Is it time for Anthony Joshua to retire?

Anthony Joshua stands at a crossroads in his boxing career following his shock defeat to fellow Briton Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium.

The two-time world heavyweight champion, now 34, "never stood a chance" against his younger opponent, said The Times, who sent him "crashing to the canvas and oblivion" in a fight that clearly proved Joshua's "crown had long gone".

Dubois, 27, delivered "bomb after bomb", sending "shivers through the boxing world" in an effort "worthy of his hero Mike Tyson".

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It was a staggering blow for Joshua, who became the "poster boy of British boxing" after winning Olympic gold in 2012 at the age of 22, said the BBC. However, after a series of shattering defeats, his "reputation has become tarnished" and his future in the sport is cast into doubt.

'Final defeat'?

Joshua's "gravest humiliation yet" has come weeks before his 35th birthday, and he is "now, surely, over the hill", said The Telegraph's Oliver Brown. Given he is fast approaching the age at which he "once promised to retire", this could be an appropriate choice for the man who otherwise faces his career "running out of road".

This was a "pitiless display of punching power" from Dubois, who "bludgeoned Anthony Joshua to the canvas" four times, while demonstrating not only "brute force" but "clarity of thinking and calm resolve", said The Guardian's Donald McRae. These tactics proved too much for Joshua. While he was "vanquished but still admirable", this should be his "final defeat" before he bows out of the sport for good.

There is no doubt "Joshua's star has not dimmed" among his adoring fans, many of whom were chanting his name at the weekend, said the i news site's Katherine Lucas. But this fight proves "the writing is on the wall – even if Joshua is not ready to admit it just yet".

Joshua 'wants to fight on'

Despite Saturday's "devastating knockout loss", it is clear Joshua's loss is not "career-ending", said ESPN's Nick Parkinson. He is the "second-highest-paid" boxer in the world, according to Forbes, and as long as he "wants to fight on, big offers will continue to come his way".

And come they no doubt will. "Future money-spinning fights may await" Joshua, said McRae, and they may prove difficult to turn down.

Perhaps one of the most hotly anticipated events in the sport is a fight between Joshua and Tyson Fury, "two of British boxing's biggest names in recent years", said CNN. While the pair have "seemed destined to face off", ultimately the fight "has always failed to materialise".

But when it comes to Joshua's next steps, such a bout would be the "sensible option", said The Telegraph's Gareth A. Davies, given that it would once again revitalise "interest" in the beleaguered boxer.

"The thing is with boxers, all the money is great, but it's your identity," former world champion Barry Jones told BBC Radio 5 Live. "What do you do if you're not a boxer anymore?"