Anthony Joshua was dropped three times before he was knocked down and out in the fifth round by Daniel Dubois at Wembley on Saturday night
Anthony Joshua’s corner gave him “dangerous” advice just before he was stopped by Daniel Dubois.
That was according to boxing coach Shane McGuigan who was commentating on the heavyweight showdown at Wembley. Joshua had been down three times by the start of the fifth round as Dubois closed in on victory – but the former champion was told to “roll the dice” and “double down” by trainer Ben Davison.
And McGuigan advised against such a move – seconds before Dubois dropped Joshua for a fourth and final time. “I think that’s dangerous advice there to be honest,” he said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “Getting him to bring it up there off the double jab, Daniel will go for that right-hand straight off that double jab. By bringing it up he means an uppercut, he’s going to walk himself straight on to his right hand. If you ask me, I’d say keep your hands up tight, get through these next two rounds. And then use your athleticism down the stretch.”
Davison later explained his tactics for the fight, saying: “We knew Dubois, he retreats when he jabs. We tried to capitalise on that [but] for whatever reason, things didn’t get going in the early part of the fight. We just didn’t manage to get things going early. Then [there were] a couple of things we were trying to capitalise on at the end. A very short spell, landing that right hand, following up moments like that, but we didn’t apply the way we wanted to. By that point a lot has gone on, he’s not thinking straight.”
Davison had steered Joshua to victories in his last two fights, against Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou, and accepted he and his team had to accept a share of the blame. “I’d like to say, me and my team have received a hell of lot of credit for good performances he’s had, so it’s important we take responsibility for the bad performance as well,” he added.
