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After confirmation that Anthony Joshua will not rematch Daniel Dubois in February due to picking up an injury, his promoter Eddie Hearn has now revealed the specifics of the injury.

Joshua was demolished on September 21st by Dubois in front of a record Wembley crowd.

He was knocked down four times and the fight was stopped in the fifth round.

Anthony Joshua

READ: Joshua Could Face Fury Over The Dubois Rematch

Despite failing to join an exclusive club of heavyweights to become three-time champion, it was expected that he would have the opportunity again by rematching his opponent straight away.

However, it was revealed that he was injured and would be unable to be ready for a proposed February date.

Now his promoter Eddie Hearn, speaking to The Stomping Ground, has shed light on why Joshua cannot make this date.

“There’s no major injury. Every fighter has niggles in camp, especially when you’re a heavyweight who trains every day and spars really hard.”

“There’s nothing that’s going to be a long-term problem. For a turnaround after a five or six-week break after a defeat like that, it’s just not possible to be a hundred percent.”

“That’s all. There’s no tear in the bicep, there’s just wear-and-tear that means he cannot go into a training camp with the same intensity that he would want to.”

Eddie Hearn has said that there is no major injury to Joshua, however due to the manor of the defeat, his body needs longer to recover than it normally would.

Moreover, ‘AJ’ is 35 years old, therefore fights are likely to take more out of him than they would have a few years ago.

For Daniel Dubois, this fight solidified his status as IBF heavyweight champion after he previously was granted the title following Oleksandr Uysk being forced to vacate.

The champion is set to return to the ring in the first quarter of 2025, with the likes of Zhilei Zhang, Joseph Parker, and Martin Bakole being mentioned as potential opponents.

For Joshua, he will most likely be ready by the summer when the rematch could take place or we could finally see the greatly anticipated clash against Tyson Fury.

Anthony Joshua may choose to fight Tyson Fury next instead of rematching Daniel Dubois.

That is according to Eddie Hearn. Joshua was knocked out in the fifth round by Dubois, who retained his IBF Heavyweight Title. He suffered a one-sided beating as Joshua hit the canvas four times before the referee waved the fight off. In his post-fight comments, Joshua said he would not retire. He indicated his desire to run things back with Dubois, who was also open to the rematch. However, Joshua has to make the right move. Another defeat to Dubois will increase the narrative on him to retire.

He has already made over $200 million in the sport whilst also becoming a two-time unified heavyweight champion. But a win over Dubois makes him the IBF Heavyweight Champion and puts him in a position to fight the winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, who rematch on December 21. That would be for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship.

Tyson Fury Has No Doubt Who Wins Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois Rematch:  "He Won't Take It" - Seconds Out

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But the Fury fight is also there. That is the biggest domestic fight in British boxing, which Joshua had signed for. However, Fury’s arbitration case with Deontay Wilder prevented the fight from happening, as the Gypsy King eventually went ahead with the Wilder rematch. But now Hearn has said that AJ may simply wait to face Fury.

“AJ wants revenge, but the only issue is timing. For the rematch to happen in February, training camp will have to start in a couple of weeks. There are always niggles, and he had a few, so physically, it’s just a case of whether AJ is ready to do that. It would be frustrating if we made the Dubois rematch and Fury won [the Usyk rematch]. Then we’re sitting there going, ‘Hang on a minute, we’re fighting Dubois, but we could have fought Fury in May for the biggest fight in boxing,” Hearn said 

Nevertheless, that depends on several factors. If Fury beats Usyk, that could set up the narrative for a trilogy fight. The Gypsy King narrowly lost a split decision in the first bout. While most of the boxing community felt that Usyk won a unanimous decision, it showed that Fury could hang in there with the Ukrainian until the end of the fight. Joshua would also have to depart from what he usually does.

When he lost against Andy Ruiz Jr. on his American debut in Madison Square Garden, Joshua had the rematch immediately. He outboxed Ruiz and beat him to win a unanimous decision. When Joshua lost the Usyk fight, he immediately took the rematch. Although he came out second best again, it showed that Joshua has a tendency to try and avenge his losses. The failure to do that against Dubois may suggest he no longer feels he can cut it at the elite level. The motivation may simply be to get as much money as possible before retiring. Joshua has plenty to ponder.

A potential rematch between Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua would have to happen by April 22 next year, according to the IBF’s rules; Dubois’ mandatory title defence is likely to be against the winner of Martin Bakole’s IBF final eliminator against Agit Kabayel

The IBF has outlined how a rematch between Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua would have to happen before a deadline date in April.

