Anthony Joshua handed boxing suspension following brutal KO by Daniel Dubois… as former world champion insists he will not retire from the sport

Anthony Joshua has been issued a temporary ban from boxing following his brutal defeat by Daniel Dubois last week. 

The Watford-born fighter was knocked out in the fifth round at Wembley in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley by the 27-year-old Brit.

Dubois retained his IBF heavyweight title with an impressive victory, knocking down his challenger four times.

As per protocol, Joshua is now mandated from stepping into the ring for 28 days, with the British Board of Control enforcing the rule. 

The Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports highlights that it’s standard procedure for fighters to be issued medical suspensions after suffering KO and TKO defeats. 

Anthony Joshua has been issued a ban from boxing following his defeat by Daniel Dubois

The Watford-born fighter was knocked out in fifth round at Wembley in front of 96,000 fans

The short ban is unlikely to hinder Joshua given that his next opponent is yet to be named after he insisted will continue to box.   

Following his defeat by Dubois, the two-time champion said: ‘And you’re probably asking, “Do I want to continue fighting?” Of course I want to continue fighting 

‘That’s why I said we took a shot at success and we came up short. And what does that mean right now?

‘Are we gonna run away? Are we going live to fight another day? And that’s what I am. A warrior’. 

Joshua also praised Dubois, saying: ‘We have to give credit to my opponent Daniel. 

‘When i sign up to fights opponents I don’t really like them in my head anymore, but now it’s done, I take my hat off to him and say well done to him and his team.’

Meanwhile, Eddie Hearn initially stated Joshua had a rematch clause to face Dubois again while being interviewed in the ring on Saturday night. 

However, he has since confirmed that there is no release clause, and that Joshua instead has one fight remaining on his contract as part of ‘Riyadh Season’, which could be against Dubois.

Joshua could attempt to win the IBF title once again by rematching Dubois after his ban

Speaking to iFLTV, the Matchroom chief revealed that Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and a rematch with Dubois are all under consideration. 

But given the one-sided nature of his Wembley defeat defeat, Joshua could look to take a different path back to the top and may chase a fight with Fury instead.

Fury is due to have his own rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in December after losing their first fight earlier this year.

Should he win, the Gypsy King could potentially take a voluntary defence against Joshua to finally settle the score with his domestic rival.

Alternatively, another loss to Usyk could leave Fury and Joshua both out of the title picture and free to fight each other in a bid to get back into the mix.

Deontay Wilder is another fighter that has long been linked with facing Joshua, having held the WBC title between 2015 and 2020. 

Joshua and Wilder’s teams never managed to agree terms for an undisputed showdown before Fury relieved Wilder of his belt.

Eddie Hearn says Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and a rematch with Dubois are all under consideration

Wilder has lost his last two bouts against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, and turns 39 next month, but is considering a return to the ring and a fight with Joshua could appeal.

If the fight happens, the winner could set their sights on one final crack at becoming a champion again, while the loser would likely sail off into the sunset.