Despite a recent defeat by Daniel Dubois, Anthony Joshua remains determined to reclaim his heavyweight champion status and has vowed to continue working towards this goal.
Anthony Joshua still has plans to be a champion again.
The British boxing star fell flat against fellow Englishman Daniel Dubois this past Saturday. He was thoroughly dominated for most of the contest before Dubois put him down for the count in Round 5 at London’s Wembley Stadium. Joshua was attempting to hold heavyweight gold for the first time since 2021. However, it was Dubois who successfully defended his IBF title and earned the biggest win of his career.
On Monday, Joshua released a statement on social media. He thanked his supporters and vowed to continue his run back to the top.
“Yes, I know we came up short, but we’ve got to look at all the positives,” Joshua said. “That’s the mindset and that’s the perspective that we have to have, a positive one. Always. Look at what we’ve achieved in the space of 11 years, it’s phenomenal and I want to thank every single one of you that’s been riding with me. What a roller-coaster journey.”
“But you know what the problem is? Is that it’s far from over yet. We’ve done it once, we’ve done it twice. Doing it a third time hasn’t been easy, but I believe it’s something I can achieve. It’s about making the right steps forward, working hard, and proving, and it’s got to come from here [taps chest] more than anything. It can’t come from any external voices or influences, it’s got to come from here, and it’s only been a day, but when I sit back and I’m thinking, I know I’ve got a lot of this. I know I’ve got a lot of this.”
Joshua, who turns 35 in October, had rattled off four consecutive victories to rebound from a pair of losses to Oleksandr Usyk. He followed wins over veterans Otto Wallin and Robert Helenius with a stunning knockout of former UFC champion Francis Ngannou. An impressive performance against Dubois could have set up a long-awaited matchup with Tyson Fury.
Fury is currently set to rematch Usyk on Dec. 21 after losing to the Ukrainian star this past May. It’s unclear what path Joshua has to eventually book a matchup with either of these heavyweight rivals. But it sounds like he’s willing to put the work in.
“Keep your seat belts tight because deep, deep, deep down in here, I know we’ve got a lot more to bring and a lot more to bring to the game,” Joshua said. “Long may it continue.”