Anthony Joshua has vowed to continue his boxing career despite suffering a brutal fifth-round knockout defeat against IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley on Saturday. Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that Joshua, 34, will definitely be back, despite questions about his future after this loss.
In the all-British clash, Joshua was floored four times by a relentless Dubois, who ended the fight with a decisive knockout in the fifth round. This marks the fourth loss of Joshua’s career, eliminating his hopes of becoming the undisputed world champion.
Joshua was aiming to join an elite group of fighters, including Muhammad Ali and Lennox Lewis, by becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion. However, despite the record-breaking crowd of over 98,000 in attendance, Joshua remains determined to fight on.
“Of course I want to continue fighting,” Joshua stated, although he declined to answer questions at the post-fight press conference. “We took a shot at success and we came up short. What does that mean now? That we’re going to run away? We’re going to live to fight another day. And that’s what I am — I’m a warrior.”
Reflecting on his career, Joshua added, “Always walk with your head high. We rolled the dice for the third time. There have been 13 world-title fights, not every one of them has been successful but every one has been fun and entertaining. There were a few mistakes in there but that’s the name of the game. Fine margins will cost you at the top level.”
Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn outlined future opportunities for Joshua, including a potential rematch with Dubois or a high-profile bout with Tyson Fury, who faces Oleksandr Usyk on December 21. “2025 is going to be an interesting year for Anthony Joshua,” said Hearn. “Whether it’s against Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury or whoever, you are going to be entertained because that was incredibly entertaining, albeit you don’t want to see your fighter get beat like that.
Meanwhile, Dubois, 27, has his sights set on unifying the heavyweight titles and avenging his 2023 loss to Usyk, who currently holds the WBC, WBO, and WBA belts. “They were all saying I was going to get knocked out but we all saw who got knocked out,” Dubois said confidently. “This is just the start of my journey. I want to get my rematch and put that wrong right.”