JUST a couple of weeks after Daniel Dubois’ gorgeous humbling of Anthony Joshua in Wembley Stadium, the repercussions can nonetheless be felt throughout the heavyweight boxing world. One man who is aware of a factor or two about competing in a heavyweight dust-up between two Brits, resulting in a conclusive end underneath the lights, is former king Lennox Lewis. The damaging Dubois supply was simply to his liking.
“Unbelievable efficiency by Daniel Dubois. I imply, he got here out like a champ, he went to work and he threw an unbelievable proper hand, which Anthony Joshua’s chin was in the best way of, and knocked him down,” Lewis informed Boxing Information.
“I used to be really stunned that he bought up from that shot, however he did stand up from that shot. It was a fantastic combat. Nice night time for boxing.”
That last shot Lennox is referencing was one in every of a handful of fresh, bullet blows that had AJ reeling and rocking across the canvas. Whereas Joshua’s coronary heart and resolve have by no means been unsure, even in devastating defeat, his opponent has had moments when query marks round his sturdiness and toughness have been raised.
Joshua was knocked down 4 occasions towards Dubois. (Photograph by Richard Pelham/Getty Photographs)
A full circle rebuild, from the Joe Joyce eye harm to the contentious moments of the Usyk, the place he completed prematurely on one knee, to stoppages of contenders Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic. This circle has break up into a gorgeous redemption arc, main again to a giant combat night time knockout.
“Let me let you know, he did the work,” agreed Lewis. “All these fights that he had that you just simply talked about was good work for him. He gained expertise. He discovered from them.
“Collectively, he put all these fights that he fought and all the educational that befell for him in these fights, he introduced that each one collectively and introduced it again into this combat with Anthony Joshua. You may say this was the night time. This was the night time that he slayed the king. He’s positively the Kingslayer.”
Slaying the king was one thing Lewis had skilled throughout his illustrious 14-year profession. Twice he was unceremoniously toppled from this throne and twice he gained revenge. Whether or not Anthony Joshua ought to pursue the rematch is one query and whether or not Dubois needs to be open to oblige (authorized contracts not allowing) is one other. If AJ will get his want, how ought to he proper the wrongs of their first assembly, based on the outdated grasp?
“Properly, it’s going to be type of like the identical factor. Dubois goes to be coming after you and when he’s executed that to you the primary time, it’s going to be simpler for him to do it to you the second time until you make some drastic modifications. If he’s going to do the rematch, he must make some drastic modifications in his boxing.”
Getting ready to go in towards the identical fighter who has already bludgeoned you is not any straightforward feat. For Lennox, the Rahman return, particularly, was pretty simple, as Lewis put it down to at least one momentary lapse in South Africa that dramatically modified the combat.
“For me, it was straightforward due to how I misplaced. I misplaced with mainly a one-punch kind of factor. The man threw a punch and my chin occurred to be in the best way of it. Earlier than I left the combat, I already knew what I wanted to do to win the rematch.
“I had the rematch in my head earlier than I left the ring. For Anthony Joshua going right into a rematch, he has to look deep inside himself and say, effectively, does he need it? Then he has to understand, effectively, what did he do incorrect? After which go and proper the wrongs, mainly.”
