Reviewing Anthony Joshua’s loss to Daniel Dubois, Eddie Hearn claimed that ‘AJ’ had the worst conceivable start against Dubois. The chief executive of Matchroom Boxing also described the mood in the Joshua camp following the bout.

On September 21, 2024, at Wembley Stadium in London, England, former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua was defeated by IBF heavyweight champion Dubois via fifth-round knockout. Early on, Dubois dazzled Joshua, and in the fifth, he ultimately put him away by applying more pressure.

Speaking to iFL TV’s Kugan Cassius, Anthony Joshua’s longtime promoter Eddie Hearn reiterated his stance that anything can happen in a fight. Hearn stated:

“By the way, you know, when people say, ‘It was a massive, massive shock. Upset.’ I don’t really feel like that. Now, the way the fight played out, was more of a shock. But I felt this was a very, very tough and dangerous fight as it should be for a world title.”

He added:

“A couple of things, like, obviously, the worst start you could ever imagine, and made some basic mistakes early in the fight that really cost him. And he never really recovered. But when we was in the changing room after, it was weird, because the fight was playing. Right? All the replays were playing because we had the broadcast on. And no one turned it off.”

Moreover, Hearn explained that in most changing rooms after a defeat, the fighter’s team generally unplugs any screens that may show replays of the fight. He noted that in Anthony Joshua’s locker room after the Daniel Dubois fight, no one did so, and replays were being broadcast.

Hearn recalled that Joshua was sitting next to his coach Ben Davison and asking him what happened. The veteran promoter highlighted that Davison pointed out that ‘AJ’ made a few mistakes in the fight and did things he’d been cautioned against.

Moreover, Hearn recounted chiming in during the locker room interactions. Apparently, he lauded Joshua for displaying the heart and courage to pick himself up off the canvas multiple times and try to knock his foe out until the very end:

“And I sort of — there was, I don’t know, 30 people in the changing room. And I sort of said, ‘Look, can I just say one thing? You showed so much bottle.'”

Check out Hearn’s comments below:

Eddie Hearn on potential Daniel Dubois vs. Anthony Joshua rematch

Daniel Dubois is seemingly eyeing the winner of the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury rematch. Meanwhile, Anthony Joshua has promised to continue his career despite his latest setback. The 34-year-old appears to be steadfast in his quest to become a three-time heavyweight champion. During the in-ring post-fight interview segment, Eddie Hearn said:

“Yeah. I’m sure he’ll exercise that rematch clause.”

Watch Hearn address the rematch clause below (7:44):

In a subsequent interview with Sky Sports, the interviewer requested Eddie Hearn to shed light on his remarks regarding the rematch clause. He responded by asserting that Anthony Joshua does have another fight with ‘Riyadh Season.’

🗣️ "We do have a further fight with Riyadh Season and that could include Dubois"

Eddie Hearn discusses whether Anthony Joshua has a rematch clause in his contract 📝pic.twitter.com/AUDPXSCsrD

— Sky Sports (@SkySports) September 23, 2024

However, Hearn indicated that His Excellency Turki Alalshikh would have to get Dubois’ promoter (Queensberry Promotions’ Frank Warren) to agree to the rematch for it to materialize.