On September 21st, the Boxing world will converge on the legendary Wembley Stadium for a significant event in Boxing’s Heavyweight division. Before we can talk about this event, however, we must briefly go back to the recent history of the sport to the last major event in the Heavyweight division. This observer is referring to the much-anticipated unification bout between undefeated world champions Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, which took place in Saudi Arabia on May 18th.
A unification bout, which saw Usyk emerge as the Undisputed Heavyweight champion of the world, becoming the first fighter in Boxing history to successfully unify all five major sanctioning organizations to become a fully undisputed champion. As monumental as that moment in history was in seeing the first undisputed champion in the division crowned in twenty-five years, an element of the business of the sport loomed over the occasion. The fact that there was both a mandatory rematch clause as well as a separate mandatory title defense obligation by the International Boxing Federation (IBF), which conflicted with each other.
Unfortunately, conflict would mean that there would only be one world champion in the division for several months as Usyk would be contractually unable to fulfill his obligation to the IBF due to his upcoming rematch with Fury in December, which resulted in him relinquishing the IBF crown and IBF number one mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois being named the IBF Heavyweight world champion. Dubois, who nearly dethroned Usyk when they fought in August 2023 now prepares to make the first defense of his world title in Wembley Stadium against former two-time Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua in a showdown that can be seen globally on DAZN Pay-Per-View.
While some have already chosen to discredit this encounter as a legitimate world championship fight, a point of view not shared by yours truly for the obvious reasons of regulations and policies needing to be followed and per those policies, this is a legitimate world championship fight, it does nevertheless bring together two of the division's feared “Knockout Artists."
For the champion Daniel Dubois, he will enter this title defense having scored two impressive knockout wins in his two bouts since he lost to Usyk against Jarrell Miller in December of last year and Filip Hrgovic in June of this year. Dubois has scored knockouts in twenty of his twenty-one career wins registering a 95% career knockout percentage. The criticism of the champion, however, has been what happened to him in his two losses to Joe Joyce and Usyk where he suffered knockout losses.
Despite suffering a broken left eye socket in his fight with Joyce in November 2020, and being broken down by Usyk, the perception of some was that Dubois quit under pressure in those fights. Although Dubois has shown the ability to bounce back well from those setbacks, he still has to combat that perception.
If one is looking for Dubois to be tested under circumstances where the pressure will be high due in part to the “Big Fight Atmosphere," that test will likely come against Anthony Joshua.
By now, the story of Anthony Joshua is well known. A former Olympic Gold medalist and two-time unified Heavyweight world champion who is a future Hall of Famer and has spent most of his career competing in the “Big Fight Atmosphere." Much like Dubois, Joshua has suffered setbacks along the way and has also suffered two losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
Manny Boxing fans will recall that Usyk ended Joshua's second reign as a world champion in September 2021 via decision and then lost a decision in their rematch in August 2022. Since those setbacks, Joshua has rebounded winning his last four fights, three coming via knockout. In his last outing in March, Joshua scored a second round knockout of former UFC Heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou.
While the victory over the novice boxer in Ngannou was not surprising to menu given the significant difference in experience between the boxer Joshua and the MMA star Ngannou, the third consecutive knocked in the span of less than a year showed that Joshua is still a force in the division and will enter this fight rated number three in the IBF ratings. What this fight represents for Joshua is not only an opportunity to regain a version of the World Heavyweight championship, but if he were to be successful, to enter his name into a select group of fighters in the history of the sport to have won the World Heavyweight championship on three separate occasions.
It is logical based on the styles of the two fighters to think of the possibility of a short, but potentially explosive fight given the power each fighter has. The question this observer has is whether the knowledge each fighter has of what the other can do will cause them to take a more tentative approach early on. Both fighters are capable of ending a fight with one punch so the possibility of one or both being gun shy at least early is a real one. An additional thing one should keep in mind is both champion and challenger have been known to fatigue the longer a fight goes on. While that has not always translated into losses for either, it is nevertheless, something to keep an eye on.
Beyond a version of the World Heavyweight championship being at stake in this fight, what looms ahead also seems obvious for the winner. To put themselves in position to potentially fight the winner of the Usyk-Fury rematch to once again determine one Undisputed Heavyweight champion of the world. So much is at stake for both fighters, not just in terms of the often debated term “Legacy,” but also significant money to be made. We will see who will be able to take a step forward and move himself into the position to potentially fight for “Undisputed.”
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
Dubois vs. Joshua takes place on Saturday, September 21st at Wembley Stadium in London, England. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen globally on DAZN Pay-Per-View for $19.99. The broadcast will begin at 10:30AM ET/7:30AM PT with The DAZN Boxing Show previewing the event with the Boxing action beginning at 11:30AM ET/ 8:30AM PT. (*U.S. Start Times Only*)
For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, to subscribe, for region specific pricing, and to order this pay-per-view event please visit: www.DAZN.com.
(*Card and Start Times Subject to Change.*)
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