In December 2020, Anthony Joshua defended his unified heavyweight champion title for the first time in his second reign, securing a ninth-round stoppage against Kubrat Pulev. Just a month prior, Daniel Dubois faced a devastating defeat when Joe Joyce’s accurate jabs and a severe eye socket injury forced the young prospect to take a knee, leading to a referee count-out.
At that time, a world title fight between Joshua and Dubois seemed far-fetched, a dream made even more distant by Oleksandr Usyk’s dominance over both fighters. Usyk outpointed Joshua twice to claim and retain the heavyweight titles, and last August, he stopped Dubois in nine rounds.
The heavyweight division has been tumultuous, particularly with the influx of Saudi Arabian money into the sport. Even the most optimistic observers couldn’t have predicted a title fight between the two British boxers would come so soon, nor that Joshua would enter the ring first, waiting for the reigning champion, Dubois.
Due to political maneuvering, Usyk won’t have the opportunity to defend his undisputed title after defeating Tyson Fury in May. Consequently, on September 21st, Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) will defend his newly awarded IBF heavyweight title against Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) in front of approximately 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.
Eight years after his victory over Charles Martin to claim the same IBF belt, the 34-year-old Joshua has the chance to become a three-time champion. This time, he steps into the ring as the challenger.
“The management team worked hard with negotiations, and for me, it’s like a cherry on top. It’s a big bonus,” Joshua told Steve Bunce on the 5 Live Boxing Podcast. “The IBF are gonna do what they do. They wanna force their mandatories and Usyk has a rematch with [Tyson] Fury so Daniel’s now the IBF champion so I’m just coming in as a challenger. I’m not fighting for a vacant title, I’m coming in as a challenger for the title.”
Joshua is unfazed by walking to the ring first, a role reversal from his usual position as the headliner. “I knew it would happen at some stage,” he said. “When I fought Dillian [Whyte] I said he can go second. It’s all about who walks out last, right? For me, it doesn’t matter who is first in the ring.”
Dubois has undergone a remarkable transformation in the past six months. Once dismissed as a powerful yet vulnerable puncher after his losses to Joyce and Usyk, Dubois has achieved two impressive stoppage victories, reinventing himself as a mentally tough, resilient pressure fighter. His performances against Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic have been particularly noteworthy.
Joshua himself faced significant doubts after his shocking defeat to Andy Ruiz in 2019. Six months later, he outboxed a poorly prepared Ruiz to reclaim his belts, though rebuilding his aura took much longer. Despite some shaky moments and a series of different trainers, Joshua has steadily regained confidence and momentum since his second loss to Usyk. He has found stability with trainer Ben Davison and looked near his best in dismantling Otto Wallin last December. He then swiftly dispatched MMA star turned boxer Francis Ngannou in two rounds in March. Yet, critics continue to question Joshua’s chin and stamina.
Understanding Dubois’ journey, Joshua is well aware of the threat posed by the 26-year-old Londoner. “He’s a fighter. That’s what he does, he fights,” Joshua said. “People paint people with brushes all the time in this industry but I think Dubois is a fighter at the end of the day. That’s what he does. He had a few tough nights. He had something like 20 good nights and two bad nights and they label him with that brush. I look past that and I know he’s a fighter at the end of the day. He’s coming.”
As Joshua prepares for this significant bout, his perspective and experience provide a clear focus on the formidable challenge ahead.
