Dubois defends his IBF heavyweight title against Joshua on Saturday night at Wembley Stadium.
Both boxers enter the contest in good form and have significantly shifted the narratives around them heading into fight night.
Dubois was labelled a ‘quitter’ by several members of the boxing fraternity after seeing out counts on one knee against Usyk and Joe Joyce.
However, gutsy wins over Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic in his last two outings have gone a long way in changing people’s minds about his heart.
Similarly, Joshua was criticised for being ‘gunshy’ following his knockout loss to Andy Ruiz in 2019.
But the Watford powerhouse has proved he still has plenty of fire left in his belly with spiteful stoppage wins over Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou last time out.
The winner of the contest will punch their ticket for an undisputed fight with whoever emerges victorious between Fury and Usyk on December 21.
Both men will be ringside this weekend and cast their verdict on how Joshua vs Dubois will go down.
Usyk, who has defeated both men in the past, is backing AJ.
“My favourite is Anthony Joshua but I am very bad at predictions. But I will predict Anthony Joshua,” Usyk told Boxing King Media.
He added to Boxing News: “I treat Daniel Dubois with respect. I wish him good luck, and let him become the champion someday – that he trains well…
“There is no way to compare [Dubois and Joshua] because they are completely different fighters.
“Different skills; different styles. Totally different boxers.
“To be fair, I don’t think [Dubois can reach Joshua’s level]. I am sorry for saying this, but this is the truth and I’m telling it.”
Fury, on the other hand, is placing his faith in Queensberry stablemate Dubois.
Fury’s manager Spencer Brown revealed his client’s prediction on the TNT Sports Open Workout show: “Tyson I think fancies Dubois, yeah I’m sure he fancies Dubois.
“Well, last time I spoke to him he did. He fancies Dubois.”
Wilder has one of the most impressive knockout records in boxing history and is regarded by some as the biggest one punch finisher of all time. Ngannou, on the other hand, holds the world record for the most powerful punch ever recorded but sceptics weren’t sure if his power would translate inside the boxing ring.
Having been knocked down by both, Fury told The Stomping Ground he was in no doubt that the former WBC champion packs the bigger punch.
“Deontay, by far. Francis Ngannou is a big puncher but I wasn’t really troubled by any of his punches, it wasn’t like dynamite and every time he hit me I was wobbled or anything, it was just one shot to the back of the head and that was it. So Wilder is the biggest puncher I’ve ever been in the ring with by a mile.”
Both Ngannou and Wilder are at crossroads in their boxing career. The Alabama heavyweight is coming off two defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang and has been urged to consider retirement whilst Ngannou suffered a devastating knockout to Anthony Joshua back in March and will now make a planned return to MMA before considering his options inside the ring.
Anthony Joshua is hitting as hard as ‘a car crashing at 100mph’ ahead of his fight with Daniel Dubois later this month. That’s according to former super-middleweight world champion Billy Joe Saunders, who recently watched ‘AJ’ in training.
Saunders knows plenty about elite heavyweights, having worked alongside his pal Tyson Fury on multiple occasions, and he predicts that Dubois could be in for a tough night at Wembley Stadium on the 21st of September.
Since dropping a pair of decision losses to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua has put together a four-fight win streak that has seen him defeat the likes of Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis NGannou. All those wins have come under the guidance of Saunders’ former trainer Ben Davison and Billy Joe couldn’t hide how impressed he was with the Watford-born heavyweight while speaking to Box Nation.
Billy Joe Saunders on Anthony Joshua’s ‘Scary, Scary Power’
Ex-world champion claims there is ‘no way’ that the fight with Dubois goes the distance
“I watched AJ recently up close training in the Ben Davison camp, I pop in there now and then just to have a look,” said Saunders. “Watching AJ, it seems to me that he has a new lease of life. He seems like he’s reborn again, he’s believing.
“He’s going to be a very, very dangerous opponent for anybody in the heavyweight division, in my opinion. Up close, watching him throw a right hand it was scary, scary power it’s like a car doing 100mph into a wall. He’s hitting the pads with so much force.”
