Anthony Joshua does NOT have a rematch clause with Daniel Dubois, it’s up to Saudi Arabia if AJ will get the chance to avenge his shellacking, writes JEFF POWELL
- On Saturday night AJ was taken down in explosive fashion by Daniel Dubois at Wembley
- But there are no guarantees that the two will meet again in a rematch next time.
- Joshua will discuss the latest clash between Saudi Arabia and the kingdom’s powers
If Anthony Joshua gets a rematch against his brutal conqueror Daniel Dubois, it won’t be because of a rematch clause in the contract for Saturday’s inaugural IBF heavyweight world championship.
Joshua’s hopes – if he really, really wants another beating – rest on a clause in his contract with the big boxing world’s Riyadh Season backers for one more fight under the auspices of Saudi Arabia.
Whoever that may be, that is up to Turki Alalshikh. Not Team Joshua.
Dubois’s four-knock-down thrashing of AJ in the fifth round has not only rocked Joshua but heavyweight boxing, with Tyson Fury shouting ringside as Joshua was knocked out: “You cost me $150 million.”
The next steps in the multi-million dollar cycle depend on what happens in Fury’s rematch against unified champion Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh during Christmas week.
Anthony Joshua’s career is at a crossroads after defeat to Daniel Dubois – but one thing is for sure: another fight with Saudi Arabia as backing is coming
The former two-time world champion was defeated in the fifth round by Dubois (right) in an explosive performance at Wembley
Turki Alalshikh has brought some of the best fighters to Saudi Arabia and has signed Joshua for another fight
If the Gypsy King is defeated again by the Ukrainian war hero, the two Britons still in the running may be left with only one chance to stage their long-awaited battle at Wembley.
That would still give them a goldmine, but not nearly as lucrative as if they both had world titles.
And if Fury beats Usyk, they are expected to end up in a trilogy.
If not, a rematch between Usyk and Dubois, following the controversial defeat to Triple D in Poland, would be a cracker for the global box office, and not just in the UK.
Behind all the manoeuvring, the bigger question for Joshua, who turns 35 next month, is whether it would be wiser to hang up the gloves with his Olympic gold medal and two world titles intact after his heroic performance that saw him rise again on Saturday.
Tyson Fury (right) has long been tipped as Joshua’s next opponent, but could still be included in a trilogy with Oleksandr Usyk (left)
That was the first truly heavy defeat of his career, one far more damaging than his strange capitulation to the overweight Mexican-American Andy Ruiz Jr. in his only other stoppage.
Should he really risk another concussive blow?
The only reason that is open to debate is the one that is part of the American boxing mantra: “It’s not about the money, it’s about the money.”