Conor McGregor fires back at Anthony Joshua retirement talks after Daniel Dubois defeat: "He's a legend forever"

Conor McGregor took issue with people calling for Anthony Joshua's retirement following the recent defeat. Joshua had a resurgent run in the heavyweight division after losing the title to Oleksandr Usyk in 2022. He challenged Daniel Dubois for the IBF heavyweight title on Sept. 21 but despite, high expectations, suffered a fifth-round KO defeat.

McGregor watched the fight from the ring-side seat. As seen in the videos, he was noticeably involved in the contest at an emotional level and could hardly contain his excitement throughout the fight.

While speaking to The Stomping Ground immediately after the event, the Irishman was asked to share his thoughts on Ricky Hatton urging Joshua to retire after the defeat. McGregor said:

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"AJ is the number one. This is a stadium show here... He's a legend forever."

When asked if Joshua could build himself back up and become a champion again, McGregor replied:

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"Of course, there sure is [a way for Joshua to recapture the title]. He smacked him back... Stood his ground and smacked him back. Then he went forward and got caught. It's only boxing. You get caught, you catch someone. Of course, he can come back for sure."

Check out Conor McGregor's comments below (0:30):

Joshua was a -350 favorite heading into the Dubois fight. While many expected him to emerge victorious and challenge Oleskdanr Usyk, fans seem to have turned on him after the lackluster performance and have called for his retirement. However, Joshua reasserted that he is not hanging up the gloves and intends to "live to fight another day".

The KO win over Joshua is the biggest competitive achievement of Dubois' professional boxing career so far. Speaking at the post-fight press conference, the 27-year-old expressed his satisfaction at proving the doubters wrong and asserted that it is the "start of his journey."

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