Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois: Preview

Image: Bradley Collyer / PA

It's not autumn, it's Riyadh Season this weekend in the English capital, as the Saudi Arabian takeover of boxing descends upon Wembley Stadium with a mammoth spectacle that will go down in history. Two British juggernauts duking it out for the heavyweight championship of the world, with likely a gargantuan undisputed tilt awaiting the victor, supported by one of the strongest undercards in recent memory.

Only Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis have ever captured the heavyweight world title three times, but Anthony Joshua has a golden opportunity to join that pantheon of greats as he looks to strip Daniel Dubois of his inherited IBF crown, which was aligned to him after Oleksandr Usyk opted to vacate one quarter of his undisputed heavyweight crown earlier this summer. 

The mentioning of the Ukrainian maestro is appropriate considering the paths these two men have went on since he inflicted their defeats. Joshua was first to fall to a pair of unanimous decision beatdowns, the latter of which resulted in an infamous post-fight meltdown. Dubois, meanwhile, had every right to feel hard-done-by following a contentious low-blow in Poland last year, and would eventually take a knee after absorbing too much punishment. 

Since then, both fighters have resurged to new heights and arguably may be at the best we have ever seen. Joshua stumbled through a decision win over Jermaine Franklin before eventually eviscerating Robert Helenius, before a switch in trainer saw him dismantle Otto Wallin and then most recently annihilate former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. AJ has appeared to have clicked immensely under the tutelage of Ben Davison, renowned as one of the best boxing brains in the sport. 

Dubois, meanwhile, has had to answer a lot of questions similarly to when he sunk to Joe Joyce in a closed-doors Church House Westminster during the pandemic, where he also took a knee and saw out the count. His most recent opponents on both Saudi outings saw that as a weakness and were made to pay in the end, as Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic were both emphatically stopped by the Londoner. In those fights, Dubois was made to dig deep in the trenches and came out on top, and there's no overstating just how much of a boost that will be to the psyche of the 27-year-old.

While they are two very different fighters stylistically, the similarities between the two fighters are uncanny. Both garnered significant hype upon their professional debuts and were pushed for their knockout prowess. You couldn't blame Frank Warren and Queensberry Promotions for following the AJ trail-blazed path at the inception of his career since it had so much success of selling out stadiums and putting British boxing back into the mainstream. It was almost inevitable that at some point these two men would cross paths. The question is whether Dubois is now ready to step into the fire (and a cauldron of an estimated 96,000 fans at Wembley) and mix it up with one of the best heavyweights in the sport. It is the biggest occasion he will have experienced, while Joshua is now a specialist in stadium fights having headlined Wembley Stadium twice before, the first of those being an epic victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2017.

Joshua's desire has been questioned since the Usyk defeats, and perhaps long before that when Andy Ruiz Jr. spectacularly dethroned him in New York City during the summer of 2019, a result regarded as one of the biggest boxing upsets ever. The 2012 Olympic Gold Medallist has himself undergone intense scrutiny and engaged in a journey of self-discovery inside the ring, crafting his style and finding his feet, which sounds absurd to say as a former two-time unified champion. Dubois presents a very live threat, with the potential to detonate a knockout punch at any moment, and Joshua must be switched on, calculated and prepared for a firefight to get the job done.

The sharpness of Joshua as well as the power and aggression puts him in good stead as a clear favourite for this contest. However there remain still several question marks that will be answered by Dubois as his toughest test since the pair of Usyk defeats. If Dubois can put Joshua on the backfoot and make him retreat to the shell of himself that looked tepid against the likes of Franklin, and somewhat Helenius, it could open up for the upset. However, Dubois himself could at times be a sitting duck, as was seen in the opening rounds against Hrgovic earlier this year, where Hrgovic was able to land at will with the straight hands, before Dubois imposed his will. If Joshua can get behind his jab and set up the straight rights that most recently demolished Ngannou, it could be an early night. You can almost guarantee a stoppage for this contest, neither fighter particularly enjoy going the distance and the game plan is to seek and destroy. Joshua's boxing acumen will certainly be the stronger of the pair when you consider the gulf in experience against top class opposition, meaning Dubois will need to make it scrappy and try to capitalise on the chaos. 

And thanks to the Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment of Authority and His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, that's the icing on the cake. Riyadh Season is coming with all the grandeur with an absolutely sizzling undercard. If that wasn't enough, Oasis' Liam Gallagher, fresh off the Oasis reunion announcement and tour sellout, will perform before the main event.

The co-main honours will go to Hamzah Sheeraz, as he tries to strip the EBU European Title from Wolverhampton's Tyler Denny. Sheeraz has been on a tear and has sprung to prominence following his destruction of Ammo Williams on the Queensberry vs Matchroom "5 vs 5" card in the summer. Sheeraz is an undefeated, hard-hitting British middleweight that the Saudis are very high on, having appointed him as a Riyadh Season ambassador. He has all the tools and skills to reach world titles but will need to navigate what could be a banana skin in Denny. Denny is no stranger to being the underdog and ripping up the script, having taken the unbeaten records of River Wilson-Bent, Bradley Rea, Brad Pauls and Felix Cash and will look to do so again. Sheeraz should have the tools to have a highlight victory as long as he does not fall for one of boxing's biggest pitfalls: not taking your opponent seriously.

What would have been for the IBF super-featherweight title will instead be a non-title fight that still promises fireworks as Anthony Cacace, who spectacularly stopped Joe Cordina on the Fury vs Usyk undercard, will take on Leeds Warrior and former world champion Josh Warrington. The IBF refused to sanction the belt on the line for this bout due to Warrington's inactivity but the fight still carries massive stakes as well as the lesser-regarded IBO title. Cacace will look to avenge his fellow compatriot Carl Frampton who was on the losing end to Warrington in a firefight back in 2018. Cacace is the favourite and is on hot form while Warrington is on the tail-end of his career having most recently been stopped by WBA champion Leigh Wood. Warrington will need to turn back the clock and make a statement or this could be the end of the road. 

Joshua Buatsi will take on the surging Willy Hutchinson earlier on in the night in a domestic light heavyweight dust up that should catch fire. Buatsi has often come under criticism for his slow rise while Hutchinson recently dispatched Craig Richards and with his amateur credibility is setting about his business with intent currently. There's certainly no love lost between this duo who almost came to blows at the early press events, and with the WBO interim light heayvweight title at stake, and potentially a crack at the winner of Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol's clash for 175-pound supremacy next month, this one is good reason to file into Wembley Stadium early. 

Josh Kelly will take on short notice replacement Ishmael Davis after Liam Smith's withdrawal, and Mark Chamberlain's lightweight affair with Josh Padley will kick off the card.