Reestablishing himself as a dominant force in the heavyweight division, Daniel Dubois triumphed against long-standing uncertainties and obstacles. It would be foolish for the division to turn a blind eye to Dubois’s rise after his dominating victories over Jared Miller and Filip Hrgovic. It is the perfect opportunity for Dubois to make his imprint on the big stage, since Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are approaching the end of their careers.
Wembley Stadium will play host to Dubois’s rematch with Anthony Joshua, the IBF heavyweight champion, five years after the Brit won the WBO world title. With defeats at the hands of Andy Ruiz Jr. and Usyk, Joshua sees the forthcoming fight as a pivotal juncture in his quest for atonement. He would become the third world champion and be eligible to face the victor of the highly anticipated rematch between Fury and Usyk if he were to win on September 21. But Dubois isn’t going to stand by and let ‘AJ’ take advantage of this chance.
Dubois and Joshua’s animosity has been building for some time, and it was almost violent during their last encounter two months ago. With the fight quickly approaching, the footage of their intense confrontation has made a triumphant return, building up the excitement. During the altercation, Ade Oladipo, a presenter on DAZN, lauded Dubois for his recent accomplishments, especially his win over Hrgovic, and acknowledged Dubois’ rise from despair to triumph. The Italian star praised Dubois for proving his doubters wrong, saying, “You’ve shown people now in your last two fights you are the real deal; you are coming into your best.” This came after early comments cast doubt on Dubois’s resilience.
Looking back, Dubois acknowledged that he had been in a “dark place” but had “resurrected” himself after overcoming his difficulties. Dubois is ready for the greatest challenge of his career now that he is back in the limelight. Although Joshua has been unrivaled for a long time, Dubois insisted that the title should change hands. “You know what? He’s been king for a long time. He made it plain that he will not give up his well-deserved title to Joshua by saying, “I feel like it’s my time, and I’m a king slayer, and I’ve got to do that again.”
Last year, when Dubois fought Oleksandr Usyk, he came very close to making boxing history. Despite losing via knockout in the ninth round, the boxing community was divided over whether or not a punch that knocked Usyk down in the fifth round was an illegal blow. A lot of people thought the punch was legitimate, and if the judge had sided with Dubois, the heavyweight division’s future would have looked quite different. Dubois chose to move on from his mistakes and utilize them as fuel to become even better. He won the interim IBF title after destroying Jared Miller at the Anthony Joshua-Otto Wallin ‘Day of Reckoning’ event and Filip Hrgovic at the ‘Queensberry vs. Matchroom 5v5’ card.
On September 21, Dubois will have a once in a lifetime chance to cement his place in heavyweight boxing lore and prove he is the sport’s undisputed future star. Dubois is hell-bent on proving that his meteoric climb was no fluke as he faces Joshua in their divisional championship bout. Everything is in place, and the 36-year-old is aiming to solidify his legacy with the highest of stakes.