Eddie Hearn has confessed that a deal for Anthony Joshua to face Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium is still not sealed, despite a press conference set for later this month.
Eddie Hearn has delivered a strong warning that Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois may not fight in the ring if their negotiations fail.
Daniel Dubois is fresh off an impressive knockout victory over Filip Hrgovic.
Despite a press conference scheduled for June 26 in London, the Matchroom chief insisted that an agreement between the heavyweight contenders is still up in the air, according to the Express.
In a candid chat with iFL TV, Hearn, 45, appeared visibly concerned as he revealed the much-anticipated bout between AJ and Dubois is far from confirmed.
He confessed: “There’s nothing done yet. Honestly, genuinely. We’re in final negotiations for AJ’s fight – nothing is agreed yet. I’m telling you right now, the fight with Dubois is not done and if it don’t get done, we won’t fight.”
Hearn, when quizzed about alternative opponents, conceded that while they are keeping their “options open”, the priority remains to secure Dubois for a world title showdown at Wembley. He elaborated: “We’re focused on fighting Daniel Dubois for the world title at Wembley. But it is not all agreed, there’s still work to be done.”
“But 100% myself, his excellency [Turki Alalshikh], George Warren – we’re all working together to make it happen. That’s the absolute focus, no-one’s trying to be clever and hopefully that all gets in order for the big press conference next week.”
The provisional date for Joshua to take on Dubois at Wembley Stadium is slated for September 21, with AJ hinting on social media that the deal is nearing completion. His post read: “Nearly finished my negotiations for my next fight! Feeling motivated.”
Anthony Joshua is riding a three-fight win streak with the latest triumph coming against Francis Ngannou.
Joshua’s most recent bout was in March, when he defeated Francis Ngannou via knockout at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia. There was a lot of concern regarding how AJ would do against his opponent, especially because ex-UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou went the distance with Tyson Fury in his boxing debut in October 2023.
However, the Watford scrapper, who has a 28-3 record, defeated ‘The Predator’ in the second round with a devastating right. Dubois, on the other hand, is no stranger to facing some of the top heavyweights in the world right now.
With a 21-2 record, the Londoner defeated Filip Hrgovic, Jarrell Miller, and Kevin Lerena. In his professional career, he has only lost against undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk and Joe Joyce.
