‘AJ’ will fight at Wembley Stadium in September against the winner of Filip Hrgovic vs Daniel Dubois, with a world title on the line for his UK comeback.
Anthony Joshua’s next fight will most likely be for one of Oleksandr Usyk’s world championships.
Former two-time heavyweight world champion Joshua returns to Wembley Stadium on September 21 to face the winner of Filip Hrgovic vs Daniel Dubois, who fights this Saturday in Saudi Arabia. Usyk was anticipated to lose his IBF title, putting it on the line for Hrgovic versus Dubois, but the Ukrainian will keep his undisputed status for longer than expected after defeating Tyson Fury.
“There’s got to be a process, it will take longer than a week,” Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn told Boxing Social. “It’s very unlikely for that to be in place on Saturday, but it is likely that the winner of that fight then fights Anthony Joshua for the world heavyweight title in September, so massive permutations for that fight.”
Joshua will have the chance to make heavyweight history by becoming just the fifth three-time world champion in history when he fights either Hrgovic or Dubois. Frank Warren, who promotes Dubois, is hoping the Brit can hand Hrgovic his first professional defeat to set up an all-British affair with ‘AJ’.
“That’s what everybody wants to see, that’s what I’d love to see, AJ is coming off a really good line of form at the moment, he’s looked very good in his last two fights and him and Ben Davison is obviously a partnership that’s really working well,” Warren told Seconds Out.
“Let’s just say how it is, who wouldn’t want to see the winner of Hrgovic and Dubois fight Joshua and I hope it’s Daniel because then it’ll be an all-British affair, two massive big punchers, it doesn’t get more exciting than that. When the rematch happens [Usyk vs Fury], it means whoever wins it will have to fight against one of those guys [Dubois, Hrgovic or Joshua].”
‘AJ’ has won four consecutive fights since losing his unified heavyweight belts to Usyk three years ago and failing to win them back in their rematch. Joshua was promised a shot at the undisputed belts after KO’ing Francis Ngannou in March, something his rival Fury couldn’t do after being pushed to the brink by the former UFC champion in their crossover fight.