Anthony Joshua will try to become a three-time world heavyweight champion when he faces Daniel Dubois this weekend. Dubois recently got the IBF belt after Oleksandr Usyk gave it up before his rematch with Tyson Fury.
AJ lost his IBF, WBA, and WBO belts to Usyk in 2021. He couldn't get them back in the rematch. But he's been doing better lately, winning his last four fights in a row.
Joshua has been in big fights before. He once defended his IBF belt against Wladimir Klitschko, who had the WBA title. That fight was a real war. Both fighters got knocked down, but Joshua won by stopping Klitschko in the eleventh round.
Now, Dubois wants to shake things up. At 27, he's hoping to become one of the top British heavyweights alongside Fury.
Vitali Klitschko, who used to box and is now the Mayor of Kyiv, thinks Joshua will win. He was in his brother Wladimir's corner when Joshua beat him. Vitali said:
"Sometimes a step back [the Usyk losses] means you can take two or three steps forward and I hope Joshua learned a lot and will be well motivated in the next fight … I keep my fingers crossed for Joshua. Good man. Good heart. Good sportsman and has good skills."
The bookies agree with Vitali, making Joshua the favorite to win.
Whoever wins this fight could be in a good spot to face either Fury or Usyk next, depending on how their fight turns out.
