Joshua was outclassed by Dubois at Wembley (Picture: Getty Images)
In his latest column, former Olympian and heavyweight contender Frazer Clarke warns Anthony Joshua not to rush into a rematch against Daniel Dubois after his brutal defeat at Wembley.
Dubois started in a different gear to AJ
It just went all wrong for Anthony Joshua against Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night. When you get hit clean by a guy who hits that hard so early in a fight, it might have taken him until the next day to recover from that first shot, let alone the others that came later.
I have spoken to AJ since. You have to start a fight from the first second, you can’t warm into them. It looked like AJ was starting round one and Dubois was starting round three. It was a different gear. In a drag race if someone is in a Peugeot and the other is in a Ferrari there is only one outcome.
There are no questions over whether Joshua was ready. He was definitely fit, you can see that from how he prepared and how he tried to continue. But when you get hit with a punch that big, you are never going to be back to 100 per cent that day, let alone in the next minute or the next round.
Joshua took a gamble… and it failed
We have all heard the clips of what was said in Joshua’s corner heading into that fifth round. But what you have to realise is, what is being said by the team is now being magnified because he lost. In a different situation it may have been the right advice.
Joshua was taken apart by destructive Dubois (Picture: PA)
We have heard all the talk about rolling the dice. For me that’s a gamble. The heavyweight division is not one to go gambling in because you can lose everything.
I don’t know if Ben Davison will regret anything he said or if he might think he could have worded it different, but when you’ve been in the gym with someone like they have been, you have your own language.
I’m sure Ben has never experienced something like that either, a fighter of that magnitude going down that spectacularly in that sort of setting, that early. It’s new for everyone. It is a difficult situation to manage.
Nerves brought Dubois alive
When you go into that environment. your nerves do one of two things. They either swallow you up or give you that shot of adrenaline like you’ve never had and make you sharper and faster then you’ve ever been before. Thankfully for Daniel, it was the second one. The nerves didn’t crush him, they brought him alive. He was roaring and shouting in that ring and was in total control.
Joshua’s next move is uncertain (Picture: PA)
There is a bit of luck involved in which one of those things you get. I think there are a few managing strategies as well. You have to commend Daniel’s team for being around him, from the warm up, to the ring walk to the opening bell. You are managing all these moments until the fight starts. Then the bell goes and that is when your moment matters.
I don’t mind holding my hands up, I thought that fight would have had the opposite ending. But that is heavyweight boxing. You are naïve to think that can’t happen because at any given time, one shot can lead to that happening.
What is next for Joshua?
To Joshua’s credit, he is not blaming anyone. You have to hold your hands up. I know AJ and I know that performance having watched it up close. I know he will probably be putting it on himself. Does he go straight into rematch? I’m not sure. I don’t know how it pans out. It could do Wembley again but I don’t know.
Joshua will want a rematch (Picture: Matchroom Boxing/Getty Images)
The manner of the loss, it was a destruction job. He and the team have to think carefully. Eddie Hearn has suggested waiting until after Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk meet in their rematch on 21 December. I think that’s a wise thing to do.
At this stage, it is about being patient. The good times pass and so do the bad ones. I am sure there is a strategy of what they do next. Whether that’s fight for the belt again in a rematch or wait for the biggest fight in boxing against Fury.
There are some big decisions to make over what AJ wants to chase now. Is he chasing the legacy of becoming three time heavyweight world champion or the legacy that comes with fighting in the biggest fight in the sport.