Boxing promoter Bob Arum has told Anthony Joshua his career is ‘over’ in the wake of his nightmare defeat to Daniel Dubois last month.
The 34-year-old had entered the clash looking to build on victories over the likes of Jermaine Franklin Jr, Otto Wallin, Robert Helenius and Francis Ngannou.
Yet Joshua was outclassed by Dubois at Wembley, with his fellow Briton knocking him out in the fifth round.
AJ was poor from start to finish, with the heavyweight star hitting the canvas four times throughout the showdown.
Boxing news: Bob Arum has told Anthony Joshua his career is ‘over’ following his defeat to Daniel Dubois
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In truth, he was lucky the showdown lasted as long as it did.
And Arum, speaking to FightHub, has now ruthlessly told Joshua that his career is ‘over’ – while also saying the same applies to Deontay Wilder.
“No, you don’t have an off night getting the s**t kicked out of you that way,” he said.
“I just think AJ has been through a lot of wars. And I think it’s over for him as well as over for Wilder.
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“Maybe they can fight each other, that’d be good.”
Joshua has vowed to keep boxing despite his defeat, with the Briton adamant he’ll be able to bounce back after his hopes of becoming a three-time world champion went up in smoke.
And he’s also set his sights on a rematch with Dubois, who is very much a man on the up once more.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has admitted they’re targeting a second clash with Dubois.
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He says Dubois’ camp will need to agree to terms, telling talkSPORT: “Rematch clauses come in many different forms.
“We have a fight with Riyadh Season. One of our options is to fight Daniel Dubois again, and our contract is with them.
“His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh] will deal with Frank and Daniel and make that fight happen. The terms will have to be agreed with them.
“We have already agreed our terms, we have the option to rematch with Dubois.
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Boxing news: Eddie Hearn has claimed Anthony Joshua wants a rematch with Daniel Dubois
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“Our meetings with His Excellency, he wants the rematch. AJ will always want the rematch.
“Daniel wants the rematch too it’s the biggest fight for him and they will fancy it.
“It is a case of going away and talking about, do we go straight into the rematch? And when will it be?
“It was a heavy night at the office, we aren’t going back to fight in 10-12 weeks, he needs his rest and time to recover.”
Boxing news: Daniel Dubois was superior as he crushed Anthony Joshua last month
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As for Dubois, the boxing star is keen on a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk is currently preparing for a second bout with Tyson Fury, with that showdown set to take place on December 21.