Daniel Dubois will defend his IBF World Heavyweight Championship against Anthony Joshua on September 21 at Wembley Stadium. The fight puts the newly-elevated champion against a former title holder looking to become a three-time world champion.
Dubois got the belt after Oleksandr Usyk vacated it due to a contractual rematch with Tyson Fury. The fight comes as part of an impressive card at the iconic London venue.
Both fighters have something to prove. Dubois lost to Usyk in his last outing and also came up short against Joe Joyce. But he showed his mettle in a fight with Kevin Lerena. Dubois got knocked down three times in the first round and injured his knee, but rallied for a third-round stoppage victory.
Joshua has more experience in the ring. He's looking to bounce back after losses to Usyk and a split with Andy Ruiz Jr.
Kevin Lerena, the South African southpaw who fought Dubois, shared his thoughts on the upcoming clash:
"I don't think he's a quitter. Maybe when the going gets tough, he's come on a bit. He's gotten older, his grit threshold has increased. I caught him and he went down, but at the end of the day we're fighters and when we get caught we get caught. How we react to it is different in the moment. You saw AJ go down against Andy Ruiz. He rallied back and then beat Ruiz [in the rematch.] It's heavyweight boxing. The guys are big enough, strong enough and hit hard enough to do real damage … [Dubois'] will to win is there."
Lerena thinks the fight will be action-packed from start to finish:
"It's a great fight for the public. I can't stick my neck out – it could be each of them go down at any given time in the fight and then somebody will be laid out. I don't know who it's gonna be, but I do believe it's gonna be an exciting fight and I think it's gonna be a barnburner from the first bell."
The stakes are high for both fighters. A win for Dubois could signal a changing of the guard in the heavyweight division. For Joshua, victory would make him a three-time world champion and put him right back at the top of the division.
