Eddie Hearn says he believes a second fight between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois will be another of the events of the Riyadh Season after exercising the rematch clause.
There will be a lot of fans interested in seeing a Joshua-Dubois rematch because they want to see if AJ can avenge his loss. Of course, some fans will be eager to see if Dubois can send Joshua into retirement with a second knockout.
That’s what makes the rematch intriguing, and will likely bring in big PPV numbers. Hearn did not say anything about whether Joshua will immediately exercise the rematch clause or wait until after he fights Tyson Fury. It’s the fight the public wants to see.
Joshua (28-4, 23 KOs) will take the rest of the year off after his fifth-round KO loss to IBF heavyweight champion Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs), and then return in 2025.
Hearn likes the effort Joshua put in after being hurt in the first and rallied in the fourth and fifth. However, by then, Joshua was “well damned”, with his punch resistance having evaporated after the first.
“He never stopped trying to land big shots to take Dubois out, even when he had no legs, and that’s incredible heart,” Eddie Hearn told the Stomping. Grounds about Anthony Joshua still trying to win despite being in weak legs from the first round.
Joshua didn’t land many right hands in the fight because he looked cautious and carried too much muscle in his arms. For this fight, AJ should be trimmer and more aggressive. The passive struggle did not work for him, and it allowed Dubois to gain confidence. If Joshua had hurt Dubois earlier, it would have made him wary of throwing out.
“You saw him say, ‘Go,’ and he was waiting for it and hitting it with his chin in the air,” Hearn continued about Joshua. “People have criticized AJ in the past for not letting his hands go. He let his hands go at the craziest times.”
Joshua didn’t throw many punches in any round; there are a few in the third and fourth, but not enough for him to hurt Dubois the way he needed to. He made a big deal of motioning Dubois back to his corner after the fourth, but he hadn’t done much in that round.
“I said, ‘You should be proud of yourself because it couldn’t have gone any worse, and you never stopped trying to get up.’ Although he could not get up at the end (fifth time), trying to get up. Every time he got hit, he looked straight at the referee, “I’m good.” He called Dubois constantly,” Hearn said.
Joshua put on a false front of bravery after he was dropped, but you could tell he was worried, and knew the fight was going badly for him.
“When he got back into the fight and started hurting Dubois, he was already pretty damaged, and he was clean,” Hearn said.
Joshua should use his jab to set up Dubois for a right hand after he knocked him down in the fifth. He had already hurt her. and he doesn’t need to unload on him with a risky right hand.
“We have to maintain that respect because I don’t think it’s fair, Daniel, but we have another fight with the Riyadh Season that we can exercise. I believe that AJ will want it to be Daniel Dubois.
“He felt he was coming back into the fight,” Hearn said of Joshua believing he was rallied in the fourth and fifth. “I talked to him at length last night, and he was really ready to go into the trenches. He told me, ‘I’m really ready to do whatever it takes,’ and he never stopped trying.”
If Joshua was serious about going in the trenches, he should have thrown more punches because they weren’t throwing enough for him to give him a chance to win the fight. If he could have thrown 40 to 50 punches per round, he would have easily won. He didn’t do that, and seemed to be worried about gassing.
“He was hard to watch at times in rounds two and three. He never stopped holding, he never stopped swinging, and we have to be proud of him for that performance.
“No, I don’t think so,” said Hearn when asked if there is a chance of Joshua retiring after this loss. “He was on a great run. He was caught so early. He never had a chance to get into the fight, but even in the circumstances, he almost found a way back.
“So, it’s going to peel off, it’s going to crash and it’s going to take the rest of the year, and then you’ll see it in 2025,” Hearn said.
Joshua could have fought a much better fight, and he has some regrets. Taking the rest of the year will leave Joshua to stew over his defeat.
