Joshua's last fight took place in September at Wembley Stadium, where he stopped Dubois inside five rounds. After that victory, many expected an all-British clash between Joshua and Tyson Fury following Fury's losses to Oleksandr Usyk. But Fury's retirement in January left Joshua without a clear next opponent.
Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, has been busy negotiating potential fights. In a recent interview, Hearn shared details about the ongoing talks:
"We're talking to Queensberry about the potential of Dubois-AJ this summer, the rematch. They're planning Dubois' next move as well."
Hearn mentioned other possibilities for Joshua's next fight, including brief conversations about a match with Deontay Wilder and a potential interim title fight against Joseph Parker. However, Hearn prefers the Dubois rematch for a full world title.
"Some brief conversations with His Excellency about AJ against Wilder, the Parker fight could have potential. At this stage why would you roll the dice against Parker for the interim would title when you could roll the dice against Dubois for the full world title?"
The promoter believes the Dubois fight makes the most sense for Joshua right now:
"I don't think there's any difference in those fights really in terms of the toughness of them. I'd go for Dubois every day of the week. If we can't get Fury, my advice is to fight Dubois for the world title. I think he [AJ] should do it and I think he will beat Dubois."
As of January, Joshua ranked seventh in the IBF heavyweight rankings. Dubois, the current IBF heavyweight champion, recently pulled out of a scheduled fight against Joseph Parker due to a viral infection. Parker went on to win the replacement fight against Martin Bakole by second-round knockout.
Dubois has expressed interest in facing Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title, a matchup supported by both Usyk and Turki Alalshikh of Riyadh Season. However, the potential rematch with Joshua could change those plans.
With negotiations ongoing, boxing fans will have to wait and see who Joshua faces in his summer return to the ring. The possibility of a world title fight against Dubois seems to be the front-runner, but nothing is set in stone yet.