A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE

So on Saturday night at Wembley Stadium, Daniel Dubois sent Anthony Joshua packing to his garden of flowers, though the British-Nigerian heavyweight may still decide to return for a few final battles before retiring from the sport for good. The colour of roses is one thing, but the colour of money still holds a far greater allure for the Watford boy. And who can blame him? These modern-day gladiators earn millions of pounds each time they step into the ring. But at what point does the accumulation of wealth become overvalued compared to the cost of one's personal health? Or is this just a faux moral perspective that armchair critics (like me) adopt out of jealousy of these athletes' vast accumulated fortunes? Possibly. I'll leave that thought hanging in the air like AJ's chin on Saturday night.

Listening to Highfield Boxing's most recent podcast episode (EP230) – incidentally, the number one podcast in that field – the host astutely observed that "Dubois wasn't afraid of losing, but he was afraid of not performing." The younger of the two men, Dubois, had previously faced sustained criticism and abuse for earlier losses in his career, where his mindset and desire to win had been questioned. Well, it turns out it was the other way around on Saturday night where it was Joshua who now looked like the one haunted by his ghosts of performances past, not his younger adversary, who rose to the challenge in front of a purported 96,000-strong crowd at Wembley Stadium, as if it was his God-given birthright.

Watching AJ's ring walk to the sound of the Godfather main theme, played by a solo violin, it was hard not to think that perhaps he is role-playing the hard man by proxy of gangster references, when his true nature may be the opposite – more the pussycat on Brando's lap than Brando himself. There's nothing wrong with 'faking it 'til you make it', but when that bell goes, there's no hiding behind an illusion or facade anymore like the Wizard of Oz. Your strength and weaknesses are revealed on a stage watched by millions around the world. Of course, it's hard to know what goes through the mind of a fighter on his way to the ring, though the eyes can reveal some clues about the internal equilibrium of the competitor if you look closely. Every boxing fan likes to think they're a psychological expert, scouring for any signs that might tell them who is going to win before the first bell, but in the end, it's the fists that do the talking. On Saturday night, Dubois' snapping jabs were practically screaming at Joshua, who fell to the canvas numerous times from their devastating impact.

I'm happy for Dubois that he overcame his monsters to become a monster and dethrone AJ, the poster boy for British boxing for the past decade or more. If a rematch is activated, it will be interesting to see if Joshua can apply the same level of mental toughness to defeat Dubois. It's entirely possible, and no one would begrudge a man who has brought so much attention to the sport the opportunity to become a champion once again. If there's one thing boxing fans love about this sport it's the ups and downs, the victories and defeats that show us the true psychological character of the fighters we follow along their often treacherous warrior path. In a less grandiose sense, boxing is just like snakes and ladders: one fighter goes up, the other goes down, and in the end, whoever can make it to the top of the board wins. Right now, AJ will need to fix his ladder before climbing back up, while Dubois can take great satisfaction in knowing that he has risen from several great falls to become a victor in more ways than one.

And if I were asked to choose AJ's next ring walk theme, might I suggest Louis Armstrong's "We Have All the Time in the World" from the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service, as it is only time that will heal this recent defeat for him, and only time that will tell if history will remember him as one of the greats.