Former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has advised Anthony Joshua to take a break and return recharged following his recent loss to IBF world heavyweight boxing champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley in September.
Anthony Joshua’s bid to become a three-time world champion and return to the division’s top table ended unexpectedly, with Dubois dropping him several times in front of 98,000 fans before he landed the final blow, a crunching right-hand, in Round 5 that left him sprawling on the canvas for a fourth career loss.
The defeat of the 35-year-old boxer sent shockwaves through the boxing world, with some pundits questioning Joshua’s future in the sport.
Joshua immediately put an end to those doubts, vowing to continue boxing, with a rematch with Dubois on the card for February 2024.
Meanwhile, promoter Frank Warren has ruled out an immediate rematch between the two heavyweight champions, confirming that Dubois will defend his IBF heavyweight title on February 22 against a yet-to-be-announced opponent, with negotiations in advanced stages for the champion’s next fight.
While Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, is already considering a fight between the Watford-born boxer and Tyson Fury, Lewis suggested that Joshua should take a rest.
“No, I don’t think he should take the rematch. I think he should take a rest for a minute and then come back,” he said in an interview with Box Nation.
Asked if the world had seen the best of Joshua, ‘The Lion’ said yes and cast his mind back to 2017, when the Brit defeated Wladimir Klitschko at his peak.
“It seems so. My best of Anthony Joshua was definitely the Klitschko fight. He boxed well, came from off the floor, and showed great heart. So, yeah”, he said.
Turning attention to Dubois, who was the underdog heading into the fight in September, Lewis was full of praise for the 27-year-old.
“Very impressed with Dubois”, he said “I was impressed with the right hand. I couldn’t believe how well he threw it; he was so accurate with it. He just looked like he was ready for that. He looked like he’d been through the trials and tribulations, and now he’s ready to step up. He did it with Big Baby Miller; what did he say? ‘I’ll be your Daddy.’ He’s usually quiet, so that showed he’s got that meanness in him, ready.
“Even when he stood up to Anthony Joshua and said, ‘You don’t intimidate me,’ and Anthony Joshua wanted to hit him with the chair, I think Daniel won that first battle. He’s really grown as a fighter. I’m really impressed and happy that he was successful in what he wanted; he wanted to be the heavyweight champion of the world. Nobody can dispute that.”
While Dubois looks set to defend his belt in February, it’s thought that Joshua will sit out until summer, with his next opponents largely dependent on the outcome of the upcoming rematch between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
