Anthony Joshua has expressed a desire to rematch Daniel Dubois following his devastating fifth-round stoppage defeat to the IBF world heavyweight champion.
The 35-year-old suffered his fourth professional loss in what was a monumental upset when the pair locked horns at Wembley Stadium, England, last month.
Shortly after the one-sided beatdown – which saw the two-time heavyweight champion get floored four times – several members of the boxing fraternity called for Joshua to retire.
And yet, it now seems as though the Brit is done licking his wounds and, instead, looks to prepare for a possible rematch with Daniel Dubois in February.
Jeamie Tshikeva provides insight into Anthony Joshua’s mindset following his defeat to Daniel Dubois
Anthony Joshua is, of course, no stranger to a rematch, as he chose to step back into the lion’s den following his shocking defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019.
After getting stopped by the almighty underdog in their first encounter, Joshua decided to take a safety-first approach to their rematch, sticking behind his jab to secure a wide unanimous decision victory.
Again, the heavyweight star looked to exact revenge on two-division undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk following their first clash in 2019.
But while he was able to make it a closer contest, Joshua ultimately failed to avenge his loss to the formidable Ukrainian.
Still, his sparring partner and stablemate, Jeamie Tshikeva, believes that we will see a successful comeback story play out when he takes on his next assignment.
“I’ve spent time with him [since the Dubois defeat],” Tshikeva told ESBR Boxing. “He’s up for [the rematch] and he’s going to make a comeback, a very good comeback. I believe in the man – and everyone should.
“He’s always good when he makes comebacks. Look, AJ isn’t down and out, man, trust me. He’s here and he’ll be back, 100 percent.”
Daniel Dubois warns Anthony Joshua while also calling out Oleksandr Usyk
It is widely reported that Dubois’ promoter, Frank Warren, is looking to stage the Brit’s next fight in February.
However, his rematch with Joshua is yet to be confirmed, with Dubois instead expressing an interest to face Usyk in a second encounter.
The 27-year-old, though, has nonetheless sent a stern warning to his countryman, knowing that their potential clash is firmly on the table.
That said, there is still a good chance that Dubois may wait for the result of Usyk vs Tyson Fury on December 21, before making his mind up.