2024, when he returns in front of his fans in Liverpool. The 23-year-old lightweight fighter is a player of the notable city team Rotunda ABC, and his manager is former world champion Liam Smith.
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