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Lennox Lewis says Joshua's not mentally in there—Is it time for AJ to hang up the gloves?

The night of heavyweight action may have ended, but the excitement is still electric. Last weekend, in front of over 96,000 roaring fans at Wembley Stadium, IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois stunned the boxing world by rocking, dropping, and shocking Anthony Joshua to solidify his place among the sport’s elite. Now, former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has weighed in on the fight.

Dubois entered the bout as the clear underdog, yet he defied the odds, knocking down the two-time champion Joshua four times before sealing a fifth-round knockout victory. It was the most anticipated all-British clash since Tyson Fury’s record-breaking showdown against Dillian Whyte, which also filled Wembley with 94,000 fans.

Naturally, Lennox Lewis, a British boxing icon and dominant force during his era, was in the stands to witness the drama unfold. Reflecting on the shocking outcome, ‘The Lion’ took to X to share his candid thoughts on Dubois’ stunning win. After Dubois kicked off the first round by dropping Joshua, Lennox Lewis’s reaction was exactly what you’d expect from a seasoned champion.

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“Anthony Joshua still needs to wake up. He’s not woken up yet… It looks like he’s not mentally in there,” Lewis remarked, his voice laced with urgency, sensing the shift in momentum. Watching the tide turn, Lewis quickly turned his attention to Dubois, offering insight into what the young fighter needed to do to secure victory. “Double jab by Daniel Dubois would work. So he needs to throw, he needs to do that,” Lewis advised. As the world began to believe Joshua’s comeback was slipping away—Lewis confidently described Dubois’ moment in the spotlight. “This is his dream right now. It’s coming true. Right now he’s leading in all scorecards, four rounds,” Lewis said confidently. 

https://twitter.com/LennoxLewis/status/1838460402440769961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

 

When the fight reached its dramatic conclusion, with the crowd on their feet following the fifth-round knockout that left Joshua a tangled mess—Lewis shared his final thoughts. “Daniel Dubois wants this. Knocked Anthony Joshua down five times [the last one was a knockout]. Amazing. Great champion, congratulations to Daniel Dubois,” he concluded. 

Interestingly, however, in the build-up to the fight, Lewis, like many others, saw Joshua, with whom he had a tumultuous relationship in the past, winning the fight easily. Luckily for Dubois, things didn’t play out that way, and now, the 27-year-old has several options to look forward to. 

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Lennox Lewis says Joshua's not mentally in there—Is it time for AJ to hang up the gloves?

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Joseph Parker calls out Daniel Dubois after a win over Anthony Joshua

Interim WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker was watching the fight go down live at Wembley, and it seems to have prompted him to call out Dubois for a fight. Despite the damage Dubois inflicted on Joshua—who had previously defeated the New Zealander—Parker remained unfazed by the threat posed by ‘DDD.’ Parker’s promoter, David Higgins, revealed to Sky Sports that Parker is “chomping at the bit” to face Dubois, saying the New Zealander would gladly accept the fight “anywhere, anytime.” Parker, fresh off back-to-back wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang, is on a roll after claiming the WBO interim heavyweight title.

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Higgins believes both Dubois and Parker are on a fiery streak, quickly moving up the heavyweight ladder, so making a fight between them will prove as an appetizing main course for boxing fans. “He’s been doing a lot of off-season work with George Lockhart on building up some more size and strength. I think we’ll see an even better Joseph Parker at the next outing,” Higgins added. 

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With this win, Daniel Dubois seems to have shocked the entire world, as bigger opportunities open up for the heavyweight. However, the question is, which one will he grab onto? Will he give Anthony Joshua his rematch? Or will he face Parker or some other heavy hitter in the division?