Anthony Joshua responds to calls for him to retire after being knocked out by Daniel Dubois

Anthony Joshua has spoken out after being told to retire from boxing after his loss to Daniel Dubois.

Joshua faced the latest setback in his career on Saturday (21 September), after losing a bout against IBF heavyweight champion, Daniel Dubois, at Wembley in London. The bout wasn't an easy one for Joshua, with the 34-year-old taking continuous punches from Dubois in the earlier rounds. Joshua would later drop to the canvas three times in the match before the bout was stopped in the fifth round.

Following the defeat, which is the fourth loss of his career so far, the former heavyweight champion faced calls to retire from the sport.

(Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

However, Joshua has now issued a defiant message on social media, revealing that his career is 'far from over'.

"We came up short but we've got to look at all the positives," Joshua said in the lengthy clip, posted on X. The boxer then went on to thank his fans for their support across the last 11 years of his career and urged them to keep up a 'positive' mindset.

"What a rollercoaster journey," he continued, before going on to reaffirm that he is determined to win back his titles.

"You know what the problem is, it's far from over yet. We've done it once, we've done it twice and doing it a third time hasn't been easy bit its something I can achieve, it's about making the right steps forward, working hard and improving," he said.

"It's got to come from the heart more than anything. It can't come from any external voices or influences; it's got to come form the heart.

"It's only been a day but when I sit back and think, I know I've got a lot of heart. Thanks for your support, thanks for being on this rollercoaster journey with me."

Concluding his statement, Joshua added: "Keep your seatbelt tight because deep, deep, deep down in here I know we've got a lot more to bring to the game and long may it continue.

"British boxing, let's rise up together."

A two-time former unified world heavyweight boxing champion, Joshua's most notable fight came in 2017 when he beat Ukranian Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley stadium. The bout would later go on to win 'Fight of the Year' by both The Ring magazine and Boxing Writers Association of America.

Prior to his loss against Dubois, Joshua's three other professional losses came against Andy Ruiz Jr. and Oleksandr Usyk.