This Saturday night against IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, Anthony Joshua cannot afford to lose. Joshua can never lose again after all that work because of his advanced age and the two years he recently spent rebuilding following two straight losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
According to promoter Eddie Hearn, although AJ does not consider a “loss,” he could nonetheless fall short against Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs). That might derail Joshua’s aspirations to meet Tyson Fury in a megafight in Britain in 2025, which would be devastating. Since the Ruiz 2 fight, they have been claiming that. On the DAZN boxing channel, Eddie Hearn questioned whether Anthony Joshua’s career would end if he lost his match against Daniel Dubois on Saturday night. “You have to work your way up the ladder, and it’s a long way back when you stumble.” That’s what he did after Usyk lost. Regarding Joshua, Hearn remarked, “He’s worked himself right back on top of the board, and on Saturday, he’s got a chance to be a King once again.” Given that Joshua put in so much time and effort in his recent, protracted climb back to this point, Hearn must be concerned about Joshua losing. Joshua’s return took two years, and it will all be for nothing if he is defeated by Dubois. It would have been preferable for Hearn to have brought Joshua back sooner.
“You are defeated. You immediately go back down, and rebuilding is a difficult process that takes time to complete and a long road to recovery. We have just one task ahead of us, and that is to triumph. Hearn stated, “A loss is not even in the thought process.” “The age of him. At this age, there’s a little bit more pressure. Promoter Frank Warren commented, “Try to pile a little bit more on, you know?” in reference to Joshua’s advanced age. Though Hearn may not want to bring it up, there is a very real chance that Joshua will fall short against Dubois. Because Joshua has never encountered a puncher like this in his career, he could lose. Even in their 2017 matchup, AJ and Wladimir Klitschko weren’t facing a slugger comparable to Dubois.
Joshua will take on Klitschko on Saturday night; the fighter is bold and aggressive, but Klitschko was past his prime at 41. “This conflict is beautiful because of that. It’s not someone who is a little unsteady after losing. Hearn clarified, “It’s not someone coming off scandal where their heart is in doubt.