Dubois knocked out Joshua last month at Wembley Stadium to defend his IBF heavyweight belt, in a bout stipulated as a mandatory title defence.

Daniel Dubois should only be fighting one man next – and it’s not Anthony  Joshua

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Under the IBF’s rules, Dubois now has nine months to make a voluntary title defence, opening the door for a Joshua rematch, but he must fulfil this bout by April 22.

Rule 5.A.2 of the IBF’s regulations regarding the heavyweight division states that “all optional defences, and any and all other bouts, by a champion shall be concluded at least 60 days prior to the date the champion’s mandatory is due”.

After this date, Dubois must fulfil a mandatory title defence, which is likely to be against the winner of Martin Bakole’s IBF final eliminator with Agit Kabayel.

Dubois will be notified on approximately April 22 of his June 21 mandatory.

The regulations state the champion “shall be obligated to mandatorily defend his championship within intervals of no more than nine months against the leading available contender in the heavyweight division as designated by the championships chairman”.

The IBF has, however, stated that Dubois would be free to pursue a unification bout after this date.

Dubois has stated his desire to fight the winner of Usyk’s rematch with Fury in Saudi Arabia in December, with the WBC, WBO and WBA belts at stake.

Last month, Daniel Dubois shocked everyone when he defeated Anthony Joshua in just 5 rounds via knockout and changed both of their future.

Dubois is a huge commodity in Heavyweight boxing now and surely has the luxury of picking his opponents. Therefore, Frank Warrenis taking his sweet time to decide on his future opponent. On the other hand, Joshua’s future was jeopardized after the loss, as fans even speculated retirement from the London resident.

But Joshua ensured he was not looking to retire and expressed his desire for a rematch with Dubois. While things went positively for the rematch, it has taken a huge U-turn. Firstly, IBF ordered a title eliminator and now Warren himself doubted the immediate nature of this rematch.

Joshua vs Dubois: Dubois victory over Joshua in 10 pictures - BBC Sport

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The Queensberry Promotions founder sat down with talkSport and revealed Dubois’ future and his next fight. According to Warren, Dynamite will fight in early 2025, but there is a huge mystery regarding the opponent. “He [Dubois] will fight early next year. We are just looking at a few matches. I hope we get it done by next week, who he’ll be facing. It may be AJ, it may not. It depends,” stated Warren as he dropped the bombshell.

Warren was then specifically asked about his thoughts on the rumored rematch in February 2025 in Riyadh. “I mean, I have no problem with that fight [Joshua rematch]. I’d have that fight all day long for him,” stated the English promoter, implying that he would like to see that fight.

He was proud of his boxer and the way he fought against Joshua and stated, “I mean, he really, really announced himself on the world stage in a big way, didn’t he?” with a huge smile on his face. While earlier, both parties confirmed that there would be a rematch, this latest interview by Warren has created significant doubts. Moreover, the rumors of Dubois facing the winner of Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Furymatch have also been going viral recently. Additionally, the title eliminator match ordered by IBF has created a lot of barriers for AJ to get his rematch.

Earlier this week, the IBF ordered a match between Martin Bakole and Agit Kabayel to determine the next challenger for Dynamite’s IBF heavyweight championship. There is no concrete timeline regarding the contest, but Bakole’s promoter, Ben Shalomrecently revealed that he is trying for a date in December.

Meanwhile, Eddie Hearn has admitted that Joshua wants an immediate rematch. He could go for other opponents but will wait for the Usyk-Fury fight result, before deciding. Joshua wants to get back in the ring as soon as possible to get back in his groove, but waiting for Daniel Dubois can hurt that.

The next few months are extremely crucial for both Dubois and Joshua if they want a rematch as the IBF title eliminator and Usyk vs. Fury can massively affect their plans to face each other.

Anthony Joshua has been told to leave his trainer, Ben Davidson, following his loss to Daniel Dubois.

Roy Jones Jr. made those comments as Joshua was dropped four times on his way to a fifth-round stoppage defeat. Joshua failed to become a three-time heavyweight champion as Dubois retained his IBF Heavyweight Belt. The victory means that Dubois is now able to face the winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, who fight on December 21.

Joshua had been chasing an undisputed fight since 2019 when talks over the Deontay Wilder fight broke down. Joshua would lose his belts to Usyk, while Wilder did the same to Fury. Joshua now faces some serious question marks moving forward. In his post-fight comments, he confirmed that he would not retire. During his time with Ben Davidson, Joshua was perceived as being back to his best self. He had stopped Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou in his last two fights.

