Daniel Dubois says he is still not sure if Anthony Joshua will take the rematch with him after the way he so utterly destroyed him in his fifth round KO victory on September 21 in London.
Dubois feels that Joshua will have “devils” in his head about a second fight against him, leaving him haunted by the memory of what happened. This was a much worse loss for AJ than his loss to his replacement opponent, Andy Ruiz Jr., in 2019, and he can’t count on Dubois eating and partying after a state of obesity heading into a rematch not.
The negatives of Joshua taking Rematch
– PTSD flashbacks
– Weakened punch resistance still
– Marketability hurt
– Retirement
A second knockout loss to Dubois, 27, will almost destroy what is left of Joshua’s confidence. Taking on Tyson Fury in an all-British bout in 2025 will make it difficult for the proud fighter to continue his career.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh will probably still want to make the Joshua-Fury fight, even with Joshua and Fury losing, but fans will see it as two old men on their last legs, fighting for money. That would be pathetic.
If AJ’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, wants to make a quick rematch with Dubois, it could work against Joshua. Hearn is a wise owl, and he has obviously worked out in his head how it would play out negatively for Joshua if he set him up with a second clash against the young lion Dubois in early 2025.
IBF heavyweight champion Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) dropped the then 34-year-old Joshua four times in their fight and embarrassed him in front of a massive crowd at Wembley Stadium.
“I hope we get a date soon. He will have many demons in his mind. Who knows? People will talk him into it,” said Daniel Dubois BoxNation when asked if he thought Anthony Joshua would take the rematch against him. “For my part, I’m ready to go there and show the world I’m the King. If he wants it again, let’s do it. Let’s go.”
Joshua’s behavior smacks of fear
It doesn’t look like Joshua will take the rematch as he and Hearn have already said they will take the second fight with Dubois. When Joshua lost to Ruiz and Oleksandr Usyk, he immediately talked about rematching them.
In the case of Dubois, Joshua didn’t, and it shows that he doesn’t have the confidence that he can win. Although he talks about being a warrior, his actions speak of a warrior who is afraid and unwilling to get back on the battlefield and suffer his fate. In other words, Joshua lost his nerve. If AJ was in the military, he would have to be removed from the front lines and put on KP duty because he is showing symptoms of battle fatigue.
