Anthony Joshua has vowed to continue his boxing career despite suffering a crushing defeat against IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley. Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, insists that the former world champion “will definitely be back.”

Joshua, 34, was knocked down four times during the all-British showdown on Saturday, with Dubois unleashing a relentless assault from the opening bell, culminating in a fifth-round knockout. The defeat, Joshua’s fourth, dashes his hopes of becoming the undisputed world champion and raises questions about his future in the ring.

Joshua had been aiming to join the ranks of heavyweight legends like Muhammad Ali and Lennox Lewis by becoming a three-time world champion. However, despite the loss, which came in front of a record-breaking crowd of more than 98,000, the former Olympic champion remains determined to fight on.

“I definitely want to keep fighting,” Joshua said, though he declined to take questions at the post-fight press conference. “We took a shot at success and came up short. But does that mean we’re going to quit? No. We’re going to live to fight another day, because that’s what I am – I’m a warrior.

“Always keep your head high. This was my 13th world title fight. Not every one of them was successful, but every one was entertaining. We made a few mistakes, but that’s the nature of the sport. Small margins make the difference at the top level.”

Hearn, who heads Matchroom Boxing and promotes Joshua, believes that a rematch with Dubois or a potential fight with Tyson Fury, who is set to face Oleksandr Usyk on 21 December, could be next for Joshua. “2025 will be an interesting year for Anthony Joshua, one way or another, but he will definitely be back,” Hearn said. “Whether it’s against Dubois, Fury, or someone else, you will be entertained. It wasn’t the result we wanted, but it was still an incredible fight.”

Dubois, 27, now looks ahead to the winner of the Usyk-Fury fight as he plots his course to becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion. Usyk, who defeated Dubois last year, currently holds the WBC, WBO, and WBA belts.

“Everyone said I was going to get knocked out, but we saw who got knocked out,” Dubois said. “I did what I needed to do, and I’m glad I proved them wrong. This is just the beginning. I want a rematch with Usyk to settle the score.”