Dubois Says Joshua Has Demons

Daniel Dubois says Anthony Joshua still has demons following his knockout loss in their IBF Heavyweight Title clash.

Dubois shocked the world by dropping Joshua four times, aS he knocked him out in the fifth round. The victory meant he retained his IBF Heavyweight Title, which he secured after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt. Coming into the fight, Joshua felt confident having teamed up with Ben Davidson. During their time together, they had secured back-to-back stoppage wins over Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou. There was a feeling that Joshua was back to his best, as he was throwing a lot more combinations than he had previously done.

But when it came to Dubois, that was far from the case. Dubois dropped him in the first round, as Joshua never really recovered. Just before he was knocked out, Joshua landed a few right hands, leaving himself open as Dubois countered with his own right to end the fight. In his post-fight comments, Joshua confirmed that he would not retire.

Dubois On Joshua

However, there is a perception that Joshua has not looked the same since losing to Andy Ruiz Jr. He was stopped on his American debut at Madison Square Garden. While Joshua won the rematch, he changed his style by boxing and moving rather than going on the front foot. Since then, many fighters have said that Joshua is not the same. And Dubois felt that his latest loss is evidence of that. 

“He’ll have a lot of demons playing on his mind. Who knows if people are talking him into it, I don’t know. I know from my side I’m ready to go out there and show the world that I’m the king. “That’s unfinished business [with Usyk]. I want to get that one right. I want to do it properly and finish him. It will be a good fight, a unification fight, that’s massive,” Dubois said 

Who Wins?

Nevertheless, Joshua has indicated his desire to run things back. That has been his mentality since losing against former fighters. Although that is a commendable thing, there is a risk that Joshua’s brand will suffer even further. Another loss would create the narrative that he is no longer at the elite level.

Joshua was chasing the undisputed fight, and a win over Dubois would have put him in a position to face Tyson Fury or Usyk, who would rematch on December 21. Joshua has also reportedly earned more than $200 million during his time in the sport. That has reduced the pressure on him to continue fighting, especially since he took a lot of punishment in the Dubois bout. But if they do run things back, Dubois will be confident that he can repeat the same result, having had a taste of what the Brit can offer. 

“I think so, I think I would. I think I’d be a lot better again. “It was a great show and it was a great Rocky-type fight, but next time I believe I’ll be more clinical, more sharp and [do] everything better,” Dubois stated 

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