Tyson Fury, the “King of the Gangsters” of boxing, could not hide his disappointment after witnessing Anthony Joshua being knocked out by Daniel Dubois in the fifth round at Wembley (UK) on the evening of September 21. Fury angrily declared that Joshua’s defeat cost him the chance to receive a huge sum of money up to 150 million USD.
Immediately after the match, Fury turned to the members of his team and said indignantly: “Listen, that loss cost me 150 million USD, that’s terrible!”. A friend of Fury tried to comfort him, saying that he could still fight Joshua, but Fury replied: “Of course not, he’s done”.
The match between Joshua and Fury has been long-awaited, with the potential to bring huge income to both. However, after Joshua’s defeat to Dubois, the plan for this confrontation may go up in smoke.
Fury added: “Turki, you better pay me now!”, referring to Saudi Arabian promoter Turki Al-Sheikh, who has been behind many big events in boxing.
Despite being knocked down three times before being knocked out by Dubois in the fifth round, Joshua remained resilient and said he would not retire. “I was calm and professional, respectful of my opponent. I made a lot of mistakes and came up against a tough opponent. But I will be back.”
Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that Joshua would fight Dubois again: “Joshua needs a break, but he is confident he can beat Dubois. 2025 is going to be a big year for Joshua, whether it’s a rematch with Dubois or against someone else.”
For Dubois, the win over Joshua helped him cement his place in the heavyweight world. It was the biggest win of the 27-year-old’s career, who holds the IBF heavyweight title. “I’m fighting for all the glory. I want to reach my full potential and reach the pinnacle of the sport.”
The rematch between Joshua and Dubois is set to take place in 2025, with Dubois’ victory opening the door for him to challenge the winner of the rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia in December 2024.