Daniel Dubois says he still isn’t sure if Anthony Joshua will take the rematch with him after the way that he so utterly destroyed him in his fifth-round KO victory on September 21st in London.
Dubois feels that Joshua will “demons” in his head about taking a second fight against him, leaving him haunted by the memory of what happened. This was a far worse defeat for AJ than his loss to his substitute opponent, Andy Ruiz Jr., in 2019, and he can’t count on Dubois eating and partying his way to a state of obesity the way heading into a rematch.
The Negatives of Joshua Taking Rematch
– PTSD Flashbacks
– Weakened Punch Resistance Still
– Marketability hurt
– Retirement
A second knockout loss to Dubois, 27, would pretty much destroy what’s left of Joshua’s self-confidence. That would make it difficult for the prideful fighter to want to continue his career to face Tyson Fury in an all-British match-up in 2025.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh would still likely want to make the Joshua-Fury fight, even with Joshua and Fury coming off losses, but fans would view it as two old-timers on their last legs, fighting for the sake of money. It would be pathetic.
If AJ’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, wants to make a quick rematch with Dubois, it could work against Joshua. Hearn is a wise owl, and he’s obviously calculated in his head how it would play out negatively for Joshua if he set him up with a second clash against the young lion Dubois in early 2025.
IBF heavyweight champion Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) dropped the then 34-year-old Joshua four times in their fight, embarrassing him in front of a massive crowd at Wembley Stadium.
“I hope we get a date soon. He’ll have a lot of demons playing in his mind. Who knows? People will talk him into it,” said Daniel Dubois to BoxNation when asked if he thinks Anthony Joshua will take the rematch against him. “From my side, I’m ready to go out there and show the world I’m the King. If he wants it again, let’s do it. Let’s go.”
Joshua’s Behavior Reeks of Fear
It does not look like Joshua will take the rematch because he and Hearn would have already said they would take the second fight with Dubois. When Joshua lost to Ruiz and Oleksandr Usyk, he immediately spoke up about taking the rematch against them.
In the case of Dubois, Joshua hasn’t done that, and it suggests that he lacks the self-belief that he can win. Although he talks about being a warrior, his actions speak of a fighter afraid and unwilling to get back on the battlefield and suffer his fate. In other words, Joshua has lost his nerve. If AJ were in the military, he would have to be taken off the frontlines and placed on KP duty because he’s showing symptoms of battle fatigue.
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