ONE of Britain’s most loved boxers is happy heavyweight hero Anthony Joshua is retiring.
Joshua was brutally knocked out by Daniel Dubois in front of a record 98,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium in London.
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Boxing legend Naseem Hamed was among the historic number of attendees.
And Prince Naz – who retired at just 28 years old – advised AJ to walk away when asked about Joshua’s chances of returning.
he told IFL TV: “Whether he can or can’t, I’d rather he not do it.
“He’s had his day like all of us. He’s done really well, he’s won amazing world titles, he’s defended them, he’s earned his hard-earned money.
“Listen, he should leave the field gracefully and that’s it. Because when he gets hit on the chin – we don’t want to talk about that right now.”
Maverick Hamed remained undefeated in 35 bouts during his illustrious career, before losing to the great Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera in 2001.
He returned with just one more win and finished the season at 36–1, despite not even being 30 years old.
Meanwhile, Joshua, 34, was stunned. Four Many times he picked himself up from the canvas until he couldn’t any more.
‘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.
“I’m sure Anthony will exercise the rematch clause.”
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A devastating right hand from the 27-year-old Dubois in the fifth round ended the show in emphatic fashion.
Joshua has a rematch clause and he has talked about retirement.
He added: “Of course I want to keep fighting. We tried, but we fell behind.”
“What are we going to do, leave? We’re going to live another day.”
