Anthony Joshua is not one to let a major setback define his legacy. The loss has only made his resolve to come back and prove himself stronger. The two-time unified heavyweight champion was well and truly humbled in his fight against Daniel Dubois on September 21. Suffering four knockdowns in the fight, Joshua was laid flat on the canvas by Dubois in the fifth round. The humiliating defeat has sparked a discussion within the boxing community about whether AJ should retire for good. However, that isn’t who AJ is. He put those noises to bed immediately, showcasing his resolve.

“I want to continue fighting. We took a shot at success and we came up short. What does that mean now? Are we going to run away? We’re going to live to fight another day. That’s what I am –a warrior,” Joshua had stated during the post-match press conference.

Moreover, after taking a while to process the loss, Joshua reiterated his earlier stance to continue fighting in a recent message to his fans. He vowed that there is more to this “rollercoaster journey” and urged his fans to stick by him as this is still not done. “Keep your seatbelts tight. I know I have got a lot more to bring to the game,” Anthony Joshua declared calmly in a clip he shared on social media.

“Yesterday, we came up short. But, we need to look at all the positives. That’s the mindset, and that’s the perspective that we have to have,” he further stated, highlighting his positive outlook towards life. Going forward, Joshua made his intentions clear—he wants to become a world champion for the third time. “We done it once, we done it twice. Doing the third time hasn’t been easy but believe it is something I can achieve. That’s why, I am making the right steps forward, working hard,” he said confidently.

Furthermore, Joshua stated that the determination to keep on fighting is still very much in him, and he doesn’t require any “external influences” to keep him committed to the game. “It’s got to come from here (heart), more than anything. It can’t come from any external voices or influences,” he added.

Moreover, the Olympic gold medalist boxer was grateful to his fans for supporting him throughout his journey. “Look at what we have achieved in the space of eleven years. It’s phenomenal. And, I want to thank every single one of you that has been riding with me. What a rollercoaster journey,” he said proudly looking into the camera.

Quite clearly, it’s “far from over” for Anthony Joshua as he looks to continue his voyage in boxing. However, he needs to learn from his mistakes in the Dubois fight and make adjustments in his fighting style if he wishes to fight on. On that note, Joshua explained in great detail what went wrong in his fight against ‘DDD’ during an interview with the BBC.

Anthony Joshua candid about his mistakes

AJ was very gracious after his loss to Dubois, giving all the plaudits to the 27-year-old fighter from Greenwich. But, he also admitted that he made a lot of mistakes in the fight in his interview with boxing commentator Steve Bunce. Elaborating on the lapses in his fight strategy that led to the knockdown in the first round, he admitted, “The first round? Overhand right. Chin in the air. No defense! Kaboom. It was a bit of a downhill slope from there. Tried to change the tide. But, it weren’t my night.”

After the end of the first round, Joshua admitted that he was in “survival mode” throughout the rest of the fight. After being dominated for the first four rounds, in the fifth, AJ was starting to gain momentum but became a bit greedy after landing a few shots flush on Dubois’ chin, which was the biggest mistake that cost him the fight.“Yeah,  I caught him with a good shot, I think. And then I tried to go for it. And then I got caught with an overhand right when I was throwing the uppercut,” Joshua recalled.

Pointing out more mistakes in his game, he opined that he wasn’t “setting shots up” and most of the shots that he landed didn’t connect properly. Nevertheless, he made it clear that he won’t be hanging his boxing gloves anytime soon after the shocking loss like many expect him to. “We are gladiators. We had a bad night at the office. People want to see me fight, I’ll fight. I’ll fight that’s it,” Anthony Joshua stated solemnly.

Well, AJ still has a point to prove. And, he still has that hunger to become a champion. It is a long way back for the British boxing superstar, but his journey will be closely followed by all boxing fans who have rooted for him for years.

Do you think Anthony Joshua can become a world champion for the third time in his career? Let us know in the comment section below.