Saunders sees no possible way that the Wembley Stadium showdown goes the distance and suggested that an error-prone Dubois may struggle to keep up with his more seasoned opponent.
Anthony Joshua & Daniel Dubois’ pro boxing records (as of 06/09/24)
Anthony Joshua
Daniel Dubois
Fights
31
23
Wins
28
21
Losses
3
2
“Someone’s getting knocked out, it definitely ain’t going the distance, someone’s definitely getting knocked out. With all due respect to Dubois, who is a dangerous guy, he makes mistakes and he is not a difficult fighter to work out. What he does have – he’s very strong and he can punch and he’s physically a problem. But he makes a lot of mistakes.”
Joshua knows that there is no room for slip ups as he challenges Dubois. Defeat would almost certainly end all hope of a crack at redemption against Usyk or of the long-awaited all-British showdown with Tyson Fury.
Saunders believes that ‘AJ’ recognises the importance of a dominant victory and has predicted that he will get the job done and move on to some career-defining bouts next year.
“I think the momentum from an AJ win in style would take him into a massive 2025 which funnily enough could be the defining moment of his career.” Anything other than a Joshua win will likely leave him with a lot of thinking to do about his future. However, if he is successful in eye-catching fashion, then the heavyweight division will – once again – be one of the most exciting weight classes in all of boxing.
Garcia is a decorated coach who has worked with many world champions including Mikey Garcia, Nonito Donaire, Brandon Ríos and Marcos Maidana. He currently corners pound-for-pound star Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez.
Because of his many years of experience with talented fighters, he was brought in by Joshua after the Brit lost his first fight with Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and was looking to correct mistakes and exact revenge in the rematch in 2022.
It didn’t work out like that and Joshua again lost on points over 12 rounds, despite a more competitive showing. He separated from Garcia and linked up with Derrick James.
After a couple of fights with James, Joshua hooked up with former Fury coach Ben Davison, who oversaw his last stoppage wins over Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou and is now guiding him through camp ahead of his IBF world title shot with Daniel Dubois on September 21.
Should Joshua come through that, and if Fury wins his rematch with Usyk having lost their first fight for undisputed in May, the two British big men could come together in the ring next year.
Speaking to ESNEWS, Garcia was asked how he thinks his former fighter would fare against Fury should it happen, predicting a big finish.
“I think Joshua knocks him out.”
Although both winning would potentially set up an undisputed bout, Riyadh Season’s Turki Alalshikh has recently stated that he wants to make AJ-Fury regardless of ‘The Gypsy King’s result against Usyk in the rematch.
Arguably Britain’s two best ever fighters in the division going against each other at the peak of their powers.
Alas, as is always the case in professional boxing, the two parties couldn’t come to an agreement and fans were left wanting.
Both Fury and Joshua went their separate ways. Joshua took on Oleksandr Usyk and lost his heavyweight title whilst the Gypsy King fought Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora, much to the chagrin of boxing fans.
Then Fury embarked on a money-spinning bout with Francis Ngannou before losing his own heavyweight belts to Usyk in a unification matchup.
Many are awaiting a rematch with Usyk at this stage, however plans for a Fury/Joshua match are now also in the works.
Is it a fight coming too late?
Joshua, to his credit, has bounced back from two successive defeats to Usyk and has brought back some of his notorious knockout power, laying Francis Ngannou out in sensational fashion.
His next opponent is fellow British heavyweig
ht, Daniel Dubois, who perhaps came closest to defeating Usyk since he became the champion, dropping the Ukrainian with a perfect body shot, only for the referee to judge it to be a low-blow.
Yet, plans are in motion to have Fury meet Joshua in Saudi Arabia, and whilst boxing fans are being cheated out of a matchup between the two in their prime, there is still a lot of money on offer.
Saudi Arabia’s move into boxing has vastly increased the money on offer for fighters at the very top of the sport, and whilst it is true that the influence of this state-funded enterprise has brought more boxers to face their rivals at the right time, it also makes events seem bigger than they actually are.
Joshua and Fury would be one such instance. Nobody is really interested anymore, unless Joshua defeats Dubois comfortably and Fury can reclaim all the heavyweight belts in Riyadh in December when he takes on Usyk in a rematch.
