Matchroom Boxing chief Eddie Hearn has revealed that Anthony Joshua is still grappling with the emotional fallout from his recent loss to Daniel Dubois and is carefully weighing his options for a potential rematch.

Joshua, the former two-time unified heavyweight champion, was stopped by Dubois in the fifth round of their fight at Wembley last month, a stunning outcome that has left him reconsidering his next steps. Dubois, who retained his IBF heavyweight title, knocked Joshua down four times before finishing the fight just 59 seconds into the fifth round.

Entering the bout as the favorite after a streak of four consecutive victories following back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua had also defeated former UFC champion Francis Ngannou earlier this year, reinforcing his status as a top contender in the heavyweight division. However, the defeat to Dubois has placed Joshua at a crossroads in his career at 34 years old.

On DAZN, Hearn provided insight into Joshua’s current mindset, stating, “It’s still quite fresh, only three weeks ago. He’s devastated by the defeat. Daniel’s had a great time in Brazil as the new champion, and it’s well deserved. There’s a period of time within AJ’s contract where he has to make a decision, and it’s not up yet, but he’s thinking hard. He’s resting his body and figuring out what he wants to do.”

Hearn confirmed that discussions about a possible rematch are ongoing, suggesting that Joshua is inclined towards facing Dubois again, despite the uncertainties. “When you start thinking about it, there’s no bad decision,” Hearn told Sky Sports. “He wants to win the world heavyweight title, and that could mean fighting Dubois again rather than facing Deontay Wilder or waiting for Tyson Fury. If it’s solely up to AJ, which it will be at the end of the day, I think it’s going to be hard to talk him out of taking the rematch.”

Veteran heavyweight Derek Chisora also weighed in on Joshua’s situation, offering straightforward advice: “He should jump on the rematch straight away. Listen, shout out to Daniel Dubois, the new champion, but Joshua should go for it, bro. What else is he going to do? Fight Deontay Wilder, then come back to face Dubois? No, he should take the rematch now.”

While there is no explicit contractual rematch clause, sources indicate that Joshua has one more fight remaining on his Riyadh Season deal, with both Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, and Dubois interested in facilitating the rematch.