Anthony Joshua faces a tough decision after losing his recent world title fight by knockout. The two-time heavyweight champion now stands at a career crossroads.
Joshua's latest setback came in September 2023 when Daniel Dubois knocked him out in the fifth round of their IBF world title fight. Dubois floored Joshua three times before the referee stopped the fight.
At 35 years old, Joshua has now lost four of his 32 professional bouts. He previously lost to Andy Ruiz Jr. but avenged that defeat. He also dropped two 12-round decisions to Oleksandr Usyk.
The knockout loss to Dubois has led some in the boxing world to call for Joshua's retirement. Johnny Nelson, a former world champion and current Sky Sports pundit, shared his thoughts in an interview with Seconds Out.
"My reply to that is, in my opinion, and I'll give a justifiable reason around it, its coming from a good place, I didn't like to see that [knockout to Dubois] happen to 'AJ'. The maths in my head as to why that happened tells me he should walk away."
Nelson went on to explain his reasoning:
"If that keeps happening after all the success you have, what you've done for British Boxing and all the champions you've fought, you keep regressing to that fight that makes such fundamental mistakes then it's going to happen again and again."
Nelson's concerns center on Joshua's repeated fundamental mistakes, regression in performance, and the risk of further knockouts.
Despite these calls to hang up his gloves, Joshua has confirmed he will fight on. There was initial talk of an immediate rematch with Dubois, but his promoter Eddie Hearn recently suggested they may take a different route.
Joshua's career has been marked by significant highs. He's a two-time world champion who once stood at the top of the heavyweight division. His impact on British boxing has been substantial. Now, at 35 and coming off his most conclusive defeat, Joshua must carefully consider his next move in the ring.
