Eddie Hearn dissects potential “disrespect” from Daniel Dubois towards Anthony Joshua
Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois will go to war on 21 Sept. in an epic clash for the IBF heavyweight title. With 'Dynamite' usually a softly-spoken personality, there has been an unexpectedly tense build-up to their all-British title fight.
'AJ' and Dubois shared a sit-down several weeks ago as part of the promotion for the fight. During their back-and-forth, the 27-year-old jested that they didn't need to wait for fight night to have a scuffle and that they could "go right now" if Joshua wanted.
The comment did not sit well with the Watford warrior, who threatened to hit his upcoming opponent with a chair for the "disrespect" he felt.
The longtime promoter of Joshua, Eddie Hearn, recently shared his thoughts on whether Dubois has shown his client disrespect in the build-up to the fight. The Matchroom Boxing chairman was recently interviewed by The Stomping Ground, where he said this:
"'AJ' doesn't need Dubois' respect, but when you front him up and say, 'Let's go now.' Everyone is different... I don't have a fighter's mentality, 'AJ' does. If you step to him, if you put it on him like that, he's gonna react in a certain way."
Watch Hearn discuss Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois below (14:05):
Oleksandr Usyk welcomes trilogy bout with Anthony Joshua
Oleksandr Usyk made history in May, 2024, when he defeated Tyson Fury via split-decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
Fury activated his rematch clause shortly after the result, and the pair are scheduled to clash for a second time in December 2024.
See the date for Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 below:
The WBA and WBO titles which Usyk won against Anthony Joshua will be on the line against 'The Gypsy King', but the Ukrainian was forced to vacate the IBF world title, which Joshua and Daniel Dubois will compete for.
Should 'The Cat' hand Fury a second consecutive defeat, he has welcomed a potential trilogy bout with 'AJ' despite having already beaten the Brit twice, in 2021 and 2022.
The 22-0 fighter was recently interviewed by Mail Sport, where he said this:
"When we beat Tyson Fury for the second time and when Anthony Joshua beats Daniel Dubois, of course, they will want to do a third fight... I have no right to deny Anthony a third fight because he gave me two incredible fights. Anthony helped me become even more famous in the world."