BOXING
Anthony Joshua likely to face Daniel Dubois, no word from IBF about title
Former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is likely to confirm Daniel Dubois as his next opponent, but both may have to wait for a title shot.
Former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is slated to fight in Wembley Stadium in September, and such is the draw of the British fighter that he can probably fill the 90,000 seater if he chooses his opponent wisely.
Speaking to Sky Sports, AJ revealed that he is just days away from revealing who that opponent will be, and while it is widely expected to be fellow Brit Daniel Dubois, that is by no means certain.
The bout will be promoted by Saudi’s boxing chief Turki Alalshikh, as he dips his toe into the British boxing market. The Saudi will be promoting a unified super welterweight title fight between Terence Crawford and Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles on August 3, a move into the American market that has drawn stern criticism from Oscar De La Hoya.
Anthony Joshua is a huge draw and has already sold out Wembley stadium twice before; for his world title wins over Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin. The long awaited clash with Deontay Wilder is dead in the water following the Bronze Bomber’s losses to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang.
Zhang had been in the mix for a shot at AJ, but his team have confirmed that they have not had any contact from Joshua’s camp. Another former world champion who is a possible is Joseph Parker, who has completely revitalized his career. Parker lost a decision to Joshua in 2018, but feels that he is due a rematch.
The IBF belt is firmly in the hands of Oleksandr Usyk, and while they were poised to strip him of it prior to the fight between Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois, they are perhaps less so now. Dubois’ win over their top-ranked contender sees the IBF a little wary of forcing the hand of Usyk, perhaps afraid that a vacated title is diminished in value.
It remains a possibility that the IBF will put the belt up for grabs and sanction the Joshua vs Dubois fight as a world title fight, but the greater likelihood is that they will see this as an eliminatory, insisting that the winner be next in line for a shot at their title, whether that be Usyk or Tyson Fury.
Usyk’s recent revelations that he may step back down to cruiserweight may just stir the pot a little more, but for now at least, we will have to wait and see.