Joshua Told To Fire Ben Davidson | Boxing News

READ: WATCH: Bob Arum Has Bad News For Anthony Joshua

Joshua was fighting more on the front foot. But looking back, it may have been because he was not facing big-name fighters. There is a suggestion that Davidson’s advice let him down. He advised Joshua to use an uppercut, even though he had been dropped numerous times. Joshua took that advice when he landed consecutive right hands on Dubois, followed by an uppercut to leave himself open. Dubois reacted by landing a counter right hand to end the fight. Jones has called on Joshua to leave Davidson for a different trainer with more boxing experience.

“It takes real boxing knowledge to prepare yourself and get better. If you don’t have someone with real IQ and boxing knowledge who has been there and done that, they can’t teach you anything. You need someone who can charter those seas when they get tough. I don’t think Ben Davison has been in enough fights. Ben has done a lot of coaching, but it’s hard when you haven’t been there yourself.

“Some guys get lucky, but it’s very difficult for a coach who hasn’t been there himself. I can’t tell you how to swim through the ocean if I’ve never swam through the ocean before. I’m sorry. It’s nothing against Ben Davison because he’s been good, but when you get in that deep water and you ain’t been in that deep water, that shark invested water, it’s hard for you to tell somebody what it’s like because you’ve never been there,” Roy Jones Jr. said 

The problem facing Joshua is that he has had numerous trainers since leaving Rob McCracken after losing the first Oleksandr Usyk fight. Joshua parted ways as he teamed up with Robert Garcia for the Usyk rematch. Joshua lost that fight as Garcia would then depart. AJ eventually found himself working with Derrick James, who was based in the United States.

There was hope that Joshua could benefit from a change in scenery, as he was in camp with other big names such as Errol Spence Jr, Jermall Charlo and Ryan Garcia. But Joshua’s wins under James were unconvincing. He looked far from his best against Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius. However, Jones could ultimately become a name in that conversation since he has experience training Chris Eubank Jr., but whether that will suit Joshua’s style is anyone’s guess.

Usyk defeated Dubois in Poland last year – but the fight was shrouded in controversy

Daniel Dubois’ trainer Don Charles has branded Oleksandr Usyk as a ‘liar’ and a ‘cheat’ – and has dared the Ukrainian boxing star to face his man for a second time.

Dubois solidified his position as IBF world heavyweight champion by knocking out Anthony Joshua inside five rounds in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley last week, and may now push for a rematch to Usyk, who he lost to in August 2023. The fight was shrouded in controversy when in the fifth round, Usyk took a knee and complained that he had been hit with an illegal shot below the belt. The referee agreed and ruled that it was indeed a low blow, and Usyk was allowed a maximum of five minutes to compose himself before going onto win a landslide points decision.

VIDEO: Oleksandr Usyk Knocks Out Daniel Dubois In Controversial Title Fight  - Sports Illustrated MMA News, Analysis and More

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But in an explosive rant on talkSPORT, trainer Charles has tore into the former undisputed heavyweight champion and firmly believes he cheated to get the better of Dubois. “Mr Usyk is fake”, he stated. “Exceptional boxer, masterful boxer, a genius of what he’s done and what he can do. But he’s a fake and he’s a liar and a cheat.”

Asked to provide evidence for his outburst, Charles replied: “It’s well documented. He is a guy who says he’s a God fearing man, he’s always crossing himself. This is going out to Usyk – if you believe in the same God that I and the world population do, what we refer to as God, one of the ten commandments is you cannot cheat. That’s against one of the ten commandments.

“Make your mind up, do you worship God or not? Because if you do, the cheating and the acting he did when Daniel dropped him, he should win an Oscar for that acting.

“Disqualified? I don’t think disqualification was in his mind. The man was gone, he was gone. I know what I saw live. I didn’t need no replays, I know what I saw live.

“The man was able to act and cheat his way back. I’ve said in many, many, many interviews. No [it was not a low blow], hell no.”

The experienced trainer welcomes the prospect of a potential undisputed showdown in a rematch with Usyk. “Yeah, if that presents itself”, he added. “Our focus is not on that. No, it’s not.

“Our focus is not on meeting Oleksandr Usyk. But should that materialise, I dare him, Usyk, to get in the ring with Daniel Dubois.”

Tyson Fury is confident he will knock out Oleksandr Usyk in their December 21 rematch.

Fury lost the first fight via a split decision to become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. In his post-fight comments, the Gypsy King refused to accept the loss. He felt that Usyk had only been given the decision because of Russia’s war with Ukraine.

Even after having rewatched the fight, Fury was adamant that he had comfortably won. He called Usyk an amateur, but the wider perception was that Usyk had done enough to win. The Ukrainian dominated the earlier and latter parts of the fight, while Fury’s success came in the middle rounds.

