Anthony Joshua enters Saturday’s bout with IBF champion Daniel Dubois with a chance to become a three-time world heavyweight champion. The pair met in the main event of a pay-per-view card from London’s Wembley Stadium.
After winning the IBF interim title with an eighth-round TKO victory over Filip Horgovich, Dubois was promoted to full champion when the IBF stripped then-undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk for a contractually-mandated rematch with Tyson Fury. Instead of fulfilling his obligation to face the mandatory challenger. Thus, many fans may view the fight with Joshua as little more than a paper championship, with Usyk the true king of the heavyweight division.
The real prize for Dubois and Joshua could strengthen a position to challenge the winner of Usyk vs. Fury II in an undisputed title fight. Both men lost to Usyk, with Dubois suffering a TKO defeat in August 2023 and Joshua losing three world titles to Usyk in September 2021 and a rematch the following August.
Both men regained their careers after losing efforts against Usyk. Joshua won a narrow decision over Jermaine Franklin Jr. before being stopped by Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and, most recently, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. That put him in position to challenge Dubois, who scored a late stoppage goal on Jarrell Miller before getting a great win over Horgovic.
Given their history against Usyk, retaining the world title is likely the only enticement for another shot at the champion, assuming Usyk defeats Fury in a rematch. If Fury wins, the door will be open for a British mega-fight with the winner of Dubois vs. Joshua, a new opponent for either man and should Joshua win, plenty of bitter history for Joshua.
Joshua has shown a resurgent mean streak during his recent run and he promises to bring that edge to the ring on Saturday.
Elsewhere on the card, Hamzah Shiraz looks to continue his dominant run at the prospect level when he takes on Tyler Denny at middleweight. The 25-year-old Brit is undefeated at 20-0 with 16 knockouts on his resume. Also, heavy-handed junior lightweight Anthony Cacas gets another showcase opportunity when he takes on former featherweight champion Josh Warrington. The other notable fight on the undercard sees a light heavyweight contest between Joshua Buatsi and Willie Hutchinson.
Let’s take a closer look at the remaining cards in the fight with the latest odds before making a prediction and expert picks on the main event.
Joshua vs Dubois fight card, odds
- Anthony Joshua -425 vs. Daniel Dubois (c) +320, IBF Heavyweight Championship
- Hamzah Shiraz -1000 vs. Tyler Denny +600, Middleweight
- Anthony Cacas -235 vs. Josh Warrington +185, Jr. Lightweights
- Joshua Buatsi -270 vs. Willie Hutchinson +215, Light Heavyweight
- Josh Kelly -200 vs Ishmael Davis +160, middleweights
- Mark Chamberlain -1400 vs. Josh Padley +800, Lightweight
Where to watch Joshua vs. Dubois
- When: Saturday at 11 a.m. ET (main card, main event around 5 p.m. ET)
- Where: Wembley Stadium — London
- TV: DAZN PPV ($19.99)
prediction
Heavyweight fights always carry the possibility that either will have their hand raised after landing a single punch. Dubois is fully capable of beating Joshua, especially considering Joshua has turned in uninspiring performances at times. One of those performances was when Joshua was stunningly knocked out by massive underdog Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019. Dubois is a better fighter than Ruiz, which makes him the live underdog
However, when Joshua is on his game, he’s a patient killer who works behind a jab that uses his 82-inch reach until a thud is open for a power shot. The amount of power any one of Joshua’s shots contained was on display against Ngannou, who was melted by Joshua’s right hand.
When you add Joshua’s best qualities to his tendency to leave himself open defensively, it’s easy to see why Joshua enters this fight as the favorite. Dubois was caught by a lot of power shots from Horgavich in a winning effort, and Horgavich doesn’t carry the same power as Joshua.
Dubois will have to put up a near-perfect fight until Joshua’s game shuts down, and there’s no reason to think Dubois can be good enough defensively to avoid the fire Joshua will throw. Pick: Anthony Joshua via KO5
Who will win Daniel Dubois vs. Anthony Joshua, and exactly how does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from unrivaled experts Find out who’s been over $4,000 to $100 bettors in the past 67 picks.
Leave a comment