Anthony Joshua will closely monitor the Queensberry vs. Matchroom 5 v 5 event in Saudi Arabia this Saturday night.
Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn, two formidable forces in promotional boxing, will clash at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, vying for the prestigious title of UK supremacy. The thrilling event will feature a series of five exhilarating fights spanning across four different weight divisions, all held within the confines of the ring.
Raymond Ford (M), the WBA Featherweight world champion, will defend his title against Nick Ball (Q). Hamzah Sheeraz (Q) and Austin “Ammo” Williams (M) will have an intense middleweight showdown. Craig Richards (M) and Willy Hutchinson (Q) will face each other at different points in their careers as light-heavyweights. In the heavyweight division, Filip Hrgovic (M) and Daniel Dubois (Q) will risk their world title aspirations. Meanwhile, Deontay Wilder (M) and Zhilei Zhang (Q) will go head-to-head, both with their careers hanging in the balance.
For Joshua a shot at the IBF Heavyweight world title could arrive in September against the winner of Hrgovic and Dubois. The belt is currently in the hands of Oleksandr Usyk after his enthralling victory against Tyson Fury on May 18 in Saudi Arabia. The Ukrainian is currently undisputed champion but could be stripped of his IBF title if he is unable to fulfil his mandatory. Usyk and his team have requested an exception from the sanctioning body allowing a contracted rematch with Fury to feature all four titles once again.
Since 2022, Hrgovic has held the position of the mandatory challenger for the IBF strap. In the event that the belt becomes available, either the Croat or Dubois may have the opportunity to face ‘AJ’ at Wembley Stadium in September.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn spoke to Boxing News about the former unified champion’s next move.
“He mentioned that currently it appears that the rematch between Usyk and Fury is likely to take place.”
As Tyson Fury, my focus would be on securing that fight. Although AJ may also be interested in facing Fury or Usyk, the most probable scenario is that the winner of the Hrgovic vs Dubois match next Saturday will be the potential opponent for the next fight.
“Currently, nothing has been officially confirmed. His Excellency, Turki Alalshikh, has mentioned a potential date in September at Wembley. Next week, we will gather to discuss the plans and assess the situation. However, the final details of the event, including the card lineup and other related matters, will largely depend on the outcome of the 5v5 match taking place on Saturday.”