Tyson Fury Oleksandr Usyk Undisputed Heavyweight Champion

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Usyk almost knocked out Fury in the ninth round, with him bouncing off the ropes before the referee imposed a controversial standing eight count just when a stoppage appeared likely. The rematch is not for undisputed since Usyk vacated the IBF Heavyweight Title.

Daniel Dubois, the current champion, defended the belt successfully by knocking out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round. Fury has plenty on the line, as a win would secure an undisputed title shot against Dubois. But even if there is a loss, there is the potential to face Joshua in a mega-domestic clash.

Given that Fury is coming off the first defeat of his career, there are question marks over whether he can bounce back. The Gypsy King felt that he would get his comeback. He singled out his rematch against Deontay Wilder in the second bout where he knocked him out. Fury was outboxing Wilder in the first fight before the Bronze Bomber dropped him in the final round.

That was enough to secure a draw, even if the majority of boxing fans felt Fury had done enough to win. Fury is using Wilder’s performance as motivation to come forward in this rematch. But it is important to bear in mind the following. Usyk fights very well when fighters are coming to him. This is due to his ability to counterpunch.

He sat in the pocket against Joshua in his two fights. He still managed to pick off his opponent, almost stopping Joshua in the first fight in the last round. While Fury will be looking to impose his size on Usyk, there is a risk that he will leave himself open by giving the Ukrainian a bigger target to hit. But if he can get his balance right, then Fury has a good chance of avenging his only loss.

“I didn’t think he beat me last time, and I’m damn sure not going to let him beat me this time. I’ve got to knock him out, and I’ll be training for a good knockout, and I’ll get it like Wilder 2. I said I was going to knock him out, and I did.

“I’m going to knock him out this time, and I will. Believe it first. He got the decision over me, and I got to run it back. It makes sense to do the rematch and get my victory back. I’ve got past the point of really caring. It probably took that decision to wake me up and give me the type of aggression back where I want to smash someone in,” Fury said 

Anthony Joshua hasn’t had the best of weeks.

After going in as favourite for his fight against Daniel Dubois, the former two-time unified world heavyweight champion was stopped in brutal fashion.

It was a stunning display by Dubois, the current IBF world heavyweight champion, as he dominated Joshua in a manner that no previous boxer has been able to.

Anthony Joshua Daniel Dubois

READ: :You Found A Way To Fumble His Career”: De La Hoya Rips Hearn After Joshua’s Knockout

In a thoroughly deserved victory, Dubois showed that he should not have been underestimated as he had been.

For Anthony Joshua, it asked more questions for him at this stage of his career.

Does he want to continue boxing?

Or should this be the end of the road for the Olympic gold medalist?

The latest news emerging for Joshua is likely not what he wants to hear right now.

That’s because the British Boxing Board of Control has handed out a 28 day suspension to Anthony Joshua.

Before anyone panics, this is a pretty standard procedure to British boxers when they suffer a stoppage defeat.

This rule is primarily there for the safety of the boxers.

Boxers face further medical examinations before they may re-enter the ring and that’s what is happening with Anthony Joshua at this moment in time.

The good news is that the suspension finishes on October 19 and it’s highly unlikely that Joshua plans to fight before that period in any case.

The British heavyweight is likely to look at 2025 as the next time for when he is set to step back in the ring and get his career back on track.

It is believe that his options will largely centre around the result of Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch against Tyson Fury on December 21.

Oscar De La Hoya taunted Eddie Hearn after Daniel Dubois knocked out Anthony Joshua. 

Joshua was dropped four times before Dubois ended the fight in the fifth round. The defeat ended Joshua’s hopes of becoming a three-time heavyweight champion as Dubois retained his IBF Heavyweight Title. Joshua was the massive favourite coming into the fight after having stopped his last two opponents, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.

There was a consensus that Joshua was back to his best. After having teamed up with Ben Davidson, he returned to a combination power puncher. However, on reflection, it appeared that his opposition level was not up to scratch. Joshua was tagged and sent to the canvas from the first round, as he never recovered. Davidson’s instructions in the corner also came under fire after he told his fighter to roll the dice.

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Just before Joshua stopped, the Brit landed a few right hands, pushing Dubois back. But rather than staying calm and composed, he opened himself up only to get tagged by a right hand. The result also followed after Frank Warren won the Queensberry vs Matchroom 5 v5 tournament early in June, making it difficult for Hearn against his biggest rival. De La Hoya looked back at the incident by trolling Hearn and urging fighters not to sign with Matchroom Boxing.

