Daniel Dubois v Anthony Joshua: Predictions For The Main Card at Wembley Stadium
On Saturday in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London, Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua will headline a stacked Riyadh Season show and fight for the IBF heavyweight title.
Dubois (21-2-0 20 KO) will make the first defense of his world title since being elevated from interim to full champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title in June. Joshua (28-3-0), meanwhile, is aiming to become just the fifth fighter in history to call himself a three-time heavyweight world champion.
Ahead of the big fight night on Saturday, here are the predictions for the main card.
Dubois v Joshua (IBF heavyweight world title)
A massive all-British heavyweight fight tops the bill at Wembley Stadium, and for the winner, plenty of critics will be silenced.
Dubois is yet to prove himself worthy of world champion status having been handed the belt by default, while he is still defined – rightly or wrongly – for twice taking a knee in pivotal fights, first against Joe Joyce and again last year against Usyk.
‘Dynamite’ has the tools, power, and athleticism to win and he showed in his last two fights against Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic that he can go down to the coalface and emerge victorious.
Joshua, though, is an entirely different proposition to Dubois’ recent opponents. The former two-time unified champion is bigger, stronger, and more skilled than anyone the Londoner has faced (Usyk aside), and has shown he thrives under the pressure of fighting in front of 90,000-plus fans.
That said, AJ has not fought anyone on Dubois’ level during his recent comeback from successive losses to Usyk and it will be interesting to see if this new version is indeed as good as he’s looked recently.
Prediction: Joshua to beat Dubois by knockout
Tyler Denny v Hamzah Sheeraz (European middleweight title)
The co-main event sees Denny (19-2-3 1 KO) defend his European middleweight title against top-ranked world contender Sheeraz (20-0-0 16 KO).
Denny spent much of his career languishing at the British level, but a resurgence in recent years has seen the 33-year-old secure a succession of upset victories, leading to his capturing of the European belt.
Sheeraz, though, is levels above the title holder’s recent opponents. The 25-year-old is big and strong and has already knocked out Liam Williams and Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams (no relation) this year.
Anything less than a Sheeraz stoppage will be a surprise.
Prediction: Sheeraz to win by knockout
Anthony Cacace v Josh Warrington (IBO super-featherweight title)
Unfortunately, there won’t be a major world title on the line after the IBF released a statement confirming its super-featherweight belt, which belongs to Cacace, won’t be contested.
This is still an intriguing fight between a newly crowned world champion in Cacace (22-1-0 8 KO) and a former two-time featherweight champion in Warrington (31-3-1 8 KO).
Cacace won his title by stopping Joe Cordina in May, although his eight-round victory was shrouded in controversy after he hit the Welshman on the break. Warrington, meanwhile, has not fought since last October when he was stopped by Leigh Wood, which followed a previous defeat to Luis Alberto Lopez in October 2022.
Cacace’s better familiarity with the 130lb division and his superior sharpness should make the difference in what is expected to be a high-octane bout.
Prediction: Cacace to beat Warrington on points
Joshua Buatsi vs. Willy Hutchinson (Light-Heavyweight)
If most of the match-ups on this card have generally been quite respectful, the same cannot be said of this light-heavyweight clash. Buatsi and Hutchinson have almost come to blows on several occasions, and the simmering tension will finally be released on fight night.
Buatsi (18-0-0 13 KO) has been patiently waiting for his shot at a 175-pound world title and is the top-ranked contender with the WBO. The Londoner has barely put a foot wrong during his 18-fight career and has accepted a risky bout against Hutchinson (18-1-0 13 KO).
The Scottish fighter is coming off an excellent points win over Craig Richards in June, and will be full of confidence when he enters the Wembley ring. That said, Buatsi’s better skillset should see him come through this one.
Prediction: Buatsi to beat Hutchinson on points
Mark Chamberlain vs. Josh Padley (Super-Lightweight)
Chamberlain (16-0-0 12 KO) has established himself as one of the favorite fighters of Turki Alalshikh – the Saudi boxing powerbroker behind Riyadh Season. As such, he can frequently be found on big-time cards in Riyadh and will be aiming to extend his perfect record against Padley (14-0-0 4KO).
Both fighters are unbeaten so someone’s “0” has got to go. Chamberlain is the better fighter and given his experience of the big stage, he should claim the victory here.
Prediction: Chamberlain to beat Padely on points
Josh Kelly vs. Ishmael Davis (Middleweight)
Kelly (15-1-1 8 KO) was initially scheduled to face former middleweight world champion Liam Smith, only for the Liverpool fighter to withdraw this week due to illness.
In comes Davis (13-0-0 6 KO) for a bout that perhaps carries a bit less excitement but provides an interesting challenge for Kelly – and one that he needs to win to continue his path toward a world title opportunity.
Kelly has long been one of the most talented and exciting British fighters of his generation, but for all his style, he is yet to deliver on the biggest stage. He should win this but he will want to make a statement.
Prediction: Kelly to beat Davis by knockout
