Anthony Joshua’s newest dice-rolling enterprise in climbing up the heavyweight boxing ranks landed the 34-year-old faceplanted in entrance of 96,000 followers at Wembley Stadium in London, whereas Daniel Dubios stood (tall) on each toes and retained the IBF heavyweight title — leaving a transparent avenue for Joshua transferring ahead: retirement.
Joshua was battered all through 5 rounds till Dubios delivered the deadly right-handed blow that sealed the deal. Indicators weren’t promising to start out the battle as Dubios floored Joshua within the first, third and fourth rounds, suggesting Joshua did not even belong within the ring with the 27-year-old who’s strived to show himself as a reputable heavyweight champion. Watching Joshua from begin to end was like watching Kevin Garnett, not with the Minnesota Timberwolves, not with the Boston Celtics, however with the Brooklyn Nets. Fluke notions surrounding Dubios, in the meantime, went out the window — at the very least for now — and Joshua, a former two-time unified WBO, IBF, and WBA heavyweight champion, has remained on skinny ice, battling to regain composure within the boxing ranks after the jaw-dropping defeat of 2019 when Andy Ruiz Jr. turned the primary fighter to defeat Joshua, which sprung one of many sports activities all-time greatest upsets ever. From there, Joshua’s undefeated trajectory of 22-0 took a dramatic spiral, leaving him at present at 28-4 with 25 KOs.
Now, with a profession seemingly left in disarray, Joshua, whereas refusing to take questions after struggling a 3rd loss in his final seven fights, did reply the query on everybody’s thoughts: did Dubios shut the door on his boxing profession?
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“At all times maintain your head excessive. We took a shot at success and we got here up brief, sadly,” Joshua informed reporters Saturday, per Sky Sports activities Boxing. “We rolled the cube, man, for the third time. That is 13 world title fights, not everybody has been profitable, however everybody has been enjoyable and entertaining. We’re making an attempt to create historical past for British boxing and I believe we’re doing that. … Most likely you are asking do I nonetheless need to proceed preventing? In fact, I wanna proceed preventing. That is why I mentioned we took a shot at success and we got here up brief. And what does that imply now? Are we gonna run away? We’re gonna stay to battle one other day. And that is what I’m, I am a warrior.”
The probability of Joshua flat-out calling it quits was as excessive as his possibilities of overcoming the primary knockdown to the canvas from Dubios — or second, or third. Joshua’s vulnerabilities, except for the fatigue and lack of ability to counter the darkish cloud combos from Dubios, go away Joshua cornered by the doubt that first approached him 5 years in the past. Joshua’s did not detach himself from the warranted doubt, that inside the previous half-decade, has grown right into a convincing case that (1) Joshua’s fallen off past attain of a comeback, and (2) retirement, at this level, is the very best set off to tug transferring ahead.
In fact, there’s choice No. 3 which consists of Joshua exercising his rematch clause with Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) — a probable consequence. Barring a miraculous uncovered restoration to dominant kind but to be seen, Joshua can select to take his victory lap into the sundown with a robust Corridor of Fame case alongside him too.
