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'Once it's gone, it's gone' - Lennox Lewis and Carl Frampton question Anthony Joshua's future after knockout
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Published 22/09/2024 at 00:50 GMT+1
The one-sided nature of Anthony Joshua's defeat against Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium led former world champions Lennox Lewis and Carl Frampton to question his future in the ring. Both ex-fighters felt that Joshua's poor performance throughout the IBF world heavyweight title clash suggested that he would find it tough to get back to his best. Joshua was stopped in the fifth round.
Highlights: Dubois batters Joshua in heavyweight classic at Wembley
Video credit: TNT Sports
Former world champions Lennox Lewis and Carl Frampton questioned whether Anthony Joshua should return to the ring after his crushing defeat to Daniel Dubois.
Joshua challenged Dubois for the IBF heavyweight world title at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night, but he was repeatedly knocked to the canvas before Dubois ultimately left him sprawled out and unable to beat the count in the fifth round.
The 34-year-old has lost before, once against Andy Ruiz and twice against Oleksandr Usyk, but never in such dramatic circumstances.
Given his age and the previous three defeats, questions were asked over the Briton’s future in the sport.
While there is a rematch clause, the scale of his defeat means he would go into the second fight as the underdog, and the chances of a long-anticipated fight with Tyson Fury appear slim, whether world titles are at stake or not.
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‘I’m a fighter for life’ – Joshua vows to rebuild but admits ‘a lot of mistakes’ were made
Video credit: TNT Sports
Speaking to TNT Sports after the fight, former undisputed heavyweight champion Lewis suggested the manner of the defeat is a problem.
He said: "It's really up to him mentally. It was a bad defeat. He was on the floor a lot of times.
"It's hard to come back from that. He can work hard and look at what he did wrong. But he's got the mental strength, he can come back."
Frampton concurred, adding: "It's going to be a difficult watch for AJ. If you get knocked out by one shot, it's not as bad as getting beat up like that. As a boxer, you get the resilience knocked out of you.
"When you're a boxer, when you are in wars where you get up and down off the canvas, you lose the resilience, you can't get it back.
"You can't come back and get a better chin - once it's gone, it's gone."
Journalist Steve Bunce suggested the scale of the task could be a serious problem given his performance level.
"What we're asking AJ to do is come back from a fight where he fought five rounds, which he won't remember unless he's watching it," he noted. "Where he got knocked down multiple times.
"He makes several really basic mistakes which surprised all of us. That's going to be really hard to come from."
FRAMPTON: 'THE BEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN'
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'Best thing I've ever seen' – Reaction to 'outstanding' Dubois win and AJ's 'insane' tactics
Video credit: TNT Sports
Frampton was nonplussed by Joshua's approach to the fight from the opening bell, as he offered up his chin to the heavy-handed Dubois.
He explained: "AJ looked like he was looking over a fence, sometimes his chin was a mile in the air. I had no idea what he was doing.
"Dubois took advantage of it, bullied him. Just when we thought AJ may have hurt Dubois, he lands a shot.
"Mistakes all round from AJ tonight, and his team, and Dubois capitalised on it. Outstanding performance."
Frampton was asked where British boxing now stood after an all-British heavyweight clash that saw almost 100,000 fans in attendance watch a stacked card.
He was effusive in response, claiming: "We’re at the top of the tree. There’s nowhere else in the world that can create an atmosphere like this, and there’s no doubt.
"That was the best thing I’ve ever seen."
Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubois for the IBF World Heavyweight Championship is available to buy on TNT Sports Box Office for £19.99 in the UK on discovery+, EE TV and Prime Video
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