Anthony Joshua has spoken for the first time since his defeat to Daniel Dubois, addressing his fans in a post on Instagram.
Joshua was beaten by Dubois in front of a sold-out Wembley Stadium on Saturday night.
The two-time world champion was the favorite despite being the challenger for the IBF heavyweight belt, however, Dubois delivered a career-best performance.
AJ was dropped four times across the five rounds, including a devastating shot from Dubois in the first round that produced one of the best photos of the year.
Defeat would be sealed in the fifth when Joshua fell into a trap set up by his opponent, allowing Dubois to land a brutal shot onto his right chin and send the 34-year-old to the canvas.
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Anthony Joshua addresses retirement claims
Speculation about Joshua’s future in boxing have begun to intensify ever since the defeat.
There is hope from the likes of Eddie Hearn that Joshua could face Tyson Fury, regardless of how Fury’s rematch against Oleksandr Usyk on 21 December pans out.
On the other hand, there have also been some calls for the 34-year-old to hang the gloves up for good.
Prince Naseem Hamed suggested that Joshua has “had his day in the sun” and should retire from the sport.
But in his first appearance since defeat, Joshua addressed his fans on his Instagram, confirming he wouldn’t be walking away from the ring.
He started by saying: “I know we came up short, but we’ve got to look at the positives and that’s the mindset.
“Look at what we’ve achieved in the space of 11 years, it’s phenomenal and I want to thank every single one of you that’s been riding with me. What a rollercoaster journey.
“But you know what the problem is? It’s that it’s far from over yet. We’ve done it once, we’ve done it twice – doing it a third time hasn’t been easy – but I believe it’s something I can achieve.”
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Joshua continued to add how it was important to continue making the right steps forward before finishing the video off by saying: “When I sit back and think about it, I know I’ve got a lot of this [heart], man.
“Thanks for your support, thanks for being on this rollercoaster journey and keep your seatbelts tight because deep, deep, deep down here, I know we’ve got a lot more to bring.”
Who will Anthony Joshua fight next?
After suffering defeat for the fourth time in his professional career, Joshua is now at a crossroads.
Reports have claimed that Joshua could trigger an unknown clause that will set up a rematch against Dubois.
Meanwhile, there is plenty of hype around a potential fight against Fury.
Had Joshua and Fury won their respective fights the two would’ve done battle to become the unified champion of the heavyweight division but the ‘Gypsy King’, who was left stunned by Dubois’ knockout win, may now not be within sight for AJ.
Hearn has called for the fight to happen but warned that there is a deadline for when Joshua vs Fury must meet, otherwise the British stars can’t go head-to-head in the ring.