Anthony Joshua left former undisputed heavyweight world champion Lennox Lewis baffled just seconds into his crushing Wembley loss to Daniel Dubios.
Lennox Lewis spotted a major flaw in Anthony Joshua’s approach just five seconds into his devastating loss to Daniel Dubios.
The boxing icon was ringside at Wembley as Joshua’s hopes of a third world champion were shattered by Dubios, who retained his IBF belt with a brutally dominant display. AJ was dropped four times as Dubios stunned the 96,000-strong Wembley crowd with a fifth-round stoppage.
It was a probable fatal blow to Joshua’s hopes of a dream match with Tyson Fury or a third meeting with Oleksandr Usyk. Dubios took charge from the first bell, with former undisputed champion Lewis left baffled by Joshua’s tactics. Boxing journalist Steve Bunce revealed Lewis’s early concerns on the Five Live Boxing podcast after the fight. He said: “AJ started the fight with his hands very low and his chin very high, noticeably high.
“I was sat with Lennox Lewis and Lennox said after four of five seconds, ‘what’s his chin doing there?’ And that was before a punch had been thrown.” Expanding on the problem, former world super-featherweight champion Barry Jones told Bunce: “I think it was because, when you want to get a bit of speed or fluidity, having your hands around your face restricts that. It’s a safer place but restricts your movement.
“With your hands a bit lower, you’ve got a bit more lateral movement. But he didn’t need that, he needed to be solid. Look at Dubios, his hands were high, he was blocking shots, he wasn’t worried. He was waiting for Joshua to throw, he wanted him to throw, he was punching off his punches.”
Despite the shocking nature of the defeat, Joshua, who soon turns 35, said he had no intention of retiring. He said: “You’re probably asking if I still want to consider fighting. Of course I want to continue fighting. “We took a shot at success and we came up short. What does that mean now? That we’re going to run away? We’re going to live to fight another day. And that’s what I am – I’m a warrior.
“Always walk with your head high. We rolled the dice for the third time. There have been 13 world-title fights, not every one of them has been successful but everyone has been fun and entertaining. “There were a few mistakes in there but that’s the name of the game. Fine margins will cost you at the top level. Also before I finish, we have to give credit our opponent Daniel. When I sign up to fight opponents, I don’t really like them in my head any more. But now that it’s done, I take my hat off to him and say well done.”