ANTHONY JOSHUA has been urged to go for a rematch with Daniel Dubois by his coach, who predicted his knockout defeat.
Dubois knocked AJ out in the fifth round with a powerful right hand — which even trainer Shane McGuigan saw coming.
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But McGuigan has actually advised Joshua not to rush back into confidence-building fights and instead take on Dubois as soon as possible.
he told Boxing News“I think he should do it right away.
“Because he is 34/45 years old, he should gain confidence by fighting Dillian Whyte or any other opponent, I mean is that what (Robert) Helenius, (Jermaine) Franklin, (Otto) Wallin and (Francis) Ngannou did?
“What did they do for him? They did nothing for him. To be honest, Saturday night’s performance didn’t change anything.
“His mindset changed during the camp before that performance. But, was it a good thing? Probably not.
“Perhaps this robbed him of his ability to understand the dangers of world-class boxing.”
“I think he should fight him again, and I think if he stays right he can beat him.”
Joshua, 34, fell down Four The 27-year-old Dubois recorded a stunning win in front of a British record crowd of 98,000 at Wembley.
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AJ’s coach Ben Davison was criticised for urging his player to “roll the dice” and land the perfect uppercut.
McGuigan was working for BBC radio that night and predicted how disastrous these tactics could be – and eventually were.
He said that night: “To be honest, I think it’s dangerous advice.
“To get him up with the double jab, Daniel throws a straight right hand off that double jab.
“And by bringing it up he means the uppercut, he’s going to go straight for his short right hand.
“If you ask me, I would say just keep your hands tight and get through the next couple of rounds and then use your athletic ability at the end.”
Joshua refused to retire following his defeat and immediately began talks for a return to boxing.
A rematch with Dubois looks set to become a possibility after Saudi Arabian boxing chief Turki Alalshikh gave the green light.
