The face of British Boxing takes on the man with possibly the biggest redemption story in recent boxing times.
Anthony Joshua (28-3 25kos) takes on Daniel Dubois (21-2 20kos) for the IBF heavyweight title this Saturday, Sept. 21 in London.
Joshua, the former Unified Heavyweight Champion, looks to pick up one of his former titles as Dubois defends for the first time. There is no love lost between the two, but they share a similar path that has brought them to this juncture.
Joshua, in 2019, was on top of the world, and had come over to the US to finish his takeover. He was stopped by Andy Ruiz in seven rounds, though, and suddenly questions arose about Joshua’s heart and desire.
He would pick the titles back up six months later in a rematch, but the questions didn’t stop.
Joshua was then beaten by Oleksandr Usyk twice, amplifying the questions about Joshua’s desire. He has since responded with four straight victories, his last one being a violent knockout of MMA champion Francis Ngannou.
It appears the Joshua that blasted his way to the top may be back and he walks into the ring against an opponent who knows all too well about others questioning him.
Dubois was shooting up the ranks, culminating with an unblemished record of 14-0. That led him to a matchup with fellow undefeated prospect, Joe Joyce.
The Dubois-Joyce clash was a grueling fight in which Dubois suffered a fractured eye socket, an injury that forced him to take a knee in the middle of the contest.
The aftermath led to many questioning his heart and desire, similar to the way fans looked at Joshua.
Dubois responded with four straight wins, including a stunning, third round stoppage of Kevin Lerena after Dubois had been knocked down three times.
The incredible comeback landed Dubois a meeting with two-time, former Joshua conqueror, Usyk.
Usyk stopped Dubois in the ninth stanza of their fight, but the fight did not end without controversy after Dubois had picked up a legitimate body shot knockdown that was ruled a low blow.
Once again, the questions arose, but Dubois responded with two stoppage victories over undefeated contenders Jarrell Miller and an opponent some called a “boogeyman”, Filip Hrgovic, bringing Dubois to the upcoming matchup with Joshua.
While their respective paths to the fight may have been the same, though, a win would be different for each.
A Joshua victory keeps his status as a cash cow intact, and would position Joshua to take on the winner of the upcoming, much-anticipated Usyk-Tyson Fury showdown.
In Usyk, Joshua has the chance to avenge his two losses but, in Fury he has the chance to have an all-U.K. mega fight that could break all kinds of records.
In Dubois’s case, a victory could possibly help him achieve superstardom.
I believe this will be exciting for as long as it lasts, as both men have shown disdain for each other. My prediction is both will hit the canvas at some point in the fight, but that Joshua will pick up the stoppage in the ninth frame.
