Anthony Joshua is a fighter who simply doesn’t know the meaning of ‘giving up.’ After his skills were called into question during his high-stakes showdown with Daniel Dubois in London, the 6’6″ heavyweight is now back in the spotlight, with talks heating up for a potential rematch against ‘DDD.’

‘Dynamite’ Dubois dropped Joshua four times last weekend en route to a fifth-round knockout win in front of a roaring 96,000+ British crowd to defend his IBF heavyweight title. Since then, he has suggested he would be open to a rematch with Joshua if he is paid more money compared to his other options.

Rematch Rumors Heat Up: Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois Set for Round Two?

Late Wednesday, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh took to X to announce, “The Champ will return soon 🔥❤️.” Notably, even during the fight, the Saudi Royal seemed visibly disappointed with how things unfolded. Shortly after, Anthony Joshua joined the conversation, writing, “Proactive talks 🤝 @Turki_alalshikh  Thank you to all my supporters who came to the fight, I appreciate you all 🙏.”

This follows comments from Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, who had claimed there was a rematch clause in Joshua and Dubois’ contract, saying his client would soon activate it. However, Dubois’ promoter, Frank Warren, later clarified that no such clause existed. Despite this, Warren noted that Dubois would be open to a rematch if it made sense.

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Dubois himself has expressed confidence that he would perform even better in a second bout with Joshua, but his primary focus is on facing the winner of the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury fight, scheduled for December 21st in Riyadh. That said, Dubois indicated he would prioritize a Joshua rematch if the financial offer was significant.

If Dubois chooses to pursue the Usyk-Fury winner, another undisputed clash could be on the horizon in 2025. Meanwhile, Joshua’s mention of “Proactive talks” has left fans divided on the possibility of seeing him back in the ring against ‘DDD.’

Fan calls for retirement

There’s no denying Joshua was not the same during the fight—while this led some to deny Joshua’s choice, others supported Joshua through the tough times. This user was one of the supporters. The user wrote, “Get the rematch champ, 3X.” If this rematch happens—unlike the first time—Joshua would be a massive underdog. 

Someone else reminded Anthony Joshua about what exactly happened in the first fight—so Joshua could reevaluate his choices. “You got bodied embarrassingly,” the user’s tweet read. However, now that ‘AJ’ has first-hand experience with Dubois’ skills, things could be different. 

Meanwhile, this user spotted something in the image Alalshikh shared in his tweet with Joshua and Eddie Hearn. The user asked, “Is Joshua seriously leaning on him [Alalshikh]?” Compared to Joshua, the Saudi advisor is much shorter, causing this user’s concern. 

Another user didn’t feel the Brit should even return to the sport. “Bro just retire man you got floored so bad,” remarked the user. However, Joshua successfully avenged his loss to Andy Ruiz—perhaps Dubois is destined for a similar fate.

The next user, a supporter of Joshua’s ambition, promised they would back Joshua’s decision. “We are always behind you, champ 💞💪,” wrote the user. It’s yet to be seen whether the rematch comes to fruition. 

That said, it appears Anthony Joshua is determined to get his tarnished image restored by fighting Daniel Dubois again. From the reactions to his tweet, however, fans were clearly quite unsure about whether he could recover from it. What do you think?