Anthony Joshua looks to dethrone Daniel Dubois, when the pair comes face to face inside the ring on September 21. The former two-time unified heavyweight champion challenges fellow Brit for his IBF title in the main event at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
Riding a four-fight winning streak, Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is confident in his victory and looks to once again land a world title. The 34-year-old native of Watford, England said he was not only relying on his punch power and could come out victorious “in a variety of ways”.
“It’s a blessing to be back again and to prove to my team and everyone that I’ve done the right things in camp,” Anthony Joshua said from Guild Hall in London during the final pre-fight press conference. “It’s good to be back. I’m ready to rumble and remind everyone what I’m capable of.”
“We’ll find out [what Dubois brings to the ring]. “I can’t say. I’m not Daniel. All I can do is focus on myself.”
“I showed Daniel and his team the respect they deserve through fight camp and that will stand me in good stead on Saturday.”
“I’m tough and so is he. May the best man win. Good luck to Daniel and his team.”
“One thing I said when I started boxing was that I wanted to bring British heavyweight boxing back and I think I’ve done that.”
“He cracked me with a great shot and it’s my chance to get him back on Saturday,” Joshua said on sparring rumours with Dubois. “I’m looking forward to it. We’ve sparred hundreds of rounds.”
“I could win in a variety of ways. I’m not depending on punch power. It takes a lot more than that to be a great fighter. I’ve got the fighting spirit and that’s how I’ll break him down, with my spirit.”
“The accolades come later. I’ll be back home on Sunday eating the same breakfast, putting laundry in the basket and going to the same local gym.”
“I’m a competitive person and I’ve got competition to deal with on Saturday.”
“You should never let anyone take an inch because they’ll end up taking a mile, you know what I mean Dan?”
“Many greats have walked it before, the undercard will walk it and I’ll feel like everyone else. When I step into the ring, that’s when I switch on and I’m ready. I’m not interested in the ringwalk, that’s just getting to the location to do my job. Once I’m in the ring I’ll be ready. 110%.”
‘I need to legitimise myself by winning this fight’
Two-time world champion Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) puts his IBF title on the line. The 27-year-old Londoner said the upcoming fight was “a resurrection story” of his career.
“As long as he’s in my corner on fight night then I’ll be alright,” Daniel Dubois said when asked about a rumoured issue with his coach Don Charles who has been absent during fight week. “Everything is good.”
“Everything’s gone well, training camp’s gone brilliant. Let’s go!”
“It’s a resurrection story of my career. I want the big challenges, to make a name for myself and to make history. I need to retain this world title. It’s a great thing to have but I need to legitimise myself by winning this fight.”
“It was sparring [with Joshua]. Now we’re fighting, this is different. Move on.”
“I’m ready to go and ready to fight. I’m not predicting anything.”
“Like I’ve taken it many times before, this time it’s just a bigger stage so the energy will be higher.”
Among the bouts featured on the Joshua vs Dubois undercard, Tyler Denny (19-2-3, 1 KO) defends his European middleweight title against Hamzah Sheeraz (20-0, 16 KOs). Anthony Cacace (22-1, 8 KOs) of Northern Ireland and Josh Warrington (31-3-1, 8 KOs) of England square off at super featherweight. Josh Kelly (15-1-1, 8 KOs) takes on Ishmael Davis (13-0, 6 KOs) at middleweight.
Plus, Joshua Buatsi (18-0, 13 KOs) of Ghana and Willy Hutchinson (18-1, 13 KO) of Scotland clash for interim WBO light heavyweight title. In addition, Josh Padley (14-0, 4 KOs) and Mark Chamberlain (16-0, 12 KOs) battle it out at lightweight.