Perhaps that will set the stage for a classic ‘Battle of Britain’ but even then, it seems like it will be a stretch.
Despite this, Turki Alalshikh of the General Entertainment Authority is adamant the fight will take place.
Boxing. Tyson Fury’s raspy roar: This was his voice before the punch that changed it forever
Boxing. WBC boss explains controversial Tyson Fury boxing ranking: He’s not the best British fighter now
It’s just a few short years ago that a meeting between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua would have been the biggest heavyweight fight to ever take place.
Arguably Britain’s two best ever fighters in the division going against each other at the peak of their powers.
Alas, as is always the case in professional boxing, the two parties couldn’t come to an agreement and fans were left wanting.
Both Fury and Joshua went their separate ways. Joshua took on Oleksandr Usyk and lost his heavyweight title whilst the Gypsy King fought Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora, much to the chagrin of boxing fans.
Then Fury embarked on a money-spinning bout with Francis Ngannou before losing his own heavyweight belts to Usyk in a unification matchup.
Many are awaiting a rematch with Usyk at this stage, however plans for a Fury/Joshua match are now also in the works.
Is it a fight coming too late?
Joshua, to his credit, has bounced back from two successive defeats to Usyk and has brought back some of his notorious knockout power, laying Francis Ngannou out in sensational fashion.
His next opponent is fellow British heavyweight, Daniel Dubois, who perhaps came closest to defeating Usyk since he became the champion, dropping the Ukrainian with a perfect body shot, only for the referee to judge it to be a low-blow.
Yet, plans are in motion to have Fury meet Joshua in Saudi Arabia, and whilst boxing fans are being cheated out of a matchup between the two in their prime, there is still a lot of money on offer.
Saudi Arabia’s move into boxing has vastly increased the money on offer for fighters at the very top of the sport, and whilst it is true that the influence of this state-funded enterprise has brought more boxers to face their rivals at the right time, it also makes events seem bigger than they actually are.
Joshua and Fury would be one such instance. Nobody is really interested anymore, unless Joshua defeats Dubois comfortably and Fury can reclaim all the heavyweight belts in Riyadh in December when he takes on Usyk in a rematch.
Perhaps that will set the stage for a classic ‘Battle of Britain’ but even then, it seems like it will be a stretch.
Despite this, Turki Alalshikh of the General Entertainment Authority is adamant the fight will take place.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
“”If Usyk wins, still I want to see Fury versus Joshua if they accept. I will not try to do the third fight [between Usyk and Joshua] before having Fury versus Joshua,” Alalshikh told talkSPORT.
“I think Joshua will win [against Dubois] but you don’t know. I picked Deontay Wilder against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, and he lost. This is boxing, especially the heavyweights.
“But I want to see Fury versus Joshua and the world wants to see Fury versus Joshua.”
He became a world title holder in 2016 and made successful defences against the likes of Dominic Breazeale, Alexandr Povetkin and Carlos Takam, unified against Wladimir Klitschko and Joseph Parker, then came unstuck against Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 out in New York.
He avenged that loss later the same year but again lost his WBA, WBO and IBF belts on points over 12 rounds when taking on Oleksandr Uysk. The rematch went the same way in 2022 and since then Joshua has been rebuilding with four solid wins over Jermaine Franklin, Otto Wallin, Robert Helenius and most recently a devastating knockout of Francis Ngannou back in March.
He now faces current IBF champion Daniel Dubois on September 21 for his chance to come a three-time world champion.
Ahead of that he has spoken to DAZN Boxing and played the winner stays on game.
It finds him picking Muhammad Ali over all of the proposed contemporary opponents including himself, Dubois, Fury, Usyk and legends like Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali Klitschko and Lennox Lewis.
After winning gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics, Ali turned pro and beat the likes of Sonny Liston, George Foreman, Joe Frazier and Earnie Shavers over his 61-fight campaign. The former undisputed heavyweight champion was known as ‘The Greatest’ and left his mark not just on boxing but on history and politics.
