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Following a devastating fifth round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium (watch it here), a lot of people are calling for Anthony Joshua to retire. Not Conor McGregor, who believes Joshua has more to give in his career.
McGregor was very visible in the front row for the fight, and caused quite a stir backstage when he discussed his desire to pursue free agency after he’s done with the last two fights on his UFC contract … whenever he actually gets those. When it came to Joshua’s performance and his future, “The Notorious” was adamant that the heavyweight will come back strong in the future.
“AJ is number one,” he declared in a ringside interview with The Stomping Ground. “This is his eighth stadium show. He’s a legend forever. For sure there is [a way back for Joshua]. He had him, he smacked him back, he stood his ground but then went forward and got clocked. It’s only boxing. You get clocked, you catch someone. Of course he can come back. For sure.”
It’s clear that Joshua can continue fighting and making money, but the question is should he given how badly he was knocked out by Dubois. Joshua is just 34 years old and this is his first proper knockout loss, but he’s taken a lot of hits over 32 fights. When is enough enough, especially when you’re financially set for life?
“Daniel Dubois had no pressure on his shoulders coming in here,” McGregor said of Joshua’s opponent. “Very calm, very composed. And it showed. He came out to go after it from the first bell.”
McGregor knows more than a little about having all the pressure on his shoulders coming into big fights. He holds several of the biggest gates in UFC history, and he’s carried most of those on his own. Do you include the No. 5 biggest gate in UFC 303, which made $20 million of McGregor’s name before he withdrew due to an injury? Even after refunds, the event now sits at $16 million. At the very least it’s a bellwether that proves the Mac business is a good business to be in.
Now he’s looking to see just how much money he can rake in, if he manages to complete his UFC contract and actually achieves free agency.