A few reports have emerged that reveal the thoughtful side of Anthony Joshua. The former champion suffered a major setback a month ago. His hopes of a third heavyweight championship were dashed when, in front of over ninety thousand spectators, Daniel Dubois knocked him flat.

The London Olympic gold medalist, who turned 35 three days ago, had been putting his career back on track. Twice outboxed by Oleksandr Usyk before the freak loss to Andy Ruiz Jr., Joshua had been on a four-match winning streak before ‘Triple D’ pushed him back to square one. Ever since the fourth loss, the boxing world has been discussing the former unified champion’s future course of action.

Anthony Joshua: Forever Caring

Details surfaced during a conversation between former professional boxer Kevin Mitchell and Josh James. Reportedly, Anthony Joshua generously covered the funeral expenses of Mitchell’s younger brother, Vinny, who tragically died in a motorbike accident in 2019 at the age of 31.

So Kevin Mitchel recalled how the family, already grappling with profound grief, faced additional financial strain due to the funeral costs and mortgage payments. It was at that moment, like a harbinger of hope, that Anthony Joshua appeared. Kevin Mitchell recalled, “He had so much pressure on him, Josh, and let me tell you something—I’ve not said this to anyone before on the podcast—but he (Joshua) paid for my brother’s funeral.”

Finding it hard to believe, Josh James asked whether ‘AJ’s gesture stemmed from a close relationship with Mitchell or his family. ‘The Dagenham Destroyer’ revealed that Joshua knew him, as well as his brother and mother. He continued, “He rang me up when we were in the chapel of rest in Dagenham East, and he said, ‘Kev, how are you? You’re a strong b******, aren’t you?”

Then Anthony Joshua expressed his wish to speak with Mitchell’s mother. The former super featherweight shared how the whole atmosphere was tense and emotionally charged. Speaking with Mitchell’s mother, Joshua said, “Alice, do you mind if I get it?” When she seemed puzzled, the former heavyweight champion clarified, “‘I’m going to pay for his funeral, Alice, if you don’t mind.”

The Road to Round 2

Talks about an ‘AJ’ versus Dubois rematch have been rife since his September 21 knockout loss. However, the recent developments cast uncertainty on this possibility. IBF has suggested that Daniel Dubois might face the mandatory title challenge next year. So ‘Triple D’ has roughly nine months for a ‘voluntary title defense’. This means if a rematch with ‘AJ’ has to happen, then it should take place before a date set in April 2025.

Frank Warren also shed some light on the possibilities of the Joshua rematch. Talking to talkSPORT, the Queensbury honcho said, “He’ll fight next year—early next year—and we are just looking at a few matches. I hope we get it done by next week, who he’ll be facing, but he’s going to defend his title. And we’ll see who it’s going to be. It may be AJ; it may not. It depends, but whatever happens, he’ll be out.”

So fans will need to stay tuned. Some information related to Daniel Dubois’ next fight might trickle in after a few weeks.

Do you feel the time is now right for the much-sought-after bout between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder?