Joshua Could Box Dubois In September – ‘It’s A Big Fight’

Anthony Joshua could box Daniel Dubois in September at Wembley.

Joshua is expected to fight in September following his recent resurgence. Since teaming up with Ben Davidson, Joshua has stopped his last two opponents. Wins over Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou have played into the narrative that Joshua is back to his best. This was after his losses to Oleksandr Usyk had cast doubts over his legacy. The former two-time Unified Heavyweight Champion has said he has around two years left in the sport before he retires.

Joshua is keen on becoming a world champion again, as Dubois could be the next man. Dubois is coming off a stoppage win over Filip Hrgovic. Dubois impressed heavily, cutting Hrgovic with numerous heavy blows during the fight. The bout was stopped after the ringside doctor said Hrgovic could not continue. The victory made Dubois the IBF Interim Heavyweight Champion. If Usyk is stripped, then Dubois will fight for the vacant title or become the full champion, making Joshua one of those possible names. 

Hearn Reacts

“I think so, yeah, I mean we’re going to go to His Excellency’s now. If a world title’s on the line, which I think it may well be, it’s a big fight. Daniel did excellently tonight. I know that His Excellency wanted to look at the Wilder fight, obviously that’s not there anymore, so we’ll have to look at what’s next. I believe there’s a press conference coming up in a couple of weeks and we shall make an announcement with His Excellency about the huge Wembley card,” Eddie Hearn said

Frank Warren has also backed up those claims. The promoter wanted to see Dubois get his title shot. There were serious question marks over Dubois’ heart following his losses to Joe Joyce and Usyk. Dubois broke his orbital bone when he boxed Joyce, taking a knee. Dubois was then stopped by Usyk, with suggestions that he did not get up quickly from the count. However, wins over Jarrell Miller and Hrgovic have made him a leading contender for a title.

Joshua vs. Zhang

But if the fight is not for the IBF title, Joshua will likely look elsewhere. Another possibility could be a fight against Zhilei Zhang. Zhang is coming off the best win of his career, stopping Deontay Wilder in the fifth round. Zhang countered Wilder, who threw his right hand with a right hook to buz the American. The Chinese followed up with another right hand to end the fight. Zhang and Joshua have boxed each other once at the 2012 London Olympics. Joshua came out victorious on that occasion; now, he wants to avenge that loss if possible. 

“Losing to Joseph Parker was silly. I highly underestimated him and I learned a lot from underestimating him and the fight. I know now what I can do. After I landed the [first] shot I think he’s off-balance but he’s also hurt. Then I landed one more shot and that was it,” the victor said before commenting on the stoppage which came with Wilder back on his feet.

“The referee is the man who is in charge of the fight so we [as fighters] have to listen to him,” Zhang said of Wilder’s unjust complaints about the finish. “He stopped the fight for a good reason. If he did not [stop the fight] I would have got up and let my bombs go and that won’t end well for him [Wilder]. I believe the Parker rematch [will come next] but Joshua is always someone I want to fight,” Zhang stated 

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