Anthony Joshua’s legacy, and indeed the future of his career, could well be defined by one impossible decision he must now make.
Shortly after his crushing stoppage defeat to Daniel Dubois last month, Joshua was confronted with several calls for retirement from the likes of legendary boxer Prince Naseem Hamed.
And yet, without being suffocated by the noise, Anthony Joshua has made it clear that he intends to resume his boxing journey.
His next step, then, could involve a rematch with Dubois, which Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has expressed a keen interest in.
But still, one would suspect that the decision on the 34-year-old’s next outing – whether he chooses to re-enter the lion’s den or not – is far from straightforward.
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Eddie Hearn insists that Anthony Joshua knows ‘exactly what to do’ in potential Daniel Dubois rematch
Joshua has, of course, previously avenged his first professional defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr in a vastly one-sided second encounter.
Against Oleksandr Usyk, however, he was forced to suffer back-to-back losses, unable to overcome the Ukrainian’s formidable skill in their rematch.
But the Brit’s promoter, Hearn, is nonetheless convinced that Dubois represents a far more simple task than Usyk.
“This is actually a straightforward fight in terms of tactics – to right the wrongs – but a dangerous fight because of what happened in the first fight,” Hearn told Boxing News.
“[When considering] the Usyk puzzle – [that was] a really difficult rematch to go into. [Joshua] got pinged everywhere in the first fight, [and in the rematch] he’d done a good job – made it much closer – but Usyk’s championship rounds performance was incredible.
“We can beat Dubois, 100 percent. We know exactly what to do. Usyk’s a puzzle that’s so difficult to solve; Dubois’ just big and strong – and dangerous.”
Winner of Martin Bakole vs Agit Kabayel to face Daniel Dubois
While Joshua seemingly remains undecided on what his next move should be, hard-hitting heavyweight contenders Martin Bakole and Agit Kabayel are set to lock horns to decide who will become Dubois’ mandatory challenger.
With Dubois now holding the IBF world title, after claiming the interim belt when he demolished Filip Hrgovic, the 27-year-old is ultimately compelled to follow a set of rules.
One of which is to defend his trinket against the IBF mandatory challenger, whose opportunity will be ordered in due course.
Bakole, though, has already called out Dubois, and Kabayel, too, represents an immensely difficult assignment for the newly-crowned champion.