ANTHONY JOSHUA’S coach has revealed the two-time world champion’s final words before his knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois.
AJ was knocked out by Dubois in the fifth round in front of a record-breaking crowd at Wembley.
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Dubois, 27, retained his IBF heavyweight title after knocking Joshua down three times in the opening four rounds before landing the decisive blow.
But Joshua’s coach Ben Davison has now revealed the Briton’s final words before he was defeated by Dynamite Dan.
Speaking to reporters after the fight, he said, “I was asking him for something.”
“And he told me he was fine and was actually there talking.
“And then he came back before the final round and said ‘these are the moments we live for’.
“He also talked about ‘throwing the dice,’ and that’s exactly what he did during that round.
“People talk about when they’re having a bad day, and AJ had a bad night.
“But I would like to say that me and my team have received a lot of credit for their good performances, so it’s important that we take responsibility for the poor performances as well.”
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Joshua, 34, has dismissed suggestions he could retire following the defeat, while Eddie Hearn also revealed he could exercise a rematch clause in his contract.
When Joshua was asked what went wrong he simply said: “The opponent.”
He said, “Credit goes to him and his team, we threw the dice for success but we failed.”
“You know I’m very excited, you know I’m ready to get in the ring. But I’m going to keep my composure and be very professional and respect my opponent.”
Round by round: How Dubois demolished Joshua
ANTHONY JOSHUA bravely picked himself up off the floor against Daniel Dubois – until he couldn’t go on any more.
AJ was knocked down four times by Dubois in round five before a powerful counter right ended the show in dramatic fashion.
Here, SunSport’s Jack Figg gives you a round-by-round look at the Wembley battle.
Round 1
Dubois moved quickly with the jab and had Joshua bouncing around, struggling to deal with the piston-like left.
A massive right hand from Dubois sent AJ staggering backwards with his hands still down from the opening bell.
Joshua paid the price for his mistake, as he came out with his hands down and got felled by an overhand right.
Round 2
Joshua – who only survived the knockout at the bell after falling to the ground – struggles to move forward as he is hit with blows to the face.
AJ is stumbling around the ring and his guard is dangerously low again and the pressure is mounting.
Joshua is trying to get back in the fight, but his jab looks very sluggish – it looks like he can’t recover from the knockdown.
Round 3
AJ comes out with more intent, but swings wildly with a right hand and only connects with thin air.
Fans witness the moment Daniel Dubois broke rules and attacked Anthony Joshua after the bell rang during fightDubois increased the pressure and backed Joshua into the corner and scored another knockdown.
The bell sounds but then Dubois lands the ball a time or two – once again AJ is saved by the clock as the writing looks to be on the wall.
Round 4
Accident happens again, Joshua falls to the ground once again – he loses his balance the moment he touches the canvas.
The referee gave AJ another chance and Dubois landed a soft blow – which gave the challenger some relief.
Dubois slowed down as round four ended, while Joshua showed great resilience to stay in the match.
Round 5
Joshua lands a powerful right hand and Dubois’ legs buckle – a surprise turnaround looks likely.
AJ presses Dubois to the ropes and attempts one of his signature uppercuts, but the counter right hand gets there first.
Joshua is caught straight on the chin, knocked down once again and this time out for good. Dubois scores a stunning KO win.
World champion Oleksandr Usyk – who predicted Dubois’ victory a year ago – said he was “not surprised” by the result, and explained what he thought was the main difference between the two fighters.
“I’m not surprised, because this is boxing,” he said. Daniel DuBois Today was better.
“There was a problem with Anthony. Because this position (leaning back with feet on the ground) is dangerous.
“If you want, you can back off like this (take one leg back), not like this (bend again) because that’s dangerous. We saw that.”
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‘Are you not entertained? I’m a gladiator’ – What Dubois and Joshua said after brutal fight
Daniel Dubois has shattered Anthony Joshua’s dreams of becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion, writes Wally Downes Jr.
Joshua was stunned four Dubois retained his IBF belt by scoring a stunning fifth-round knockout in front of a record 96,000 Wembley crowd and millions of TV viewers.
AJ, 34, never recovered after falling in the first round of last night’s Battle of Britain after a huge right hand from Dubois struck him on the chin.
Here is what he said after the fight:
Daniel DuBois
“Are you not entertained? I am a gladiator, a warrior who fights to the end. This is the biggest win of my career. I couldn’t let this opportunity go and now I want to go to the top level of this sport.
“I’ve been on a roller-coaster ride and it’s my time. I’m not stopping until I reach my full potential.”
Anthony Joshua
“No matter how angry I get, it is the way it is.
“I had a fast and quick opponent and I made a lot of mistakes. Credit goes to my opponent and his team.
“We rolled the dice and lost. You know I’m angry, but I’ll stay calm and respect my opponent.”
Frank Warren (DuBois’ promoter)
“It was a phenomenal fight, like Hagler vs. Hearns.
“It was a fantastic fight and everyone saw the performance of a champion tonight.
“Daniel has shown his courage, his skill.
“AJ caught him with a shot at the end and I was worried, but it was a great, amazing fight.”
Eddie Hearn (AJ’s promoter)
“AJ landed a big right hand in the first round and was fighting from the heart.
“He hurt Daniel at the end of the fourth and then again in the fifth but got greedy and went for the right hand and that was all he wrote.
Fans say ‘this shows how irrelevant he really is’ about Tommy Fury as they noticed Tyson doesn’t want to sit next to his brother“I’m sure Anthony will exercise the rematch clause.”
