ANTHONY JOSHUA is at a career crossroads following his drubbing at the hands of Danel Dubois.
The former two-time unified heavyweight was on the receiving end of a Wembely whooping from his former sparring partner last Saturday.
AJ was dropped a staggering FOUR TIMES as he suffered a stunning fifth-round KO defeat to the IBF king, who announced himself to the world with a career-best performance.
The devastating defeat has left AJ’s long-overdue showdown with Brit rival Tyson Fury teetering on the edge of permanent collapse.
And it’s ignited an insane chorus of calls for the London 2012 gold medallist to hang up his gloves.
AJ, however, has emphatically dismissed pleas for him to bring the curtain down on his glittering career.
READ MORE ON AJ
“Before I came here, I’m always saying to myself, ‘I’m a fighter for life,'” a crestfallen AJ said in his post-fight interview.
“We rolled the dice at success and we came up short and we roll it again.
“We keep rolling the dice.”
So with that defiant statement in mind, SunSport thought it’d only be right to weigh up the three potential opponents for the poster boy of British boxing should he not immediately rematch Dubois.
Most read in Boxing
And there are still some household names out there for AJ to duke it out with.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
‘Are you not entertained? I’m a gladiator’ – What Dubois and Joshua said after brutal fight
DANIEL DUBOIS annihilated Anthony Joshua’s dream of becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion, writes Wally Downes Jr.
Joshua was floored FOUR times as Dubois landed an astonishing fifth-round knockout in front of a record 96,000 Wembley crowd and millions of TV viewers to retain his IBF belt.
AJ, 34, never recovered after being downed in the first round of last night’s Battle of Britain showdown as a huge Dubois right-hand haymaker caught him flush on the chin.
Here’s what they said after the fight:
DANIEL DUBOIS
“Are you not entertained? I’m a gladiator, a warrior to the bitter end. This is the biggest win of my career. I couldn’t let this opportunity go and now I want to go to the top level of this game.
“I’ve been on a roller-coaster ride and this is my time. I’m not gonna stop until I reach my full potential.”
ANTHONY JOSHUA
“As p***ed off as I am, it is what it is.
“I had a sharp, fast opponent and there were a lot of mistakes from me. Credit to my opponent and his team.
“We rolled the dice and came up short. You know I’m p***ed but I’m going to keep cool and give respect to my opponent.”
FRANK WARREN (DUBOIS’ PROMOTER)
“It was a phenomenal fight, like Hagler v Hearns.
“A brilliant fight and everybody has seen a champion’s performance tonight.
“Daniel has shown his courage, his skills.
“AJ caught him with a shot towards the end and I was worried, but what a fabulous, fantastic fight.”
EDDIE HEARN (AJ’S PROMOTER)
“AJ shipped a huge right hand in the first round and was fighting on heart.
“He hurt Daniel at the end of the fourth and then again in the fifth, but got greedy and walked on to a right hand and that’s all she wrote.
“I’m sure Anthony will exercise the rematch clause.”
Deontay Wilder
Long before the entire combat sports world wanted AJ to throw down with Fury, fight fans were itching to see the Watford warrior take on the former long-reigning WBC heavyweight champion.
The pair, 34 and 37 respectively, were on course to trade heavy leather in 2018 when they held all the heavyweight marbles.
But just over three years ago, Wilder admitted to swerving what would have been a historic undisputed showdown.
Wilder has fallen on hard times as of late, losing four of his last five ring outings – with defeat to Joseph Parker last December scuppering a two-fight Saudi series with Joshua.
But The Bronze Bomber is still a big name in the division and his history with AJ makes him a more than viable opponent should he opt not to fight Dubois next.
Jarrell Miller
AJ has already signed on the dotted line to face the outspoken New Yorker, whom he was supposed to throw down with in June 2019.
A spate of failed drug tests for Miller, however, scuppered their Madison Square Garden melee and paved the way for Andy Ruiz Jr to pull off one of the biggest upsets in recent boxing history.
The bad blood they had before their axed Big Apple showdown hasn’t subsided, with the pair clashing in a press conference last November.
A grudge match between the pair is still incredibly sellable.
But more importantly for AJ and promoter Eddie Hearn, it’s a very winnable bout.
Tyson Fury
Despite the general consensus being that the biggest fight in the history of British boxing is now a thing of the past, there is still a world where Fury vs Joshua comes to fruition.
And that’s regardless of the outcome of Fury’s December rematch with former undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Should The Gypsy King come up short against the undefeated Ukrainian again, a debate-ending domestic dust-up with AJ would await him.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
And should he exact his revenge on the slick southpaw, he could opt to make a voluntary defence of either of the unified titles against his long-time rival next year.
And despite what the keyboard critics say, they would all tune in to watch the pair finally settle the score in a fight that would generate massive global interest.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
