Tyson Fury has urged Anthony Joshua to control his own destiny after losing to Daniel Dubois.
Joshua was left stunned after being flattened four times by a stunning performance from Dubois, who produced a KO of the year contender to end the contest in the fifth round.
AJ now appears to have lost his firm grasp on a clash against Fury, who he was hoping to meet after the Gypsy King faces Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch on December 21.
Fury was sat ringside watching the event unfold, and in his first response to the stunning defeat, is unsure what Joshua will do next.
“It’s heavyweight boxing, s**t happens, you get knocked spark out,” Fury told reporters as he left Wembley Stadium after the defeat.
“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 [if Joshua will retire]. 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.
“I thought it was a 50-50 fight. Dubois is a lot younger. He’s 27-years-old. Joshua is 35 [sic], the same age as me. Age doesn’t wait for anybody.
“You get hit with those punches [and] you don’t see many heavyweights get hit, get knocked down, get back up, and continue on.”
Fury himself would have been left stunned without the result, which certainly reduced the chances of the pair meeting in 2025.
Eddie Hearn has surprisingly left the door open to the fight, given Joshua still has a fight remaining on a contract with Riyadh Season.
It now appears Joshua faces a tough decision over the road map for his future, with a rematch clause against Dubois a key option.
But it is likely to be an uphill battle if there is to be a second fight given the brutal nature of the defeat.
Although with a number of options on the table, Joshua insists he could take another risk again next and is not keen on hanging up his gloves.
“As p***ed off as I am, it is what it is,” he said after the fight.
“I had a sharp, fast opponent and there were a lot of mistakes from me.
“Credit to my opponent and his team. We rolled the dice and came up short.
“You know I’m p***ed but I’m going to keep cool and give respect to my opponent.”
News Summary:
- ‘It could have been me’ – Tyson Fury responds to Anthony Joshua’s brutal KO defeat against Daniel Dubois and gives retirement verdict
- Check all news and articles from the latest Boxing updates.