‘He’d be flattened’ Anthony Joshua warned to avoid one opponent for comeback
Carl Froch has told Anthony Joshua to avoid a rematch with Daniel Dubois like the plague.
Anthony Joshua was knocked out in devastating fashion by his fellow Brit at Wembley last September as Dubois retained his heavyweight world title with a fifth-round stoppage. Joshua turned down the opportunity to immediately avenge his defeat and recently had surgery on his elbow which has delayed his return to the gym.
Dubois will fight for the first time since last autumn when he rematches Oleksandr Usyk at the national stadium next month as he attempts to avenge his stoppage defeat by the Ukrainian two years ago. Joshua, meanwhile, is targeting a return later this year – potentially against Tyson Fury if his fellow Brit reverses his decision to retire.
And Joshua has been advised to forget any desire he has to run back his clash with Dubois. “Another fight with Daniel Dubois, forget it, Daniel Dubois, f***ing flattens him again,” Froch said on his YouTube channel. “He can’t beat Daniel Dubois, he will be frightened to death of getting hit on the chin, and when he does, he will be rendered unconscious again.”
Joshua has been coy about his next fight as Fury continues to insist he will remain retired having hung up his gloves in January following his second successive defeat by Usyk. Joshua has also been linked with a rematch with Dillian Whyte but he may instead take on rising star Moses Itauma in August.
READ MORE : According to promoter Eddie Hearn Anthony Joshua may
And Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed the Olympic champion could hang up his gloves as soon as next year. Hearn believes taking on long-term rival Fury is the one thing left for Joshua to do before calling it a day. “Probably 2026 will be his last year in the sport,” Hearn said on The Ariel Helwani Show.
“I mean you never know, but thinking about it, it’s probably three fights away. If I’m advising AJ I’m thinking, ‘We’re back this year, two Tyson Fury fights, what else is there to do?’. He maybe could fight a Daniel Dubois, but I think for me, once AJ fights a Tyson Fury, he’s kind of done it all.
“I’d love him to have another crack at Dubois, I’d love him to have another crack at (Oleksandr) Usyk. If we get to 2026 and he’s firing on all cylinders then 2026 won’t be his last year. But for me, something feels right about beating Tyson Fury twice and then sailing off into the sunset.”
