Anthony Joshua will take on Daniel Dubois later in the year at Wembley Stadium as he continues his route back to the top of the heavyweight division.

Anthony Joshua may be one of the most feared heavyweight boxers in the last decade, with ferocious speed and punch power, but one contender believes ‘AJ’ is scared to fight him after a gruelling sparring session.

Joshua is set to face off against fellow Brit Daniel Dubois later this year at Wembley Stadium, as he continues his quest to retain the world titles he lost to Oleksandr Usyk. ‘AJ’ is on a four-fight winning streak and has finished his last three opponents – two knockouts and a forced retirement against Otto Wallin

In his heyday, Joshua was seen as one of the biggest punchers in the division, with his single-punch knockout power only rivalled by that of Deontay Wilder. But regardless of his reputation in the heavyweight division, contender Martin Bakole believes he’ll be unable to secure a fight against Joshua because of a previous sparring session.

Speaking to iFL TV, Bakole explained he’s faced both Dubois and Joshua in the gym, and beat them both so badly they are both too scared to fight him.

He explained: “I didn’t just spar them, I smashed them. I destroyed them in the gym. That’s the reason why they don’t want to fight me. That’s a good fight, a 50-50 for me, they don’t have a boxing brain but they are strong and can box but no boxing brain like Martin Bakole. Good luck to both but I would smash them.”

Bakole isn’t the only fighter with strong words for Joshua, as WBC Bridgerweight champion Lawrence Okolie warned the former IBF champion he’ll have a tough time against Dubois if he doesn’t get a stoppage win early. Speaking to Seconds Out, Okolie gave his view on the fight and explained why he feels Joshua could be caught out.