Prince Naseem Hamed believes the time has come for Anthony Joshua to retire after getting knocked out by Daniel Dubois.
Anthony Joshua suffered the fourth defeat of his career to Daniel Dubois following a savage fifth-round knockout at Wembley Stadium.
AJ was dropped with a big right hand by Dubois in the first round and then was floored three more times before the referee called an end to the contest.
Tyson Fury was befuddled by Joshua’s performance against Dubois while Oleksandr Usyk was shocked by AJ’s lack of defense.
This was the second time Joshua has been knocked out since getting stopped by Andy Ruiz in their first encounter.
Prince Naseem Hamed thinks Anthony Joshua’s best days are behind him
Naseem Hamed has implied that Joshua is not the same fighter he used to be.
In an interview with iFL TV, he said: “Whether he can or he can’t [come back], I’d prefer him not to. He’s had his day in the sun. He’s done great. He won amazing world titles, defended them, and earned his dough.
“Listen, he should bow out gracefully and that’s it, done. Because when he gets hit on the chin – we don’t want to talk about that right now.”
Joshua never seemed to fully recover after being dropped in the first round and was in survival mode for the rest of the contest.
Despite hurting Dubois with a powerful right hand in the fifth, Joshua was countered by a straight right hand by Dubois which sent him tumbling to the canvas.
AJ tried to beat the referee’s count but was too hurt to continue.
Should Anthony Joshua retire?
Heading into the fight against Dubois, many believed Joshua was back to his best.
AJ was coming off four wins in a row, including three knockout victories in his last three fights against Francis Ngannou, Otto Wallin and Robert Helenius.
However, some fans were unconvinced by these opponents, who were widely not deemed the best fighters in the heavyweight division.
Still, Joshua seemed to have his confidence back under new coach Ben Davison.
But last night’s performance against Dubois may imply Joshua has not fully rediscovered the aggression that led to him becoming a two-time heavyweight champion.