Anthony Joshua insists he will bounce back from his defeat to Daniel Dubois and become a three-time heavyweight champion.
Dubois produced a stunning victory over Joshua in front of 96,000 at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night, flooring his rival four times before ending the fight in devastating fashion in the fifth round.
It was the fourth defeat of Joshua’s professional career and the most damaging to date. The 2012 Olympian rejected talk of retirement in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s defeat and is already plotting his return.
In a recorded message shared on his social channels on Monday, Joshua said: ‘Yesterday night we came up short but we have got to look at the positives and that is the mindset and the perspective we have to have, a positive one, always.
‘Look at what we have achieved in the space of 11 years, it is phenomenal. And I want to thank every single one of you that has been riding with me. What a rollercoaster journey. And it is far from over.
‘We did it once, we did it twice, doing it a third time hasn’t been easy, but I believe it is something I can achieve. It is about taking the first steps forward, working hard and improving.
‘It’s got to come in from here [the heart], it can’t come from any external voices of influences.
‘It has only been a day but when I sit back here, I know I have a lot of this [heart]. Keep your seatbelts tight because I know we have a lot more to bring to the game.’
Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren meanwhile has confirmed Dubois is not contracted to take a rematch against Joshua next. The Queensberry Promotions boss would still welcomed a second scrap but admitted other options will also be considered.
‘They can have it if they want it anyway,’ Warren told talkSPORT. ‘I don’t have a problem with that.
‘There’s loads of options. We’re blessed in the UK. I think we’ve got the best heavyweights in the UK.
‘We’ve got Tyson [Fury]. We’ve got Daniel here now doing what he’s doing. We’ve got young Moses [Itauma] coming through and all these other guys. There’s some brilliant fights to be made, some great domestic bouts to be made.’