Promoter Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua will want another “massive fight” after the former two-time heavyweight champion vowed to continue despite shocking defeat to Daniel Dubois on Saturday in London.

Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) repeatedly knocked Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) down at Wembley Stadium before finally landing a powerful right hook in the fifth round that sent his English rival to the mat, handing him the fourth loss of his career. Dubois defended his IBF belt.

Joshua appeared at the post-fight press conference and assured that he will continue fighting.

“You’re probably asking, ‘Do I still want to fight?’ Of course I want to keep fighting,” Joshua said.

“That’s what I said, that we tried to succeed and we failed. What does that mean now? Are we going to run away? [Or] Will we live to fight another day?

Dubois charged forward and caught his opponent off guard, landing a powerful left hook that dropped Joshua for the first time slow in Round 1, capping a near-perfect opening that stunned the Wembley crowd – and Joshua.

“We also have to give credit to our opponent, Daniel. Congratulations to him and his team, and thanks to my team for the way they prepared for me. There were a few mistakes there, but that’s the nature of the game,” Joshua said. “Tiny margins can cost you a lot at the highest level.”

Hearn stated in the ring that the rematch clause would likely be activated, but explained at the post-fight press conference that Joshua had signed a deal to fight next season in Riyadh and would likely want a rematch.

Hearn said Joshua is keen to take part in critical fights to finish his career and that another pre-fight fight is unlikely.

“We have another fight with Riyadh Season and Turki Alalshikh and Daniel Dubois are part of that plan, but it could easily be Tyson Fury or another heavyweight,” Hearn said. “I don’t think it’s a career-ending fight for him, but he’s in the final chapters of his career and it was a massive blow because we wanted to win tonight and fight the winner of Fury and [Oleksandr] Usyk.

“I know he’s going to want a massive fight, I don’t think he’s going to want to come back in February or March for a round, Helenius or Franklin or those types of fights. I feel like we’ve done that and the next decision is going to be very critical.”

JOSH KELLY will hopefully fight for a world title instead of fighting Liam Smith again.

Smith was due to face Kelly on Saturday night as part of the Riyadh series at Wembley Stadium but withdrew due to a virus.

The Liverpool fighter’s slow replacement was “Black Panther” Ishmael Davis, whom Kelly defeated by a majority decision on points (115-113, 115-114, 114-114), which stunned the winner and his team.

Saturday night’s fight took place at middleweight, but Kelly is currently ranked second by the WBO and fifth by the IBF in the super welterweight division.

Kelly’s trainer Adam Booth spoke to him at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night and dismissed any ideas of a confrontation with Smith.

“That’s in the past,” Booth said. “Wasted months on this. World title or the massive fight (next).”

Booth, who has trained fighters including David Haye, George Groves and Michael Conlan, also shared his feelings on Kelly-Davis’ results.

“I scored it 9-3. I’m just disappointed with what the judges did. Winning is the most significant thing and you move on, but when judges do that to fighters, it can destroy their careers because you know perfectly well that if you win, the payouts go up and if you lose, they go down.”

Once upon a time, not so long ago, some called Daniel Dubois a “coward.” They questioned his heart, his integrity, and whether deep down he was truly a champion.

The critical thing is that he never questioned himself. Dubois fought the stigma. He rejuvenated his career with victories over Jarrell Miller (TKO 10) and Filip Hrgovic (TKO 8). His victory over Hrgovic earned him the interim IBF title, which was later elevated to the “full” list of titles.

Still, he and Anthony Joshua needed each other. They were two wounded boxing souls, connected by a common denominator—each had lost to the undefeated Ringo and world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Both needed to reclaim their heavyweight positions, both needed redemption in a strange way against each other.

Dubois won the belt Saturday night in a stunning fifth-round knockout of Joshua at “Riyadh Season: Wembley Edition” before a record crowd of 96,000 at Wembley Stadium in London, England, defending the IBF heavyweight title that Usyk vacated for a rematch with Tyson Fury in December.

