Tyson Fury has warned Anthony Joshua that it would be unwise for him to take on former opponent, Daniel Dubois, in another fight as he would come up short again.
Joshua was knocked out inside five rounds by his compatriot last September in an IBF heavyweight title showdown at Wembley Stadium. While AJ does not have another fight officially lined up at the moment, he is keen to get back in the ring soon and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, is hoping to lock down a rematch agreement with Dubois for later in 2025.
Hearn has also expressed the idea of Joshua potentially taking on Fury, Joseph Parker, Deontay Wilder or Agit Kabayel. Due to Joshua wanting to avenge his devastating loss to Dubois, a rematch with the IBF heavyweight holder is presumably deemed the biggest priority.
However, despite Joshua and Hearn’s eagerness to set up a second contest with Dubois, and the belief that the result could go the other way if the pair met again, Fury is adamant that matters would remain the same in a rematch. When asked on The Stomping Ground whether Joshua could beat Dubois in a second contest, the former heavyweight world champion simply replied: “No. I don’t think he can.”
The former world champion then questioned whether a second fight between his two compatriots would even go ahead, commenting: “I don’t even think he (Joshua) will take a rematch.”
Joshua has avenged a loss before, however, as he followed up a shocking stoppage loss to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 by defeating him on points in a rematch. The former heavyweight champion was unable to pull off the same feat, though, against Oleksandr Usyk, as he lost both fights on points to the Ukrainian.
What Next in the Heavyweight Division
Dubois is eyeing his next fight, while AJ still doesn’t know what is next either
Dubois was set to defend his IBF belt against Parker a fortnight ago in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the undercard of the Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol rematch. However, sickness caused the Brit to pull out of the contest just days before the scheduled fight, and he was replaced by Martin Bakole. The Congolese boxer took the fight at very short notice, and his lack of preparation showed as he was stopped in the second round by the New Zealander.
Dubois and his promoter, Frank Warren, are likely looking beyond Joshua and hoping to schedule an undisputed fight with Usyk, as the Ukrainian kept hold of the remaining heavyweight belts after beating Fury for a second time last December. Usyk already got the better of Dubois when the two fought in 2023, but the Brit has grown as a fighter since then and would be much more confident in his chances if another fight occurred.
This places Joshua in a tough position to get another world title shot and become a three-time heavyweight champion anytime soon.
While there is still a desire from Joshua, Hearn, and plenty of boxing fans to see Joshua and Fury finally battle it out in the ring one day, the chances remain low for the time being after the latter announced a sudden retirement from boxing at the start of the year. However, Fury’s latest decision has not convinced those involved in boxing that he is actually retired as he has made similar announcements in the past.