Months after stunning the boxing world with a fifth-round knockout of Anthony Joshua, IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois has declared it is time for his former rival to call it a day.
Dubois, 26, made the first defence of his IBF world title by stopping the two-time unified heavyweight champion in front of a sold-out Wembley crowd. Speaking to Seconds Out, the hard-hitting South Londoner delivered a blunt verdict on Joshua’s future: “Does he want some more? He should retire in my opinion.”
The comment is the clearest signal yet from a top-tier rival that Joshua’s place among boxing’s elite is fading. The Watford-born fighter, 35, has now suffered four defeats in his professional career three of them coming in his last six fights. The crushing loss to Dubois in their all-British clash has only intensified doubts about his longevity at the top of the sport.
Joshua had turned professional in 2013 following his Olympic gold medal win at the London 2012 Games. Within four years, he was a unified world champion. But since his shock 2019 loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. at Madison Square Garden, the once-invincible aura has steadily eroded.
His two subsequent defeats to Oleksandr Usyk stripped him of his belts, and while Joshua bounced back with wins over Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius in 2023, the Dubois fight proved a mountain too high.
Despite growing calls for retirement, Joshua has refused to walk away. Instead, his camp is actively plotting a return to the ring, and discussions are ongoing for a two-fight deal potentially beginning later this year in Saudi Arabia under the Riyadh Season banner.
Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed the talks in an interview with Boxing Scene, saying: “We are actually discussing a two-fight deal with Riyadh Season. Turki Alalshikh said that on the night of Canelo’s fight on May 3, when we had our meeting. And that’s the plan really, we want to box sometime this year, October, November, December.”
Joshua himself revealed to ESPN Mexico earlier in May that he is aiming for a December return, following a successful elbow surgery.
The former champion is believed to be targeting a major comeback event, which could potentially set up a rematch with Dubois provided the timing and belts align.
For now, Dubois is gearing up for his own high-stakes rematch against Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley on 19 July. Usyk beat Dubois in 2023 via ninth-round stoppage, a result Dubois has never accepted due to a controversial low-blow call. The rematch offers a path to redemption and a clearer picture of the heavyweight division’s pecking order.
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Victory for Dubois could trigger a mandatory title defence against New Zealand’s Joseph Parker, who has steadily rebuilt his status. Whether Dubois would be willing to vacate a belt to make room for a more lucrative Joshua rematch is still uncertain.
Meanwhile, Tyson Fury remains the wildcard. The former WBC champion declared in January that he is retired from boxing, and reaffirmed that decision in a recent video message: “I hear a lot of talk about the Gypsy King returning to boxing and I ask this question: for what? What would I return for? I’m in no rush at all to come back to boxing and get my face punched in. I am retired and I am staying retired.”
Still, Hearn is keeping all options open: “We’ll see what happens with Dubois-Usyk, we’ll see what happens with Fury. And if we don’t fight those guys, we’ll fight someone else, and then maybe follow one of those guys next year.”
Despite his recent setbacks inside the ring, Joshua’s financial clout remains untouched. The Sunday Times Rich List recently valued his net worth at €232 million, placing him ahead of England football captain Harry Kane and even Tyson Fury.
