A potential heavyweight title fight between two British fighters might happen in September, potentially at Wembley Stadium.
Anthony Joshua is scheduled to make a comeback at the iconic English football venue, supported by Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season. However, the thrilling Queensberry-Matchroom 5 vs. 5 event in Riyadh last night, where Frank Warren’s team emerged victorious with a 10-0 score, has altered the potential arrangements for Joshua’s upcoming fight.
Alalshikh expressed his desire for Joshua to fight Deontay Wilder during the DAZN broadcast. However, later that evening, Wilder experienced his second consecutive defeat to Zhilei Zhang, eliminating any possibility of a Joshua-Wilder matchup as Zhang’s dominant performance led to a fifth round stoppage.
On June 1, Dubois achieved a career-high victory over Hrgovic.
Joshua had another possibility on the table, which involved facing the victor between Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois in the second-to-last fight before Wilder vs. Zhang. In this matchup, Dubois displayed superior work rate and ultimately defeated the Croatian boxer, who was forced to stop the fight in the eighth round due to cuts above both of his eyes. This triumph resulted in Dubois being granted the IBF interim title.
Boxing News spoke to Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, after last night’s action at the Kingdom Arena and asked if Dubois would be next for ‘AJ’.
I believe so, yes. We are heading to His Excellency’s place now. It seems likely that a world title will be at stake, making this a significant fight.
Hearn stated that Daniel’s performance tonight was exceptional. He acknowledged that His Excellency had initially expressed interest in watching the Wilder fight, which is no longer possible. Therefore, they will need to focus on upcoming events. Hearn mentioned a press conference scheduled in a few weeks, during which they will make a significant announcement regarding the Wembley card, in collaboration with His Excellency.
Dubois is currently in a state of anticipation as he awaits the outcome of his interim belt holder position. The reigning champion, Oleksandr Usyk, has requested permission from the sanctioning body to include the IBF strap, along with the other three titles, in his upcoming rematch against Tyson Fury on December 21. The IBF has not specified a timeline for their decision, but if Usyk is stripped of his title, Dubois could potentially be promoted to full champion or have the opportunity to compete for the prestigious IBF heavyweight title in his next bout.
