Anthony Joshua has insisted he’s not ready to retire from boxing just yet after losing to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night.
The 34-year-old was knocked to the canvas in four of the five rounds as his hopes of becoming a three-time world champion went up in smoke.
Some boxing fans online have called for Joshua to retire.
In addition to his loss to Dubois, he has also been beaten by Oleksandr Usyk (twice) and Andy Ruiz Jr throughout his career.
Boxing news: Anthony Joshua has no plans to retire just yet despite his nightmare defeat to Daniel Dubois
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But Joshua insists he’s got no plans to hang up his gloves just yet, despite Dubois outperforming and outclassing him in front of the eyes of the world.
“I always hold my head high,” he said during his post-fight press conference. “We took a shot at success and came up short, unfortunately. We rolled the dice and created history for British boxing.
“Of course I want to continue fighting. We’re going to live to fight another day.
“That’s what I am – a warrior. We have to give credit to Daniel. I take my hat off to him.
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“I want to thank my team for the way they prepared me. There were a few mistakes in there, but that’s the name of the game.
“Fine margins can cost you at the top level.”
Joshua’s trainer, Ben Davison, also opened up after the bout.
He said that AJ was ‘reckless’ at times during the showdown but insisted he was still proud of the Watford-born star for the way he performed.
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“He rolled the dice [in the fifth round] and hurt Daniel but was just a little bit reckless in terms of his application in the final moments,” he said.
“We were still in the fight after such a bad start.
“I’m very proud of what he showed in there against a young, strong, hungry fighter in Dubois. It was a terrible situation to be in.
“Not saying a lot of fighters would quit – in a sense, to ask to be pulled out – but a lot of fighters wouldn’t try to fight the way AJ did. I’m really proud of him for that.
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Boxing news: Anthony Joshua’s preparation has been defended by Ben Davison after his defeat to Daniel Dubois
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“There was nothing that Daniel did that shocked us. We were expecting him to do those things.
“Preparation went well. So we have to go back and look at the fight to see what we can do better to help AJ be better.”
Meanwhile, Tyson Fury was present in the capital to watch the action unfold.
But the 36-year-old resisted the chance to twist the knife following Joshua’s defeat, with the Gypsy King downplaying the significance of the result.
Boxing news: Daniel Dubois was too strong for Anthony Joshua in their blockbuster clash at Wembley on Saturday night
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“It’s heavyweight boxing. [Stuff] happens. You get knocked spark out,” he said.
“It could have been me. In the heavyweight division, it’s what happens.
“What went wrong is what always happens in heavyweight boxing. A good right hand on the end of the chin, and that was it.
“I don’t know. It’s up to the man and whatever he wants to do. If he has good ambitions to come back again, he can make his own decisions. He’s a big boy.”