By Eóin Kennedy
For the first time in his career it looks like former two-time heavyweight world champion is going to put pride to one side and forego the option of an immediate rematch with Daniel Dubois. In the past Joshua has been tortured by defeat and has been insistent on attempting to exact instant revenge. Against Andy Ruiz Jr he was successful, against Oleksandr Usyk he was not. IBF heavyweight world champion, Dubois, is the third man to make Joshua taste defeat but it appears he will be the first to be released from the shackles of Joshua’s customary contracted rematch clause. The voices from within boxing are saying that Joshua is finally ready to sit on the sidelines for just a moment and patiently await the result of Usyk vs Tyson Fury in December.
In the earlier phases of his career there would have been no question whether Joshua was going to exercise that rematch clause and run it back immediately with Dubois, but the former world champion is in a different place now. The days of trying to prove everyone wrong and defy the odds by avenging defeats may be over for Joshua and no one can blame him if they are. The Olympic gold medalist has always been a fighter that took on the toughest mandatory challengers when he could have swerved, relinquished a world title and settled for an easier option while earning the same money but he didn’t. The first loss to Usyk proves that and second shows that he also had the intestinal fortitude to pursue a rematch when the majority of the boxing world were audibly telling him he’d lose. But, what about now?
Well, now, comes with a different operating strategy for Anthony Joshua. Unlike in his more innocent and formative years in boxing, he has realized that sometimes you can do all the supposed right things, and the fans won’t love you in a way that you feel they should. After all the big nights fans got to enjoy because of events headlined by Joshua, it has become apparent that the Londoner doesn’t feel appreciated enough. His impassioned yet rambling stream of consciousness speech in the ring following his second loss to Usyk was as much a man showing his emotions about losing as it was him questioning what more did he have to do to feel the love again from a fanbase that he felt had turned their backs on him.
After a short period of digesting the loss to Dubios, Anthony Joshua is reportedly going to enjoy his winter break and wait on the outcome of Usyk and Fury’s world title rematch in December. Those in the know have more or less confirmed that to be the case. Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has stated in interviews that the February deadline to face Dubois by may come too soon. Spencer Oliver and Gareth A. Davies discussed on Talk Sport that Joshua will likely skip on the rematch option and broadcaster Adam Smith echoed those sentiments in an interview with Seconds Out. Joshua has always prided himself on taking the toughest challenges particularly when it came to mandatories and avenging defeats but at this stage of the game it looks like he’s finally decided to opt for the most sensible option. The career option. The option that will generate the most money and the most attention. That option goes by the name of Tyson Fury. Joshua and Hearn will be hoping that Fury can get his own revenge against Usyk in December and that Turki Al-Sheikh’s money will convince Usyk to agree to delaying a trilogy fight between he and Fury. That would allow Joshua and Fury to get it on at long last and ensure it happens while the fight is still in it’s twilight moments of true relevance. Wait any longer and Joshua-Fury is creeping into Amir Khan-Kell Brook territory. Not going after instant revenge against Daniel Dubois signals a new chapter in the storied career of Anthony Joshua and finally he’s choosing he has nothing left to prove to a fanbase that doesn’t appreciate him either way. They’ll probably respect him more for it.