It might be the fight of the year, and it has everything to offer. Two British heavyweights dance around the ring to score a knockout and secure a golden ticket to fight for the undisputed title next. What’s better than actually putting on such a show before their home crowd, too? So, the Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois fight is the hype, and the fans are looking forward to some fireworks and some heavy blows, as they fight it out for the biggest prize of their careers. And it seems it might also surpass what Tyson Fury pulled off two years ago.
Joshua, 34, and Dubois, 26, will clash at Wembley Stadium on September 21 for the IBF heavyweight title and the massive Riyadh card has already swayed the fans. The developments are under process to accommodate as many fans as possible, as HE Turki Alalshikh has requested some additions to the iconic arena.
Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois set on course to shatter some records
TalkSports’ Michael Benson turned to his X handle and revealed the Joshua vs. Dubois fight could break the current attendance record at Wembley Stadium. Previously, Fury had gone up against Dillian Whyte in 2022 and attracted a crowd of 94,000, the largest ever for a combat event in the UK. He wrote, “Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois could break the British boxing attendance record at Wembley Stadium on Sept 21st as His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has said they’ve now applied to extend the capacity with the aim of surpassing the 94,000 who attended Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte.”
Interestingly, HE Turki Alalshikh, in a recent post on X, admitted to pleading with authorities to extend the capacity of Wembley and also hoped to pull up the largest crowd in the stadium’s history. Whether that comes true or not will depend on how the fans perceive the fight, and it seems they are swayed by it.
One fan called Joshua, the one-third face of boxing, and demanded respect for the British fighter. They declared, “Anthony Joshua is 1/3 face’s of boxing! Put some respect on his name.” While Canelo Alvarez lays claim to the current face of boxing, the other part half is clearly Gervonta Davis.
A user criticized ‘AJ’ for cherrypicking an opponent and believed the last worthy opponent he faced was Oleksandr Usyk. Predicting a knockout, they argued, “The last good opponent Joshua had was Usyk smh AJ stops Dubois in 7.” Interestingly, after suffering a defeat from the Ukrainian fighter for a second time in 2022, Joshua is on an exciting 4-0 run.
Froch and Joshua were Olympic teammates but have since lost their close bond. Joshua recently called Froch a “p****y” in an interview and Froch went on to leak their WhatsApp DMs as well. Someone referenced the recent beef between Carl Froch and Joshua, at 28-3. They announced, “Carl froch punching air rn.” The comment was also in reference to Carl Froch’s long-standing record of 80,000 spectators at Wembley which he held in 2014 in a fight against George Groves, which has since been broken multiple times by both Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
A comment denied accepting anything from HE Turki Alalshikh. The comment read, “We don’t believe nothing turki says about a sell out 😂😂.” The comment could be a jibe at Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov, where the Saudi adviser claimed to be selling out the arena, but later some contested that promoters distributed free tickets to fill the arena.
Lastly, one fan threw shade on Joshua’s opponent and praised AJ for his popularity and for carrying on promotional duties. They insisted, “AJ be carrying these unmarketable boxers on his back 😂.” Joshua has sold over 1 million PPV buys in his fights with Andy Ruiz and Wladimir Klitschko. He also sold almost 700,000 PPVs when he fought Francis Ngannou earlier this year. It remains to be seen whether he can replicate similar success when he fights Dubois.
What do you make of this development regarding Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois? Do you believe the fight will shatter attendance records on September 21? Let us know in the comments below.
PFL star and former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, has spoken about the potential of facing his former boxing opponents, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in MMA.
Despite Ngannou making the switch over to boxing to face two of the best heavyweights in the world in his first two fights, ‘The Predator’ doesn’t seem confident that the British heavyweight boxing stars, Fury and Joshua, will reciprocate what he did and come into a different sport to face him.
Last year, former UFC heavyweight champion, Ngannou, made his boxing debut in a huge super-fight against Fury. After losing a very close decision to ‘The Gypsy King,’ which many people actually thought Ngannou won, the Cameroonian ecured himself another huge boxing bout against Joshua just five months later. The fight against Josua was very different for Ngannou, as he got completely flatlined inside two rounds and put out cold.
Despite taking a brutal KO loss, the boxing world heaped praise on Ngannou for stepping into the ring against two of the best and most dominant heavyweight boxers in his first two professional fights.
