Both of the British heavyweights have been written off a lot. And yet here they are, set to take center stage at Wembley Stadium with a world championship at stake.
Throughout his convoluted career, Anthony Joshua has played in front of large crowds in stadiums, most of them thanks to his own name, reputation, and legacy. The two notable exceptions were, in reality, his victory against Wladimir Klitschko and his initial defeat at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk, both of which were seismic moments in sports history. What about the main event scheduled for September—a heavyweight title clash between Daniel Dubois and the IBF?
To be fair, this fight most likely belongs in the latter category. It is true that, unlike “AJ,” who achieved the same at the same age, Dubois, who turns 27 on fight night, is not yet in a position to pack stadiums, fight or no fight. However, Joshua’s reputation is stronger than it has ever been, and he is on the rise.
Therefore, in 2021, Joshua will fight in a stadium for the first time since his initial fight with Usyk, while Dubois will do so for the second time in his career. He made his debut in a stadium last August, also against Usyk.
Similar to Joshua in 2021 and 2022, as well as every other man who has faced the Ukrainian, Dubois was defeated by Usyk. Tyson Fury was the most recent boxer to sign on that list in May. Losing to Usyk isn’t embarrassing in that sense, but for Joshua and Dubois, their successive defeats to the southpaw took the Brits permanently out of the running.
Joshua was counted out for the first time after losing to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019, but many fans and analysts considered his second loss against Usyk to be the end of his career. Similarly, Dubois had already lost a professional fight before being defeated by Usyk, having been stopped by Joe Joyce in 2020, but the latter loss drew greater criticism.
Joshua’s losses to Usyk were both on the scorecards, but the Ukrainian defeated Dubois with a sharp jab. It fueled speculation that Dubois was a “quitter” when he too took a knee in his loss to Joyce and failed to beat the referee’s count. Despite suffering an orbital fracture against Joyce and being denied a TKO against Usyk with a ‘illegal’ body shot, the young heavyweight’s reputation remained intact.
So Dubois, who began his career before Joshua, has been tasked with resurgence. And he has accomplished it.
Dubois stopped Filip Hrgovic to cap off an emphatic performance.
In December, with seconds left on the clock, he won a war with Jarrell Miller by stopping the American. Then on 1 June, against the bookies’ odds, he pummeled Filip Hrgovic to win the interim IBF title, leaving the complacent Croat’s face an ugly, bloody mess. On Wednesday, hours before the press conference to announce his fight with Joshua, Usyk vacated the regular IBF belt, making Dubois the official champion.
Joshua, now 34, will therefore get the chance to regain the title that he lost to Usyk three years ago – along with the WBA and WBO straps. He will get that chance when he boxes Dubois, a man once touted as the next AJ. Yet Joshua is still here, his reputation revitalised.
Four wins in 11 months, three of them knockouts, have reestablished Joshua as one of the top few heavyweights in the world – and a must-see knockout artist, as he once was. Joshua dismissed Robert Helenius and Francis Ngannou with a particularly notable ruthlessness, while his win over Otto Wallin in December was a clinic in brutality.
And so September will bring an all-British world-title fight between forces in form – a prospect genuinely worthy of Wembley.
Joshua knocked out Francis Ngannou in frightening fashion in March.
“I would’ve loved to win [the official IBF title] on the night of my last fight, but here we are. I’m grateful, I’m blessed,” Dubois said on Wednesday. “AJ’s been the king for a very long time; on the night, I need to become a kingslayer.” Dubois also described his career resurrection as “coming out of the darkness, into the light”.
Joshua, for his part, said: “I picked Dubois to win [against Hrgovic]. I watch boxing closely, and I picked him.” Asked about a trilogy fight with Usyk next, or a long-awaited clash with Fury – who boxes Usyk again in December – AJ added: “I’m not silly, I know the game. We’re all in the wild, we’re a pack of lions, I have to keep my eyes peeled. I’ve always kept my eyes peeled on Daniel.”
September’s undercard is also a selling point – an unprecedented feature in boxing before the Saudis’ recent injection of money. This event will be the second Riyadh Season card to be staged abroad, after August’s upcoming Los Angeles show, and it will feature ex-world champions and incumbents. Liam Smith and Josh Warrington will appear, as will Joshua Buatsi, Anthony Cacace, Hamzah Sheeraz and Mark Chamberlain.
In September, Joshua and Dubois will square off at Wembley.
However, this primary event is the most interesting thing going on. If Dubois prevails, he would have defeated a generational talent in a world title bout held at Wembley at the age of 27. On a historic night versus Klitschko, Joshua fulfilled every expectation before suffering a severe defeat that ended in a second reign as world champion. He is now getting closer to his goal of becoming a three-time champion.
Make your guesses, but don’t discount either man completely. This warning story, written by Joshua and Dubois themselves, is one that should be heeded.
