Anthony Joshua is being advised to wait until Tyson Fury re-fights Oleksandr Usyk before deciding on a rematch with Daniel Dubois.
Joshua was brutally knocked down Four He was knocked down several times before being defeated by Dubois in the fifth round in front of a British record 98,000 fans.
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The historic London crowd also included Usyk, 37, and Fury, 36, who will rematch in Saudi Arabia on December 21.
Usyk won the first fight in May but had to vacate his IBF belt for the rematch in Riyadh.
A win or loss for Fury also opens the door for a fight with Joshua, meaning a rematch with Dubois probably won’t be next.
Promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports“My advice is don’t do anything until December 21, Usyk vs Fury.”
“If Tyson Fury loses that fight, you’ve got to have a big fight with Anthony Joshua.
“If Tyson Fury wins that fight, you will have a voluntary defence against Anthony Joshua for the unified heavyweight championship.
“If AJ is planning some big fights in 2025, and he has the opportunity to fight Tyson Fury – because it’s still the biggest fight in this division – then I think we should consider that as well.
“Even after the defeat he is still the biggest star in Britain and possibly around the world, along with Tyson Fury.”
‘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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“He doesn’t want to lose, but as we close this chapter on his career, he will be looking for the biggest fights.”
Hearn initially claimed there was a rematch clause in the contract between Joshua, 34, and Dubois, 27.
But rival Frank Warren insists the IBF champion is under no obligation to contest again immediately.
Hearn has said that Dubois remains an option for Joshua, as he said: “At the moment, it’s about looking at options for Anthony.
“Everything is very fresh at the moment, less than 24 hours after the fight, there are a lot of options to consider.”
“With the Riyadh season we have the opportunity to compete against many rivals and Daniel Dubois could be one of them.
“If we want to do that with the Riyadh season and His Excellency (Turkey Alalshikh) we can do that, but at the same time we are ready to consider other fixtures as well, particularly focusing on December 21.”
