Interim IBF heavyweight titleholder Daniel ‘Dynamite’ Dubois 21-2 (20) might be the frontrunner to face former two-time unified champion Anthony Joshua 28-3 (25) at London’s Wembley Stadium in September, but nothing is set in stone just yet.
England’s Dubois, 26, was impressive last weekend when he stopped previously undefeated Croatian Filip Hrgovic 17-1 (14) on cuts in eight rounds at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
His countryman Joshua, 34, took in the fight from ringside, seated next to boxing kingmaker Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia.
On the same card Chinese southpaw Zhilei ‘Big Bang’ Zhang 27-2-1 (22) put away ex-WBC ruler Deontay Wilder 43-4-1 (42) in five.
Alalshikh is planning a big card in London on September 21 that he wants Joshua to headline. A press conference is expected to take place later this month in the English capital to announce the full card.
But Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has warned against speculating who his boxer will face next, saying a decision on his opponent is yet to be made.
“There’s nothing agreed or confirmed for AJ in September. His Excellency would like AJ to headline at Wembley. It would incredible for Riyadh Season and for British boxing, who the opponent will be is undecided,” the Matchroom Boxing chief told iFL TV.
“You’ve got Zhilei Zhang, a great fight, you’ve got Daniel Dubois, another great fight. You’ve got Joseph Parker who’s on a great run, a number of heavyweights that could feature.
“The aim for us is AJ to become world heavyweight champion and if the IBF belt becomes available which we we expect it to, then there’s a chance of Dubois against AJ for the world heavyweight title.
“That’s definitely a fight that appeals, but nothing agreed or confirmed yet. There is a press conference on the 25 or 26th of June and that is when the opponent will be announced, so not long to find out either way.”
Joshua lost his WBA, WBO and IBF world titles to Ukrainian southpaw Oleksandr Usyk 22-0 (14) on points in September 2021.
Last month the 37-year-old Usyk outpointed Tyson Fury 34-1-1 (24) in Saudi Arabia to lift his WBC title via split decision. A rematch has been scheduled for December.
The IBF moved to strip Usyk of their title for failing to meet his mandatory obligation against Hrgovic, but delayed a final decision until after the Dubois fight following a petition from Team Usyk for an exception.
If the New Jersey-based sanctioning body does strip Usyk of their title and elevate Dubois to full champion, it will make him very hard to defeat in the race for a lucrative fight against Joshua, who has long said he wants to be a three-time world champion.
“The only way AJ could fight for a world title at Wembley is with the IBF, so if that’s the case I would say that is the frontrunner at the moment,” Hearn concluded.