The Ring’s No. 6 heavyweight contender, the 27-year-old Dubois (22-2, 21 knockouts) floored the 34-year-old Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) in the first, third, fourth and fifth rounds. The end officially came at :59 of the fifth round when Dubois caught Joshua in the jaw with a counter right punch.

“I just have a few things to say: ‘Aren’t you entertained!’” Dubois shouted to the energetic crowd. “It’s been a long journey. I’m grateful to be in this position. I’m a gladiator and a warrior who fights to the bitter end. Behind the scenes, working with my dad and having a mighty team helped me get through it. I’ve been on a rollercoaster and this is my redemption story.”

Dubois landed 91 of 230 punches (46%), including 27 power punches, while Joshua landed 60 of 139 (48%) and 16 power punches.

“Credit to (Dubois) and his team,” Joshua said. “We rolled the dice and we didn’t get it. You know I’m pissed off. You know I want to kick it. We’re still rolling the dice. I had a tough opponent, a swift opponent, but I made a lot of mistakes. That’s the game, as pissed off as I am.”

Daniel Dubois catches Anthony Joshua in round 1. From that point on, Joshua had no chance against Dubois. (Photo by Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing)

Early on, Dubois attacked Joshua in the first minute. Dubois, dressed in black, entered the ring very composed, almost seemingly too relaxed. Joshua, in white trunks, seemed tense during his walk around the ring.

Dubois, weighing 248.6 pounds, his career-high, dropped Joshua with a powerful right hook to the chin in the final five seconds of the first round, after Joshua missed Dubois with a right hook.

Not wanting to lose momentum, Dubois came at Joshua in the opening minutes of the second round. Dubois looked to have Joshua in trouble again, but by the middle of the round Joshua seemed to have settled down. Joshua survived the round despite being struck in the back of the head by a right from Dubois.

Early in the third round, Dubois stunned Joshua with a quick combination. He forced Joshua to retreat and still look for his feet. In the final minute of the round, Dubois sent Joshua to the canvas for the second time. Dubois crushed Joshua with a left to the chin, and referee Marcus McDonnell did a very needy job of not seeing Joshua’s gloves touch the cloth.

Dubois dropped Joshua — officially — early in the fourth round. Perhaps it was a rebound from the previous round, as it looked more like a slip than a punch-induced knockdown.

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Joshua was everywhere. Dubois looked tired, but Joshua looked to be on his feet. With 1:29 left in the round, Dubois threw a right jab at Joshua that sent him sprawling backwards against the ropes. Slow in the fourth, Joshua didn’t seem to have much to lose.

As Joshua looked to be coming back in the fifth round, Dubois caught Joshua with a counter right to the chin with 2:11 left in the round. Joshua went down in the corner for the fourth time, and this time McDonnell made the right decision and turned it down at :59.

Joshua’s future is something to consider. He was supposed to eat Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019 and was knocked out in the seventh round, losing his IBF and WBO titles. He lost those same titles to Usyk in 2021 and lost to Usyk in a rematch in 2022.

He is now on his third trainer after parting ways with Robert McCracken following his first loss to Usyk in September 2021. He was previously coached by Derrick James and Robert Garcia before settling on his current trainer, Ben Davison.

“AJ kept fighting, never gave up and never stopped trying to get up when he couldn’t get up,” said Matchroom Promotions CEO Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter. “A huge, huge congratulations to Daniel Dubois. I’m sure AJ will exercise his rematch clause. Daniel Dubois deserves all the credit.”

When it comes to the number of missed opportunities Joshua has had, Dubois is on the opposite side. Dubois appeared to have knocked Usyk down in the fifth round of their August 2023 fight, which was considered a low blow, although some thought it was controversial. Usyk outlasted Dubois, stopping him in the ninth round.

When asked who he would like to fight next, Dubois said Usyk. He will have to wait for that chance.

Meanwhile, no one will call him a “give up” anymore.

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