IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois and challenger Anthony Joshua made the Grand Arrivals immediately for his or her headliner conflict this Saturday night time, dwell on DAZN PPV. Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) and Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) will struggle at Wembley Stadium in London in entrance of 96,000 followers.
(Credit score: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
AJ is the favourite within the struggle, however meaning nothing becaue he’s older and combating a man that’s firing on all cylinders in Dubois. No matter optimistic issues Joshua did within the distant previous imply zero for this struggle as a result of he’s combating a youthful man with a younger Mike Tyson aura about him.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, questions whether or not the 27-year-old Dubois will likely be intimidated by the second, provided that he’s by no means been on the large stage like this.
Hearn hopes that Dubois will likely be unnerved by the group as a result of it might be dangerous for him if he beats Joshua. That might be the second Matchroom fighter that Dubois has crushed in a row.
Final June, Dubois stopped Hearn’s fighter, Filip Hrgovic, within the eighth spherical in Riyadh in an upset. There may very well be some bitterness there for Hearn as a result of he’d been hoping that Hrgovic could be the one which Joshua challenged for the IBF title.
That might have left him with solely his fingers on the promotion controls as a substitute of sharing it with Frank Warren’s Queensberry.
Grand Arrival Quotes:
Daniel Dubois: “I Can’t await it. It’s my time. I can’t wait. You guys are going to see that that is my time. I’m the person. I have to go on the market and legitimize it. I’m the champ.”
Anthony Joshua: “I haven’t all the time been on the pink carpet. I all the time perceive now I’m on the pink carpet, how you can deal with folks. I’m by no means going to show my nostril up at folks. That’s simply not my model.”
Eddie Hearn: “Most individuals consider AJ is the favourite within the struggle, however Daniel is a really dwell underdog. He’s harmful, he punches very onerous. Will probably be attention-grabbing to see how he can cope with the event.”
It is a very harmful struggle for Joshua. Hearn hasn’t mentioned what his plan is that if he loses to Dubois on Saturday, however will probably be attention-grabbing to see what course he takes if he will get crushed. Previously, Hearn had no issues making quick rematches with Andy Ruiz Jr. and Oleksandr Usyk after Joshua misplaced to each guys.
Hearn may not take the identical strategy, provided that His Excellency Turki Alalshikh says it doesn’t matter if AJ loses. He nonetheless would need to match him towards Tyson Fury subsequent.