“Anthony Joshua was knocked out in the fifth round by Dubois. It was actually an amazing and entertaining fight, and I like AJ. However, this was another huge L for Eddie Hearn, who is literally 0-11 to Frank Warren this year.

“This continues the Matchroom curse, meaning if you sign with Matchroom, you’re either guaranteed to lose or get injured. To make matters worse, Eddie Hearn faced off with his old buddy Devin Haney at the crowd at Wembley. Eddie, you can’t build a fighter to save your life. Anthony Joshua had the world at his fingertips, and you found a way to fumble his career,” De La Hoya said 

Nevertheless, there is always a chance that Joshua can come back stronger. In his post-fight comments, he clarified that he would not retire. This raises serious questions over who his next opponent will be. Joshua can take the Dubois rematch and try to avenge that loss. He did so when he took on Andy Ruiz Jr. by changing his game plan and outboxing him. The danger is that Joshua gets stopped once again, which will increase the calls on him to call it a day.

There is also the option of just waiting things out and facing Tyson Fury. The Saudis have said that they want to make Fury and Joshua fight regardless of what results they end up getting. If Fury comes out second best against Oleksandr Usyk in the December 21 rematch, there is a narrative in place to make Joshua-Fury the next. It is the biggest boxing fight out there and would undoubtedly sell out. It would also allow the winner to take on either Dubois or Usyk, who would likely face off.

Boxing fans won’t have to wait long to see the rematch between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois as ‘AJ’ looks to avenge his crushing defeat to the IBF champion

The heavyweight rematch between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois seems increasingly likely and could take place in February.

Dubois was a huge underdog coming into the first contest at Wembley Stadium, but came out guns blazing, with Joshua unable to deal with the champion’s power and speed. Just moments into the opening round, Dubois had sent Joshua tumbling, and it would only get worse for ‘AJ.’ The Brit went on to drop Joshua three times before securing a sensational knockout in the fifth round to retain his IBF title.

Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois full fight video highlights - MMA Fighting

READ: Anthony Joshua blames training ‘fatigue’; for speeding

The next big fight in the heavyweight division is Oleksandr Usyk’s clash against Tyson Fury in December. It looked likely that Dubois would wait for the winner, however, it would appear a rematch with Joshua seems more realistic. Frank Warren, Dubois promoter, has revealed that ‘Dynamite’s’ next fight will take place early next year and is very much open to the rematch between the two heavyweight giants with February 22 pencilled in for a fight card in Riyadh.

When quizzed about a rematch between the pair, Warren told TNT Sports: “I’m not against that at all. That’s not an open door for me, I’ll take the door off the hinges and we’ll do it. That fight is there. If they want it, they’ve got it, have it in a heartbeat. His next fight will be in February. That’s when he’ll fight next, and we will work out who that’s going to be in the next week or two weeks.”

Warren isn’t the only one who is chomping at the bit to see a second fight. Fellow promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh intends to see Joshua take on Dubois again. “Rematch clauses come in many different forms,” Hearn told talkSPORT. “We have a fight with Riyadh Season. One of our options is to fight Daniel Dubois again, and our contract is with them. His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] will deal with Frank and Daniel and make that fight happen. The terms will have to be agreed with them.

“We have already agreed our terms, we have the option to rematch with Dubois. Our meetings with His Excellency, he wants the rematch. AJ will always want the rematch. Daniel wants the rematch too it’s the biggest fight for him and they will fancy it. It is a case of going away and talking about, do we go straight into the rematch? And when will it be? It was a heavy night at the office, we aren’t going back to fight in 10-12 weeks, he needs his rest and time to recover.”

Joshua and Hearn confirmed immediately after the main event on Saturday that the intention was to pursue a sequel. Many senior figures in the sport of boxing have suggested ‘AJ’ should consider retiring. However, the Brit is confident that he still has a lot more to give and that he can become a three-time heavyweight champion.

As for Dubois, in a recent interview with talkSPORT, the Brit revealed he will accept the fight that offers him the most money next. “I would love a rematch but either one really, whoever pays me more money,” he said. ‘Dynamite’ added that if the rematch with Joshua wasn’t imminent, he’d certainly consider the bout in the future. “Yeah, if that happens down the line then yes. I want to do even better next time. I know where I need to improve as well, so as a champion and a fighter I want to prove people wrong every time and that’s what we have been doing.”

When asked if he’d do a better job on Joshua, Dubois said: “I think so. I think I would. I think I’d be a lot better than that. It was a great show and it was a great Rocky-type fight, but next time I believe I’ll be more clinical, more sharp, everything better.”

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