By Jim Maltzman: Anthony Joshua wants Daniel Dubois to give him a call if he needs to talk to someone about his loss to Joe Joyce last Saturday night. Dubois’s left eye was completely closed by the tenth round against Joyce, and he couldn’t bear it anymore.
Joshua doesn’t like the way that many people in the boxing world have been calling the previously unbeaten heavyweight contender Dubois (15-1, 14 KOs) a “quitter” after he bowed out in the 10th round by taking a knee against the underdog Joyce (12-0, 11 KOs).
Joshua feels that it’s bad how people call a fighter a quitter when they’re about to have their eye “fall out” in a fight. Dubois, 23, is said to have suffered a fractured left eye socket and nerve damage from his loss to ‘The Juggernaut” Joyce at the Westminster Church House in London, England.
Joshua says people are out of order
Some boxing fans may find it interesting that IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs) to be the one to offer to talk to Dubois, as he was seen as quitting against Andy Ruiz Jr in their first fight in 2019.
“If Daniel [Dubois] needs someone to speak to, he should call me,” said Joshua to The Sun. “It is easy for people to criticize from outside the ring — but some people have been out of order.
“Daniel took a massive risk in taking that fight, as did Joe Joyce,” Joshua continued. “They both knew the dangers and they both put it all on the line,” said Joshua.
In hindsight, Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren should have waited before throwing him in with an experienced heavyweight like Joyce. As promoter Eddie Hearn accurately points out, Dubois hadn’t been put in with any step-up opponents to prepare him for a fighter of Joyce’s caliber.
Hearn feels that Dubois should have been put in with a heavyweight like Bryant Jennings to get him ready.
One could tell that Hearn was being careful not to step on any of the contender’s toes by mentioning different fighters that Dubois should have fought to get experience. But it would have made sense for him to face these guys before facing Joyce:
- Michael Hunter
- Martin Bakole
- Sergey Kuzmin
- Otto Wallin
- Tony Yoka
- Oscar Rivas
- Adam Kownacki
AJ dislikes the “quitter” label
It’s quite possible that Joshua could wind up facing Joyce by 2022. Joshua will be fighting WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury twice in 2021, and he could also face his WBO mandatory Oleksandr Usyk.
Joyce is hoping that Joshua will vacate his WBO title so that he can face Usyk for the vacant belt in early 2021. If not, Joyce will likely need to wait until 2022 before he gets a title shot depending on how things go for him in 2021.
“When a boxer stops because his eyeball is about to fall out, they call him a ‘quitter’ — are they serious?”
“Daniel’s time will come. I believe I will fight both him and Joyce. Joyce is underrated. He had a top amateur pedigree and it shows,” said Joshua.
If Joshua wants to pick Dubois up, he can always offer him a title shot in a couple of years. If Joshua is still a world champion by 2022, he will put a smile on Dubois’ face if he gave him a crack at his belts.
Boxing is a different sport entirely than MMA, and you can argue that they’re tougher. It takes a lot more to develop a boxer than it does in the MMA, and you’re expected to be tough.
The visible image of Dubois turning around and taking a knee after being jabbed didn’t sit right with a lot of boxing fans, who are accustomed to seeing fighters go down from power shots.