Anthony Joshua is coming off the most bruising defeat of his campaign.
The two-time heavyweight champion failed in his bid to make that three when coming up against new IBF titleholder Daniel Dubois. ‘AJ’ was down on the canvas three times on the way to being stopped emphatically in the fifth round.
Speaking to Box Nation, former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis praised the 27-year-old.
“Very impressed [with Dubois]. I was impressed with the right hand. I couldn’t believe how well he threw it, he was so accurate with it. He just looked like he was ready for that. He looked like he’s been through the trials and tribulations and now he’s ready to step up. He did it with Big Baby Miller, what did he say, ‘I’ll be your Daddy.’ He’s usually quiet, so that showed he’s got that meanness in him, ready.
Even when he stood up to Anthony Joshua and said ‘you don’t intimidate me’ and Anthony Joshua wanted to hit him with the chair, I think Daniel won that first battle. He’s really grown as a fighter. I’m really impressed and happy that he was successful in what he wanted, he wanted to be heavyweight champion of the world. Nobody can dispute that.”
Talk then turned to an immediate rematch, something ‘AJ’ was reportedly considering but now may miss to take some time to recover. Lewis believes this is the correct decision.
“No I don’t think he should take the rematch. I think he should take a rest for a minute and then come back.”
Asked if we had seen the best of Joshua, ‘The Lion’ said yes and cast his mind back to 2017 when the Brit defeated Wladimir Klitschko as his peak.
“It seems so. My best of Anthony Joshua was definitely the Klitschko fight. He boxed well, came from off the floor, showed great hear. So, yeah.”
While Dubois looks set to defend his belt in February, it’s thought that Joshua will sit out until summer and that his next opponent will largely depend on the outcome of the upcoming rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
