Eddie Hearn Defends Anthony Joshua’s Chin Ahead of Daniel Dubois Fight

Eddie Hearn insists Anthony Joshua does not have a weak chin as he fights IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois on September 21.

Simon Jordan of the Web this week said that the 34-year-old two-time heavyweight champion Joshua is weak, and could break if the 26-year-old Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) is pushed to the top. their first game of twelve rounds at Wembley Stadium in London.

Going back to past wars

There is no doubt that Joshua will have the worst moments of his life, with Andy Ruiz, Wladimir Klitschko, and Oleksandr Usyk working over him.

Jordan suggested that Joshua may have PTSD [Post Traumatic Distress Syndrome AKA Battle fatigue]. If that’s the case, Joshua won’t last long on the battlefield against Dubois, who will be all over him and won’t let him back down and sink in form.

It looked like Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) suffered a mental breakdown following his loss to Usyk on August 20, 2022 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Hearn Dismisses “Fragile” Lab

“AJ has a really nice chin. If you go back to the Klitschko fight, look at these pictures that AJ took on Klitschko in the fifth round,” said Eddie Hearn speaking to Secondsout, denying that Anthony Joshua has a weak chin.

The Klitschko fight was many years ago, on April 29, 2017. Joshua was just 27 years old, going up against 41-year-old Wladimir. In that fight, Wladimir knocked Joshua out hard in the sixth round, and he was so injured that he did not recover for three rounds.

Most agree that Wladimir made a mistake by letting Joshua off the hook by failing to listen to his corner to kill the seventh, eighth and ninth rounds.

“Look at the right hand that would have cut a normal man that AJ stood up from [in the sixth round and then gassed for the next three rounds]. In the Ruiz fight, he kept getting up,” said Hearn.

“Usyk hit him with the kitchen sink, he didn’t get him out. His legs had never moved. He was beaten in the end, but look what happened to Tyson Fury. You’ve never seen AJ like this. He [Joshua] he was severely beaten [Alexander] “Povetkin, it’s obvious that he was hit hard by Dillian Whyte,” said Hearn.

Stamina and Joshua’s chin: A recurring concern

In all the fights that Hearn talked about, Joshua could have been knocked down if his opponents had continued to submit him. Usyk injured Joshua in the twelfth round of their first fight in September 2021 but ran out of time to finish the job.

If there were 20 seconds left in the twelfth, Usyk would have knocked Joshua out. Whyte gassed after hurting Joshua in the second round and couldn’t get his second wind after that.

“AJ has a good chin, but Daniel Dubois hits hard and if you get hit on the chin by him, chances are you’re going to be in trouble,” Hearn said.

Of course, Hearn is making a deliberate mistake here because he knows Joshua doesn’t have a “big chin,” and his power is similarly poor. Joshua’s weaknesses have always been his glass chin and his fearsome strength.

Dubois Power: A Critical Threat

That’s why it will be easy to pick Dubois if he gets something clean for him and even if he pushes a speed that can’t keep up with his cardio.

“I don’t understand everything, ‘You are fragile.’ He was severely beaten by Franklin. I know he’s not a big puncher, but they all can punch. Franklin, Usyk, Povetkin, Parker, Ruiz. The list goes on. Dillian Whyte, Wladimir Klitschko, fought everybody. Nothing wrong with AJ’s chin, but these guys can all crack. “If they hit something good, it’s going to be a problem,” said Hearn.

You wouldn’t expect Hearn to admit that his tin soldier Joshua doesn’t have a big chin. What promoter would admit that his hitter is fragile and could break if hit too hard or tried in the trenches?