Anthony Joshua‘s promoter Eddie Hearn has defended trainer Ben Davison following Joshua‘s knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in their IBF heavyweight title fight on September 21 at Wembley Stadium.
Joshua was stopped in the fifth round after being floored three times, with his final fall coming from a powerful right hand by Dubois.
Davison had instructed Joshua to follow up his jab with a right uppercut after a strong fourth round, during which Joshua briefly hurt Dubois. However, Dubois’ former trainer, Shane McGuigan, who was commentating ringside, predicted that Joshua would be vulnerable to a counter-right hand if he followed Davison’s advice. Moments later, McGuigan’s prediction proved true as Joshua was knocked out by Dubois.
Despite this, Hearn insists Davison is not to blame for the defeat. Speaking to BoxingScene, Hearn said, “AJ did things that Ben didn’t tell him to do. He pulled back in a straight line with his chin in the air and his hand position was off. That wasn’t what Ben instructed.”
Hearn added that Joshua took a risk trying to finish Dubois after hurting him in the fourth round but emphasized that it was a necessary gamble. “You’ve got your feet back, you buzzed him in the fourth round, roll the dice. I think it should be commended.”
While acknowledging McGuigan’s astute ringside analysis, Hearn praised Davison’s coaching and Joshua’s efforts. “Ben and Lee [Wylie] do a great job… Joshua just didn’t perform, and as a team, they’ll regroup and come again.”
Reflecting on Joshua’s mindset after the loss, Hearn said the former two-time world champion has learned to handle defeat better after previous setbacks to Andy Ruiz Jr. and Oleksandr Usyk. “He’s frustrated because of the work he put in, but he’s also very determined to fight back and get another shot at the world heavyweight title,” Hearn said.
Hearn also hinted at potential future matchups for Joshua, including a rematch with Dubois or a long-anticipated clash with Tyson Fury during the upcoming Riyadh Season.
