Prince Naseem Tells Joshua To Retire – ‘He’s Had His Day’

September 23, 2024
4 months
Prince Naseem Tells Joshua To Retire - 'He's Had His Day'

Prince Naseem has advised Anthony Joshua to retire following his loss against Daniel Dubois

Joshua was attempting to become a three-time heavyweight champion when he faced Dubois for the IBF belt. Joshua was confident heading into the fight and was considered the favorite by most of the boxing community. He was in impressive form, having stopped his last two opponents, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou, since teaming up with Ben Davidson. However, the fight did not play out the way that he wanted.

In the first round, Dubois dropped him with a right hand. AJ was on unsteady legs in the second round, after which he was dropped again in the third with a left hook. Joshua was then dropped once again near the start of the fourth round, followed by another knockdown, which was then ruled a slip.

The Brit had his best moments in the fifth round, catching Dubois with a couple of right hands. As he did so, he left himself open as Dubois landed a counter right to end the fight. The Brit took a lot of punishment, but in his post-fight comments, Joshua revealed that he would continue fighting. 

“Of course I want to continue fighting. We took a shot and we came up short. What are we going to do, walk away? We’re going to live another day,” Joshua stated 

Naseem On Joshua

This raises question marks over who he would face next. There are possible fights against Deontay Wilder and Joe Joyce, whilst also considering the Dubois rematch. But Dubois will likely target the winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk for the right to become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. Joshua has generated over $200 million, securing his financial future from the sport. Nasim reacted to the defeat and advised the Brit to call it a day. 

“Whether he can or he can’t, I’d prefer him not to. He’s had his day in the sun like we all have. He’s done great, he won amazing world titles, he’s defended them, he’s earned his dough. Listen, he should bow out gracefully and that’s it, done. Because when he gets hit on the chin – we don’t want to talk about that right now,” Naseem said

Nevertheless, it is important to bear in mind the following factors. It is just a single defeat in his last four fights. Joshua could always take the Dubois rematch, and a win would make him a three-time heavyweight champion, putting him in line for an undisputed shot. Joshua’s defeat also showed some basic mistakes in his fundamentals, which Davidson could rectify.

However, staying too long in the sport is always dangerous. Tyson Fury has potentially shown that in his last performance against Usyk, as he suffered sustained punishment. The three Deontay Wilder fights also get something out of him. Joshua has previously said that he is likely to retire within two years. His business ventures have given him plenty to keep himself occupied. And Joshua must now decide whether to step into the ring again.

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