A boxing ban has been imposed on Anthony Joshua because to his horrific loss to Daniel Dubois last week. The 27-year-old domestic opponent defeated the Watford-born fighter in the fifth round of the bout at Wembley in front of 96,000 spectators.
Dubois defeated his opponent four times in a stunning victory to maintain his IBF heavyweight title. As per protocol, Joshua is now forbidden from coming into the ring for 28 days, with the British Boxing Board of Control enforcing the order.
Anthony Joshua has been issued a ban from boxing following his defeat by Daniel Dubois
The Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports highlights that it’s standard procedure for fighters to be issued medical suspensions after suffering KO and TKO defeats.
The Watford-born fighter was knocked out in fifth round at Wembley in front of 96,000 fans
The short ban is unlikely to hinder Joshua given that his next opponent is yet to be named after he insisted he will continue to box.
Following his defeat by Dubois, the two-time champion said: ‘And you’re probably asking, “Do I want to continue fighting?” Of course I want to continue fighting.
‘That’s why I said we took a shot at success and we came up short. And what does that mean right now?
‘Are we gonna run away? Are we going live to fight another day? And that’s what I am. A warrior’.
Joshua also praised Dubois, saying: ‘We have to give credit to my opponent Daniel.
‘When I sign up to fights, opponents I don’t really like them in my head anymore, but now it’s done, I take my hat off to him and say well done to him and his team.’
Meanwhile, Eddie Hearn initially stated Joshua had a rematch clause to face Dubois again while being interviewed in the ring on Saturday night.
However, he has since confirmed that there is no release clause, and that Joshua instead has one fight remaining on his contract as part of ‘Riyadh Season’, which could be against Dubois.
After his suspension, Joshua can try to earn the IBF championship once more by facing Dubois again.
The Matchroom CEO said in an interview with iFLTV that a rematch with Dubois, Deontay Wilder, and Tyson Fury are all being considered.
However, considering how unfair his loss at Wembley was, Joshua might try to go a another route to success and pursue a bout with Fury instead. After losing their first bout of the year, Fury is scheduled to face Oleksandr Usyk again in December.
In the event that he prevails, the Gypsy King may decide to voluntarily defend himself against Joshua in order to finally make amends with his domestic adversary. On the other hand, a defeat by Usyk might force Fury and Joshua to fight one another in an effort to re-enter the picture at the top.
Another fighter who has been mentioned for a while as a potential opponent for Joshua is Deontay Wilder, who won the WBC belt from 2015 to 2020. Before Fury stripped Wilder of his title, Joshua and Wilder’s teams were unable to come to an agreement on conditions for an uncontested match.
Eddie Hearn claims that a rematch with Dubois, Tyson Fury, and Deontay Wilder are all being considered.
Though Wilder turns 39 next month and has lost his last two fights against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, he is thinking about getting back in the ring, and a matchup with Joshua would be appealing. If the battle goes through, the victor might aim for one last chance to capture the title again, while the loser would probably ride out into the sunset.
