Fans Want Joshua To Retire – What’s Next?
Daniel Dubois dropped Anthony Joshua four times to stop him in the fifth round to retain his IBF Heavyweight Title, raising question marks over AJ’s future.
Joshua wanted to become a three-time heavyweight champion to cap off a successful period since teaming up with Ben Davidson. But Dubois looked impressive, beating AJ to the punch and overpowering his man. The Saudis have said they want to make the Fury-Joshua fight, regardless of what happens when the Gypsy King rematches Oleksandr Usyk on December 21.
Fury has the chance to avenge his sole loss, but it won’t be undisputed. A win for Fury would set up a mega domestic clash with Joshua. But there is no guarantee that Fury will go ahead with the fight. Another Fury lost to Usyk will increase the calls on him to retire. Fury’s brother, Shane Fury, has suggested that he wants his brother to retire regardless of the Usyk result.
Joshua’s Options
The Ukrainian has indicated his desire to rematch Joshua, especially since AJ had given him two opportunities for the belts. Usyk boxed him twice and won on both occasions to become the Unified Heavyweight Champion. However, the Ukrainian’s team have indicated that Usyk’s commercial value has grown since then. Joshua may not be the A-side now, as Usyk is likely to get a larger piece of the pie than last time.
Outside of those fights, there is also the opportunity to box Deontay Wilder. Wilder has lost his last two fights with defeats against Joseph Parker and Zhilea Zhang. Joshua had signed a deal to fight Wilder twice. It was called off after the Bronze Bomber failed to beat Parker. Wilder, however, is not going to retire just yet. His trainer, Malik Scott, has indicated that the Bronze Bomber will continue as they eye future fights with Joshua and Francis Ngnnou.
Another option could be to take on Zhang. The Chinese heavyweight has repeatedly accused Joshua’s team of ducking him. Zhang has had a resurgence of late, stopping Wilder in his last fight. He faced Joshua on one occasion at the London 2012 Olympics. While he suffered a loss, Zhang has the opportunity to right that wrong at the age of 41.
Another alternative is to face off against Derek Chisora. Chisora has admitted that he will retire after his 50th fight. The British heavyweight is coming off a win against Joe Joyce, which was his 48th bout. Chisora is looking to secure the biggest fights and the biggest paydays once he retires. A fight with Joshua would sell out, even if he is considered the much weaker man.
Should He Retire?
Joshua has indicated previously that he wants to retire within two years. That leaves him looking to secure the biggest fights . While Usyk and Fury are the biggest fights, Joshua has to decide whether to focus on currency or legacy. Either way, the Brit has plenty of thinking to do moving forward as some fans wanted him to retire.
“Credit to him and his team. We rolled the dice at success and we came up short. You know I’m ready to kick up in the ring, but I’m going to keep my cool and keep very professional and give the respect to my opponent. Before I came here, I’m always saying to myself I’m a fighter for life. We rolled the dice at success and we came up short, [but] we’ll keep rolling the dice. I had a sharp opponent, a fast opponent. And secondly a lot of mistakes on my end. But that’s the game….it is what it is,” Joshua
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