Eddie Hearn, promoter for Anthony Joshua, is confident that the defeated fighter will seek a rematch against Daniel Dubois following their recent match. Joshua, 34, faced a fifth-round knockout at the hands of Dubois, who is 27, during their all-British clash at Wembley Stadium, resulting in Joshua losing the IBF world heavyweight title.
After the fight, in front of a crowd of 96,000, Hearn stated, “I am sure he’ll exercise that rematch clause. I think that’s a given. But he’ll need a rest and it’s a dangerous fight. This guy (Dubois) is growing in confidence all the time, but he’ll believe he can hurt Dubois. He’ll believe he can beat him. But full credit to Daniel Dubois; he deserves all the credit tonight. It was a great performance from Daniel.”
In contrast, Dubois’ promoter, Frank Warren, is keen for Dubois to challenge Oleksandr Usyk, who is set to fight Tyson Fury again in December. Warren expressed, “Oleksandr Usyk is considered to be at the moment the best heavyweight in the world, and he gave him at that time his toughest fight, there’s no doubt about that. He hurt him during their first fight in 2023. I’d like to see him fight him now – but obviously he’s got to fight Tyson first, and I think that Tyson will take his scalp.”
Warren praised the performance in the ring, stating, “Everybody here saw a champion’s performance tonight. Two great fighters in the ring, and a champion’s performance. He’s shown his courage, skills, and resilience. AJ caught him with a shot, and I was worried about that. But he caught him with a counter.”
When asked about his next steps, Dubois remarked, “Maybe Usyk, a big shot at my redemption. Anyone… anyone can get it. I’ve just been on a rollercoaster ride. This is my time, this is my redemption story, and I’m not going to stop until I reach my full potential.”
Reflecting on his fourth career loss, Joshua acknowledged his shortcomings, stating, “Credit to him and his team, we rolled the dice for success and we came up short. But I want to say to everyone at Wembley, I appreciate you coming out this evening. You know I’m p*****, you know I’m ready to kick off in the ring, but I’m going to keep my cool and remain professional while giving respect to my opponent.”