Anthony Joshua has been reflecting on the toughest fight of his career following his loss to Daniel Dubois.
This all-British heavyweight clash in front of a record 96,000 plus people at Wembley Stadium was his opportunity to become a three-time world champion but those hopes took a big blow before even the end of the first round.
Joshua was caught with a huge shot as he walked backwards with his chin in the air and was sent to the canvas heavily. He beat the count as the round ended but never fully looked to have recovered his sensibilities.
From there he was knocked down two more times before finally being knocked out at the end of the fifth round after the fearless Dubois kept on throwing and ate some heavy shots of his own.
Speaking to iFL TV, long time boxing journalist Steve Bunce revealed that Joshua had already watched the fight back and told him of the ‘mistakes’ he made.
“He’s in a bleak place. He’s in a horrible place and that’s understandable but he did say to me ‘I made a lot of mistakes’.
I understand he watched the fight back in his dressing room and he’s a smart enough man, he’ll be watching that and screaming what are your hands doing down there?”
Bunce then revealed what Lennox Lewis said to him ringside as the fight started.
“He said, ‘Buncey man, what’s he doing with his chin? His chin is up there,’ and that’s before he gets hit, that’s in the first 10 seconds, how does that work?”
Dubois retains his IBF belt and may now have to rematch Joshua should ‘AJ’ exercise an apparent contractual right. Alternatively, he may look to take on the winner of the rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in December in a fight that could see him become undisputed champion.
