Anthony Joshua breaks his silence in first sighting since he was demolished by Daniel Dubois at Wembley – and says he STILL believes he can become world champion again

Anthony Joshua has broken his silence on his first encounter since being beaten by Daniel Dubois at Wembley and continues to insist he can return to become world champion again.

In a video on his Instagram account on Monday afternoon, the British heavyweight boxer reiterated that he would not retire from professional boxing after he was knocked out in the fifth round by Dubois in front of a record 96,000 spectators at Wembley on Saturday.

Questions have been raised over whether the 34-year-old should hang up his gloves after the brutal knockout, and speculation is now mounting as to whether British boxing fans will ever see Joshua and Tyson Fury battle it out for the undisputed title. Even Fury was heard to suggest that Joshua’s defeat may have cost him £150million after the loss.

But even amid the uproar, with some calling for Joshua to hang up his gloves, the defiant Briton insisted he had what it takes to return and reach the top of the heavyweight division once again.

“We fell short but we have to look at all the positives and that’s the mentality we have to have: always positive,” Joshua said in a video on his Instagram account.

Joshua suffered a devastating knockout in the fifth round of his fight against Dubois

‘Look what we’ve accomplished in 11 years. I want to thank everyone who rode with me.

“What a rollercoaster ride. But you know what the problem is, it’s not over yet.”

Joshua, who previously held the IBF, IBO and WBO titles, has suffered four defeats in his impressive career.

The first time was when he was defeated by Andy Ruiz Jr. via technical knockout in 2019. Later that year, he regained his titles in their revenge match.

His next defeats came against Oleksandr Usyk, in 2021 and 2022. Joshua admitted in the build-up to his fight against Dubois that he had been “in a lot of pain” since that loss.

But the Briton was confident he could bounce back after his loss to Dubois.

“It hasn’t been easy doing it once, doing it twice, and doing it a third time, but I believe I can achieve it,” he told his fans on Instagram.

“Hard work, taking the right steps forward and it has to come from here,” Joshua said, pounding his fist on his chest.

‘It can’t come from outside voices or influences, it has to come from here [the heart]. It’s only been a day, but I’ve sat back and thought, “I know I’ve had a lot of this [heart] man.”

Questions have been raised over whether the 34-year-old Briton should hang up his boxing gloves, but he has insisted he would return

‘I want to let you know through a video that I thank you for your support and for being on this roller coaster with me.

“Hold on to your seat belts, because deep down,” he said, beating his chest, “I know I have so much more to offer. British boxing, I value you and we will rise together.

“Let’s go!”

Immediately after the fight, Joshua vowed to continue boxing. He told reporters: ‘And you’re probably asking yourself, “Do I want to continue fighting?” Of course I want to continue fighting.

‘That’s why I said we tried to succeed and we fell short. And what does that mean now?

“Are we going to run away? Are we going to live to fight another day? And that’s what I am. A warrior.”

However, Joshua may have suffered a setback in his hopes of revenge against Dubois.

More to come…