When asked whether or not the British heavyweight boxing stars would do something similar to Ngannou and make a move over to MMA to face him, ‘The Predator’ did not seem confident that could happen as it is a lot more difficult to learn all aspects of martial arts as opposed to the one he had to, which was just solely boxing. Speaking to MMA journalist, John Morgan at last week’s PFL DC media scrum, Ngannou said the following:
“They don’t want that smoke. Nobody wants that, and I wouldn’t want it either. I don’t blame them. There is a lot of elements in MMA that’s way complicated for boxers to crossover than for MMA fighters to crossover to boxing. I need to see them do some practice. Maybe one of them have the wrestling skill. You don’t of the grappling skill. We need to see.”
Despite moves to MMA for both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua being extremely unlikely, both men have shown interest and teased moves to MMA in the past.
Just after his brutal KO victory over Francis Ngannou earlier this year, ‘AJ’ posted training footage on social media of him kicking and kneeing pads which led to many people speculating he could be teasing a move over to MMA.
As for Fury, he has also shown interest in competing in MMA in the past. In recent years, ‘The Gypsy King’ has also been pictured training with well-known MMA fighters, Darren Till and Nick Diaz, and has also voiced the opinion that due to his bare-knuckle past, he could transition well to MMA.
The pair will be battling it out for all four major heavyweight titles, marking the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000 and the first champion of the four-belt era. Originally pencilled in for February, the fight was delayed due to an injury Fury picked up during training.
The postponement has only ramped up the tension, with a recent spat involving Fury’s dad John and a member of Usyk’s team adding more spice to the mix. On top of the championship belts, both undefeated fighters are set to pocket a hefty payday.
While the final figure won’t be confirmed until after the fight, it’s estimated to be around $150m (£116m), according to The Independent. Last year, it was agreed that the purse would be split 70/30 in Fury’s favour.
Usyk accepted the smaller share on the condition that Fury donates £1m of his winnings to Ukraine, reports Birmingham Live. If the reported purse is accurate, Tyson Fury is set to bag a whopping $105m (£82.9m) from this weekend’s bout.
Last year, legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum revealed that the ‘Gypsy King’ would not be satisfied with a mere $100m offer. In an interview, Bob Arum revealed: “If you told Tyson Fury he’s set to make $100m, he’d really get p****d off,” elaborating further by saying, “Because he thinks and I think he’s right that he’s gonna make a lot more than that.”
Tyson Fury is no stranger to high earning fights in Saudi Arabia, having
previously pocketed a hefty £35m from his crossover bout with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou last October.
Former two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has shared his prediction for the upcoming rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, a bout that has captured the attention of boxing fans worldwide.
Having a deep history with both fighters, Joshua weighed in on who he believes will come out on top.
Joshua, who has traded words with Fury for nearly a decade without yet meeting him in the ring, faced Usyk in 2021 and 2022, suffering back-to-back defeats that cost him his unified world titles. Since then, Joshua has bounced back with four consecutive victories, including a stunning second-round knockout of former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in March.
As Joshua prepares for his world title clash against Daniel Dubois, he offered his thoughts on the Fury vs. Usyk rematch, one of the most anticipated fights in recent boxing history.
“I think it’s going to be a tough fight early on, but I feel like Usyk will edge it again,” Joshua told Queensberry Promotions.
“He’s a class operator and one of the best out there. That’s why I think he’ll win.”
Usyk handed Fury his first professional loss when they first met in May, dominating the later rounds and nearly stopping Fury in the ninth on his way to a decision victory. With that win, Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis, though he later had his IBF title stripped—a title now up for grabs in Joshua’s upcoming bout with Dubois.
Despite focusing on his immediate goals, Joshua remains determined to eventually face Fury in the ring.
“Yeah, it needs to happen,” Joshua said. “It’s just taken a long time. It needs to happen, but he’s got his hands full, and so have I. Let’s both do our jobs, and we’ll see a positive 2025, I’m sure of it.”
Joshua hinted that a showdown with Fury could take place in collaboration with Riyadh Season, potentially in London.
