London, UK – October 1, 2024 — Former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has been handed a 28-day boxing suspension following his knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium last Saturday.
The British Boxing Board of Control issued the medical suspension, which is standard protocol for fighters who suffer a technical knockout (TKO) or knockout (KO) loss.
According to the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports, such suspensions are routine to allow boxers sufficient time to recover from the physical toll of a knockout. “AJ has been banned for just under a month by the British Boxing Board of Control. It is not unusual for a fighter to receive a medical suspension after suffering a TKO or KO loss,” reported Mirror UK.
Joshua, 34, faced a challenging night in the ring, hitting the canvas three times before Dubois, known as “DDD,” delivered the final blow with a powerful right hand in the fifth round. The defeat marks Joshua’s fourth career loss, following his shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019 and two consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022.
While the suspension is not expected to disrupt Joshua’s immediate plans—no fights are currently scheduled—concerns about his boxing future have emerged. Former world champion Carl Froch voiced his doubts about Joshua’s performance and drive.
“Anthony Joshua got absolutely battered from pillar to post. He lacked ambition, self-belief, and confidence. His powers of recovery are terrible; he looked exhausted,” Froch commented on his YouTube channel. Froch further questioned Joshua’s desire to continue boxing, stating, “I don’t think AJ wants it anymore. That performance was weak.”
Despite the setback and criticism, Joshua remains determined to continue his career and reclaim a world title. In a video message posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Joshua expressed his gratitude to his fans and maintained a positive outlook.
“We came up short, but look, we have to focus on all the positives. That’s the mindset and the perspective we need to adopt — a positive one,” Joshua said. “Look at what we’ve achieved in the space of 11 years; it’s phenomenal, and I want to thank every single one of you who has been riding with me. What a rollercoaster journey, but you know what? The problem is that it’s far from over yet.”
As Joshua takes the mandatory time to recover, speculation about his future in the ring continues, with fans and analysts eager to see whether he can bounce back from his recent losses.
