What next for Joshua after humbling Dubois defeat?

Two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is at a crossroads after his humbling defeat at the hands of fellow Briton Daniel Dubois at Wembley on Saturday.

The 34-year-old was demolished in a powerful display by a man seven years his junior.

It was a fourth career defeat for Joshua following losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022, and underdog Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019.

So with a long-awaited domestic blockbuster against Tyson Fury looking further away than ever, what happens now for one of Britain’s greatest ever heavyweight fighters?

Bullied, outboxed and outthought – where did it go wrong?
Joshua arrived at Wembley after four consecutive victories, including an impressive knockout win over Francis Ngannou in March.

But he was dominated by IBF heavyweight champion Dubois, who has lost two of his 24 fights.

After being knocked down in the first round, Joshua hit the canvas several times more, including twice in the third, before the fight ended in the fifth.

“He wasn’t just knocked out – he was outboxed, outthought and outfought and, ultimately, bullied by the stronger, younger, fitter guy,” said former world champion Barry Jones on the 5 Live Boxing podcast.

“He didn’t recover from the first knockdown. He did well to get up but he was on borrowed time.”

Jones, a former featherweight, said no-one would be “shocked” Dubois won but the bout was a “demolition job”.

“Joshua looked so tentative,” he added. “He made novice mistakes.”

Joshua told the podcast it was a “bad night at the office”.

“It just wasn’t my night,” he said. “I wasn’t setting shots up. In a shootout like that you have to be sniper-esque. But when you’ve been hit a few times you’re in survival mode.”

Former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis said: “One guy showed up, one guy didn’t. Disappointed.”