Heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois made Grand Arrivals for their world title fight at Wembley Stadium in London, England on September 21. The pair squares off in the scheduled for 12 rounds main event with the IBF title on the line.
Former two-time unified heavyweight champion Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) makes his second ring appearance for the year and looks to once again land a world title. The 34-year-old native of Watford, England said he was “chilled out” until Saturday “when it gets real”.
“It’s really a blessing. It’s a big blessing. We are the most important thing for people right now, so they are all here coming out to have a good time with us,” Anthony Joshua said. “It makes me feel important.”
“I’ll never forget, I started boxing late. I still look up to a lot of people. I can put myself on the other side of the fence. I’ve been on the other side of the fence. I haven’t always been on the red carpet. I always understand, now I’m on the red carpet, how to treat people. I’m never going to turn my nose up at people. That’s just not my style.”
“On Saturday I’m going to be standing behind a curtain and they are going to say, ‘Anthony – ten seconds’, and I’m going to walk out into the stadium and I’m going to feel that energy. That’s when it gets real. At the minute we are still hours away, so I’m chilled out.”
“If I draw a line and put fear on one side, and confidence on the other, but I’m still going into the ring – what one am I going to choose? I’m confident. I believe in myself, and I think that’s the right mentality to have.”
“I’ve never had a red carpet in my life. This is a blessing. They are doing big things. It’s good that we are doing joint ventures together now. I’ve been in Saudi, it’s good to be home. It’s not small, they’ve made it massive. I’m fighting a Queensberry Promotions fighter as well, so it’s a new age for boxing – a golden era if you ask me. I hope that the next generation coming through can benefit from all of this as well. It’s not just about our generation.”
Daniel Dubois: I’m the champ
Also going through the ropes for the second time in 2024, two-time world champion Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) makes the first defense of his IBF heavyweight title. London’s 27-year-old said he was “confident” and “relaxed”.
“I’m feeling good, confident,” Daniel Dubois said. “I’m just relaxed and soaking it all up. Soaking up the energy, it’s good. I’m just going to feed off of that energy and build it up. I can’t wait for it. It’s my time. I’m ready for it.”
“You guys are going to see that this is my time. I’m the man. I need to go out there and legitimise it. I’m the champ. By any means necessary. Victory – that’s it.”
Among the bouts featured on the Joshua vs Dubois undercard, Anthony Cacace (22-1, 8 KOs) of Northern Ireland and Josh Warrington (31-3-1, 8 KOs) of England go head-to-head at super featherweight. Willy Hutchinson (18-1, 13 KO) of Scotland and unbeaten Joshua Buatsi (18-0, 13 KOs) of Ghana clash for the interim WBO light heavyweight title.
Also on the card, an all-British middleweight bout between Ishmael Davis (13-0, 6 KOs) and Josh Kelly (15-1-1, 8 KOs). Tyler Denny (19-2-3, 1 KO) defends his European middleweight strap against fellow-Brit Hamzah Sheeraz (20-0, 16 KOs). Plus, Mark Chamberlain (16-0, 12 KOs) and Josh Padley (14-0, 4 KOs) meet in an all-British contest at lightweight.