Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois almost fought during a joint interview before their world heavyweight title bout on September 21.
Tensions flared when Dubois informed Joshua that he was more than willing to ‘leave now’ if he ‘wants to swing’.
Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua were separated when the latter threatened to throw a chair.
‘Shut up and relax,’ Joshua replied. I’ll throw this f***ing chair in your face. ‘Do not offend me.’
Dubois remained calm, stating, ‘You can’t intimidate me, who do you think you are?
Joshua’s comment caused him to leave his seat, prompting security to separate them while Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn observed.
Joshua twice threatened to hurl a chair at his opponent as the interview quickly turned sour
‘Daniel don’t disrespect me or I’ll put this f***ing chair through your face,’ Joshua continued.
‘Warn this little boy not to disrespect me. I don’t take disrespect lightly you know. Don’t sit on the table telling me we can go now, telling me this and that.
Promoter Frank Warren said: ‘This was serious. We don’t need any stunts to sell this fight.’
‘Wembley Stadium will be sold out in no time. Who won’t want to see two British giants with massive punching power go at each other. It’s what heavyweight boxing is all about.
‘Daniel is really up for this fight already. And the big pressure is on Joshua at this later stage of his career.’
The fight broke out in the halls of Wembley Arena after Oleksandr Usyk gave Joshua the opportunity to become a three-time world heavyweight champion by competing in the Battle of Britain.
Usyk delivered a video greeting to the pair, both of whom he defeated (AJ twice) on his way to become the first undisputed champion of the four-belt period.
He said: ‘My friends The IBF title is my present to you,’
This was announced on Wednesday. Joshua and Dubois will fight off for the IBF title on September 21.
"I'll throw this chair across your f*****g face!" 🤬😤
TENSIONS RISING between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois 🍿#JoshuaDubois | September 21 | LIVE on TNT Sports Box Office | Tickets on Sale, Friday Midday 👉 https://t.co/dbTGd2yY4F pic.twitter.com/xHFPMB7ykT
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) June 27, 2024
However, his move in abandoning the alpha-belt denies Tyson Fury the opportunity to become the indisputable world champion in their December rematch in Saudi Arabia.
The WBC, WBA, and WBO belts will still be on the line in Riyadh during Christmas week.
However, if the Gypsy King is to win the pool, he must first revenge his defeat to Usyk and then hope that the winner of Dubois-Joshua agrees to face him in 2025.
And the question is whether Fury will be as motivated in December without the prospect of the ultimate prize.
Dubois cut short his Brazilian vacation on Rio’s bikini-clad Copacabana Beach to return home for this fight.
He discovered that the IBF had upgraded him from interim to full world champion when he turned on his phone upon landing.
‘I saw the news on social media’ he said. ‘In a way I would have preferred to win the title in the ring. But I’ll take care of that by beating AJ’.
The IBF had been debating whether to deprive Usyk of his belt, therefore breaking up the first undisputed championship match in over two decades. Ukraine’s idol made that decision easier.
Dubois explained how he had been ‘dreaming every night’ about knocking his fellow Brit out
The battle comes as Oleksandr Usyk vacated his IBF title ahead of a rematch with Tyson Fury.
Dubois also made their decision easier with his spectacular knockout of mandatory contender Filip Hrgovic. Usyk’s ‘gift’ allowed the IBF to sentence Joshua v. Dubois.
Money-pulling power is how the posters describe the bout, but Joshua will be the challenger.