Commentator Steve Bunce thinks Anthony Joshua doesn’t have the same kind of belief that he can beat Daniel Dubois in a rematch like he did after losing to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019.
(Credit: Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing)
Joshua (28-4, 23 KOs) is now five years older at 34, and Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) is much younger at 27. He’s a much bigger puncher than Andy Ruiz, and he doesn’t he’s not going to party and ease his way to 280+ lbs.
It is unknown if Joshua will choose to fight Dubois again because it is risky, and he can make more money by fighting Tyson Fury next. If his promoter, Eddie Hearn, can come up with a good excuse to tell the public why AJ is not fighting Dubois again, they will believe him.
Joshua and Hearn found it much easier to activate the rematch clause and fight Ruiz Jr. again because he had put on a lot of weight. He was never a great talent. He was just a regular fringe contender that Joshua used as a replacement opponent when Jarrell Miller failed a drug test in 2019.
“He’s a little older and you have to wonder how many are left. He was so convinced after the (Andy) Ruiz fight that he’s going to win the rematch,” said Steve Bunce to iFL TV on whether Anthony Joshua will want a rematch with Daniel Dubois in the same way he did after his loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019.
If Joshua is worried about the way the fans will perceive him by ruling out the rematch, he will overcome his fear and fight Dubois again. But Hearn or someone on his team can talk him into fighting Dubois again.
“I’m not sure he had the same confidence. He had a total belief that if he had Ruiz again, he would beat him. It was a total belief. He’s not stupid. I don’t think he would have the belief I’d totally beat Dubois in a rematch, but he feels it,” Bunce said.
Joshua won’t have the confidence to beat Dubois like he did with Ruiz, but that goes without saying. Against Ruiz, Joshua was unbeaten in the first round, and was fighting well until he was cut after dropping him in the third round on June 1, 2019.
“She would have been stopped a few times before. She seemed to be overthinking things,” said Diallian Whyte iFL TV of Joshua who thinks too much and does not let go of his hands. “Sometimes, AJ can be an overthinker. AJ was thinking instead of throwing up his hands. Dubois was throwing up his hands. Dubois was sharp. Credit to him, his father, and Don Charles.
AJ’s trainer, Ben Davison, would not have pulled him from the fight against Dubois and risked angering him. We’ve seen Joshua switch trainers several times, and it would be too risky for Ben to pull him out of the Dubois fight in the second or third round to save him.
For trainers who are confident that they won’t be fired for pulling their fighters out when they’ve been beaten, it wouldn’t be a problem; given how many times Joshua has switched trainers, Ben is putting himself at risk of being fired if he throws in the towel in the first two or three rounds this past Saturday.
“Joshua made a lot of money and did great things. He can come back and still have good fights. He made a lot of money and got a lot of fame. Maybe that spark is not there,” Whyte said.
Dubois hurt Joshua not because of the wealth AJ has gotten in recent years. Joshua was hurt because he couldn’t take the power of Dubois or any fighter who hit him hard. Joshua’s chin has been vulnerable since his fight against Wladimir Klitschko in 2017, and he has been stunned several times since.
Fighters who hurt Joshua:
– Daniel Dubois
– Carlo Avida
– Alexander Povetkin
– Andy Ruiz Jr.
– Oleksandr Usyk
– Kubrat Pulev
– Wladimir Klitschko
– Dillian Whyte
“It’s not an easy fight for Tyson Fury,” said Whyte, reacting to being told that Fury wants to beat Oleksandr Usyk on December 21 and then beat Dubois to become the undisputed champion. “Furia has to be careful because Dubois has the kind of power that Ngannou has. Dubois can box a lot better than Ngannou. So, he has to be careful.
“Rage can tie Dubois up to stop him from fighting because Dubois allowed AJ to tie him up so easily. It was crazy,” Whyte said.
Dubois would also be a lot of trouble for Fury because he can’t hold and press his way to victory against him like he did against Deontay Wilder. Fury’s chin isn’t as good as it once was, and Dubois will hit him with harder shots than Oleksandr Usyk hit him with.
Dubois’ body punch will give Fury problems as he tends to lean against the ropes to avoid being hit with head shots. His body is still unprotected when he does.
