The bout between Josh Kelly and Ishmael Davis has been confirmed for the Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois undercard on Saturday, September 21 at Wembley Stadium in London, England. The latter replaced British former world champion Liam Smith, who was forced to withdraw due to illness. The pair squares off in a 12-round contest at middleweight.
Ishmael Davis (13-0, 6 KOs) was in action in March, when he scored a unanimous decision against Troy Williamson. In his next fight, the unbeaten 29-year-old was expected to face Uisma Lima in Manchester in October. The Leeds-based middleweight took the fight against Kelly, replacing Smith, on a short notice.
Josh Kelly (15-1-1, 8 KOs) goes through the ropes for the first time since last December, when he KO’d Placido Ramirez in the third round. The 30-year-old native of Sunderland, England targets his sixth win in a row.
Also confirmed for the Joshua vs Dubois undercard, a super featherweight world title bout between reigning IBF champion Anthony Cacace (22-1, 8 KOs) of Northern Ireland and former two-time featherweight champion Josh Warrington (31-3-1, 8 KOs) of England. As well, unbeaten Joshua Buatsi (18-0, 13 KOs) of Ghana and Willy Hutchinson (18-1, 13 KO) of Scotland battle it out for the interim WBO title at light heavyweight.
In addition, Tyler Denny (19-2-3, 1 KO) defends his European middleweight strap in an-all British matchup against undefeated Hamzah Sheeraz (20-0, 16 KOs). Plus, Mark Chamberlain (16-0, 12 KOs) faces fellow-uneaten Brit Josh Padley (14-0, 4 KOs) at lightweight.
In an all-British main event, former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) challenges Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) for his IBF belt. The latter was promoted to a full champion, after undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine vacated the title ahead of his expected rematch against UK’s former WBC champion Tyson Fury.