Anthony Joshua Beaten by Dubois: Should he Continue Fighting?

Five years ago, Anthony Joshua was on top of the world, winning his rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr. to reclaim his title of unified heavyweight champion. The Watford boy has faced some turbulence since then, most notably in his consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk. But the lowest point of his career undeniably came last month as he was crushed by Daniel Dubois in a mere five rounds, with the once-champion catching a nasty right hook to the jaw and collapsing on the canvas.

The defeat saw Joshua drop from #1 to #7 in the WBO World Rankings. The boxer turns 35 this month, and considering he has faced three defeats in his last seven fights, the question on everyone’s mind now is: could it be time for AJ to hang up the gloves?

The performance was undeniably one of his weakest to date, as Dubois made the heavyweight look like an amateur on the biggest night of his life. AJ’s strategy seemed utterly absurd, with defence being thrown out the window as he looked to take an aggressive approach, deservedly facing a powerful blow only fifteen seconds in to the first round.

It’s been clear for years to fans that Anthony isn’t the same boxer he once was, with his confidence taking a hit since his first rout against Ruiz. AJ has a tendency to panic and lose his composure after being caught by a solid punch, which we saw yet again against Dubois as his footwork began to falter early on.

Joshua and his camp had claimed before the fight that he was in “supreme condition both physically and mentally,” which many feel was disproven by every aspect of his performance against Dubois. So is it now a case that no amount of training and preparation can compensate for AJ’s underlying issues?

Continuing his career in the state that he’s in could potentially tarnish his record even further, as well as place him at risk of facing serious injuries that will affect him far beyond his boxing endeavours.

On top of this, it’s hard to say if there’s even anyone out there that AJ is worth fighting at this stage. Talks of him clashing with Tyson Fury have floated around for years now, but that ship has more than likely sailed, and a rematch against Dubois could lead to even more embarassment for him.

Time isn’t exactly on AJ’s side at this stage, and so the best thing for him to do may well be to call it quits. He’s had an incredible career, from his two spells as heavyweight champion to winning an Olympic gold medal at London 2012, and it would be best to end things before they turn even more sour.

Knowing AJ though, this won’t be the last we see of him. Eddie Hearn seems certain that a rematch is on the cards, and considering the amount of money it would rake in, it’s hard to imagine either boxer saying no.

Could Anthony Joshua pull a Ruiz II-style turnaround against Dubois and shock the world once again? It feels incredibly unlikely, but AJ has been known to prove doubters wrong in the past. His career is at a make-or-break point now, and so him and his team need to be willing to give everything they’ve got in order to reclaim his crown.