Now that would be hilarious if true but at the same time it would make sense. Dubios went in as champion and it is logical the champion would have a rematch clause but why would Joshua have had any claims for one? It could actually work in Joshua's favour. A rematch is a career ending decision. This might give him the latitude to fight someone else without losing face.
Deja vu. I seem to remember after the 1st Ruiz fight so many people saying AJ doesn't deserve a rematch and if it happens the result will be ehe same.
Very different scenarios. Joshua was the champion going into the Ruiz fight and had a rematch clause in his contract and Ruiz lost the rematch with very little help required from Joshua. It looked like Ruiz had come straight from the after party from their first fight. Dubois - the reigning champion - beat Joshua in much more emphatic fashion than Ruiz did and is unlikely to turn up in anything like the shape Ruiz did for the rematch. Everything points to a Dubois-Joshua rematch being a Joshua career ender.
The difference being Joshua is almost 35 now and has lost 3 fights since then. It's not an unwinnable fight but also one with much more cause for doubt that Ruiz I. Might be wise to wait for some dust to settle in the HW division before making his next move. Usyk/Fury II and Whyte/Chisora III aftermath will present him with some interesting options as well.
If he wants to continue in the sport, yes. If he doesn't and cares more about his health than making more money, no. It's a world title fight, an opportunity for revenge and some redemption and a big money rematch. There's no guarantee he'll get mega money fights if he doesn't beat Dubois and there's no time for another "rebuild" given his age/wear. It's also somewhat winnable if he lets his hands go, though whatever he does he's the underdog and he probably won't be as assertive as Dubois no matter his gameplan. It'll happen mid 2025.
Nope. He should take 8 months off, fight Chisora 12 months from now then Whyte 5 months later, then Wilder and then a rematch with Daniel but I think he has limited options as to who he fights next as dictated by Turki.
Depends if he wants to commit to actually learning how to actually fight or not. What they should have done after the first ruiz fight. He,s spent too much time trying to learn technical ability without having the attributes needed to actually pull it off succesfully. He should have been a wrecking ball. He should have been in tough hard training camps....tough sparring etc instead of too much sport science and technical instruction. They should have been toughening him up over the years. Look at dubois....hes not technically that great. His trainer isnt all that technical. They,ve got him battle hardened tho. Joshua was found wanting in a fight again because hes been training all this technique over the years at the expense of getting him battle ready. He was never going to be usyk or fury. At this point tho i,d probably vote no. That type of training comes at a cost....a cost joshua doesnt really have to pay at this point. He should have done it after ruiz if he was serious about legacy etc. Tbh tho he didnt need it he made his money just about getting out with his faculties intact now.
This is key for me. I wonder if he disliked working with Garcia and James for this reason alone because they have intense training camps and sparring.
I think that as well. I think hes soft thats his biggest problem. Its a hard sport you need to be hardened at that level. Thats probably a process. A process he never really committed to...and thats why he should retire. He doesnt need it at this point...he probably didnt need it in honesty after the money came in early...if he gets out the game it was probably his best decision not to get hardened because it usually comes with a cost.
No. The whole rematch mania these days is tiresome. But more importantly, Joshua took an absolute shellacking. Aside from a few seconds right before getting knocked out, he was dominated throughout the fight. It’s not just that he lost, but how he lost to Dubois. Maybe he could fight Wilder—they’re in the same position now, with both having racked up 4 losses in recent years, including some bad knockout losses. When Usyk beats Fury again in December, the AJ-Fury fight would also be an option. It would have lost much of its appeal, sure, but I can imagine that in the UK, it would still be a massive fight, at least in terms of financial value. But maybe he should just retire. He is financially secure for life and chances are he won't end up talking like Bowe, provided he retires now, before suffering even more damage in the ring.
Read an interview where Hearn states it’s best to wait to see what happens with Usyk v Fury and that a fight with fury is preferred irrespective of if he beats Usyk or not. Would be an absolute disgrace if that were to happen.