'Warrior' Joshua vows to keep on fighting

Anthony Joshua said he will proceed fighting aft suffering a devastating knockout conclusion against IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois.

Joshua was connected nan backmost ft from nan outset and ne'er recovered arsenic Dubois sealed triumph successful 5 rounds.

Despite seeing his four-fight triumph streak halted unceremoniously, Joshua rejected nan proposal that he could bent up his gloves.

"Of people I still want to proceed fighting," Joshua said astatine nan post-fight news conference.

"We took a changeable astatine occurrence and came up short. Are we going to tally distant now aliases unrecorded to conflict different day? I'm a warrior."

Joshua was attempting to subordinate legends Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield and Vitali Klitschko successful becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion.

Matchroom's Eddie Hearn, who promotes Joshua, told nan 34-year-old not to be nan news conference, but his combatant was adamant that he wanted to present a connection to nan media.

Joshua, sporting bruises nether some eyes and connected his neck, did not return questions but gave a statement.

"Always locomotion pinch your caput up high," he added.

"We rolled nan dice. That's 13 world title fights, not each of them person been successful but they've each been nosy and entertaining.

"We want to create history for British boxing and I deliberation we are doing that."

Almost 500,000 fans person watched Joshua header successful six British stadium fights. His publication to nan maturation of British boxing is incontestable.

It was Joshua's first world title conflict since losing his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk for nan WBA (Super), IBF and WBO belts successful August 2022.

WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight champion Usyk was ringside astatine Wembley, taking a little break from his training campy arsenic he prepares for a rematch pinch Tyson Fury connected 21 December.

The Ukrainian, who enjoyed back-to-back successes against Joshua successful 2021 and 2022, has go nan look of nan heavyweight section during a play erstwhile nan Briton's grip has slipped away.

"For maine it's a surprise," Usyk told Sky Sports.

"I expected Anthony to triumph nan fight."

Usyk is yet to sensation conclusion successful 22 fights arsenic a master and was undisputed champion astatine cruiserweight earlier stepping up to heavyweight and besides achieving that feat.

It is simply a difficult mobility to answer, caller from a awesome defeat, but Joshua seems wished to proceed fighting and he will not beryllium lacking options.

Hearn says location is an action to trigger a rematch pinch Dubois, making him nan existent frontrunner for Joshua.

But location is besides nan anticipation of fights pinch Deontay Wilder and Fury.

Wilder's trainer Malik Scott said precocious his heavyweight intended to proceed his profession contempt back-to-back defeats.

A comeback against Wilder whitethorn beryllium an charismatic action for Joshua, considering he excessively will beryllium looking for a large win.

Organisers said successful nan build-up to nan Dubois conflict that nan Fury bout would beryllium disposable to Joshua moreover if he loses.

Hearn suggested 2025 was nan past twelvemonth Fury-Joshua could happen, but it remains to beryllium seen if either man has nan appetite for it.