Major decision on Anthony Joshua vs Dubois rematch revealed

Anthony Joshua‘s much-anticipated rematch with Daniel Dubois has been cast into doubt following his decision to delay his return to the ring.

Still reeling from his September knockout loss to Dubois before a record crowd of 96,000 at Wembley, the 35-year-old heavyweight ace has yet to secure a date for his comeback.

The defeat saw Joshua miss a chance to reclaim the IBF heavyweight title, and fans have been eagerly awaiting details of a rematch, initially expected to take place either in the UK or Saudi Arabia.

A tentative date of February 22 had been proposed, with boxing promoter Turki Alalshikh backing the event and Dubois keen to defend his title as soon as possible. However, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has dampened hopes for an early 2025 clash, suggesting that Joshua isn’t likely to return until next summer. Responding to a fan query on Instagram, Hearn said, “He had five fights in 18 months, he will be fine. Back in the summer.”

The delay has put Dubois’ plans in flux, as he remains eager to stay active. Dubois’ promoter Barry Hearn expressed doubts over an immediate rematch, stating, “I don’t see (AJ) happening next. We’re looking at other options, and we’ll make a decision soon.” Hearn added that Dubois is likely to seek other opponents if Joshua remains unavailable: “We’re in the Daniel Dubois business. He’s the champion, and he wants to be back in the ring by February.”

For now, the future remains uncertain, and fans await confirmation of who will be next to challenge the IBF titleholder.

IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois wants to face Anthony Joshua in the boxing ring again,

‘Dynamite’ and ‘AJ’ faced off last month at Wembley Stadium in London, England. For Daniel Dubois, the fight was his first defense of IBF heavyweight gold, having won the title with a June knockout over Filip Hrgovic. Meanwhile, Anthony Joshua entered the ring fresh off his knockout victory over Francis Ngannou in March.

Despite the challenger entering the ring a heavy betting favorite, he was dominated early. Daniel Dubois knocked down Anthony Joshua repeatedly in the early rounds of the contest, but the ex-champion found new life in round five. ‘AJ’ hurt ‘Dynamite’ badly with a right hand early in the frame. However, Dubois quickly found his own counter, knocking out Joshua with a short hook.

For Daniel Dubois, the knockout victory was validation that he was truly among the heavyweight division’s elite. Post-fight, Anthony Joshua called for a rematch with the IBF champion, but some speculated that he could fight someone else. ‘AJ’ had no contractual right to order a rematch with Dubois to begin with.

Heavyweight boxing champion Daniel Dubois calls for rematch with Anthony Joshua

However, Daniel Dubois would love to face the British heavyweight again. Speaking in a recent interview with Seconds Out, the champion was asked about a potential rematch with Anthony Joshua. There, Dubois confirmed that the bout would be next and that he also enjoyed the first firefight with ‘AJ’.

“If he wants it, I want it too. I was the better man on the night but there’s no disrespect.” Daniel Dubois stated in the interview, when asked about fighting Anthony Joshua again. “I’m not gonna badmouth him or anything, it was a great fight and if we can do it again it’ll be even bigger.” (h/t Michael Benson)

He continued, “No-one said it was gonna be easy. I had to slay the king so I had to come through whatever fire he was bringing at me. I love those sort of match-ups where we’re just letting our hands go, back and forth, roll the dice, gun slinging. It was really exciting for me to be honest.”

What do you make of these comments from the boxing champion? Do you want to see Daniel Dubois vs. Anthony Joshua 2?

Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has explained the “calculated” reason why his fighter may take a rematch with Daniel Dubois next.

Joshua was dropped several times by Dubois en route to a knockout loss in September, as the latter retained the IBF heavyweight title at Wembley Stadium.

It was suggested after the fight that Joshua has a rematch clause, although some fans and pundits have advised “AJ” not to face his fellow Briton next. Hearn, however, has lifted the lid on Joshua’s thinking.

“My initial thought after the fight was: ‘Let’s just chill out, maybe wait for Fury vs Usyk,’” Hearn told Sky Sports, referencing the heavyweight title rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, scheduled for 21 December.

“AJ’s reaction was quite a bit different. Obviously, out of pride, you always want to take the rematch – but it’s a little bit more calculated than that.

“It’s more like: Well, what happens if Usyk vs Fury doesn’t happen? What if someone gets injured? And even if it does happen, they’re not going to fight again until July, August. Then [Joshua thinks]: ‘I’m out the ring for nearly a year, and I want to be active.’

“[Joshua thinks]: ‘I want to win the world heavyweight title, and I’ve got a shot there to win the world heavyweight title in my hand. Obviously it’s a dangerous fight [against Dubois], but I can’t box any worse than I did.’”

Hearn added: “When you start actually thinking about it, I don’t think there’s a bad decision to make. I know that he is leaning towards the rematch, because he wants to win the world heavyweight title – versus fighting [Deontay] Wilder, waiting for Fury, and then you’ve got all next year bubbling around, not really fighting for the world heavyweight title.

“If it’s solely down to AJ, which it will be at the end of the day, I think it’s going to be very hard to talk him out of taking the rematch.”

The situation could be complicated, however, by the news that the IBF has ordered a title eliminator between Martin Bakole and Agit Kabayel.

The winner of that fight would theoretically be Dubois’s next challenger, unless Joshua faces the champion in good time.

Why is there always a buzz around heavyweights? The sheer power, flying punches, exciting action, and brutal knockouts remain a constant theme. IBF has ensured fans witness two hard-hitting heavyweights, as they fight it out to punch a golden ticket to face Daniel Dubois next. However, it might rob fans of another thrilling encounter, as it could potentially derail Anthony Joshua’s plans.

Notably, the IBF has ordered a title eliminator between Martin Bakole and Agit Kabayel to determine who will challenge ‘Dynamite’ next for his IBF strap. While Bakole, 31, brushed aside Frank Sanchez in his last fight, Kabayel, 32, turned in the best performance of his career after he knocked out Jared Anderson. Their last respective wins had ensured the two moved up in the IBF hierarchy and looked to challenge for the title next.

TalkSports’ Michael Benson turned to his X handle and revealed this development to the fans. He wrote, “The IBF has ordered an eliminator between Martin Bakole and Agit Kabayel to determine a mandatory challenger to heavyweight titleholder Daniel Dubois. Really good matchup; both coming off career-best performances. Bakole is ESPN’s No. 7 heavyweight while Kabayel is No. 8.”

There is no concrete timeline yet for their fight but Bakole’s promoter Ben Shalom recently disclosed his intentions to get a date in December. The details are yet to be chalked out and it might not take time, given that getting a fight date early will only diminish ‘AJ’s chances of securing an immediate rematch with Dubois. But that’s a fight where the money will be, for the fighters and the promoters.

Anthony Joshua insists on Daniel Dubois rematch

Eddie Hearn admitted that Joshua, 34, was leaning towards the rematch to win the heavyweight title. Alternatively, he could fight Deontay Wilder or other top names in the division as the British boxer continued to wait for the result of Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury. If Uysk vs. Fury is detailed, then Joshua, at 28-4, would have to wait longer for a fight.

But Dubois, 27, won’t be available till February too. So, waiting for a rematch could affect Joshua’s activity levels, especially when he has entered the twilight years of his boxing career. Hearn, 45, declared, “If it’s solely down to AJ, which it will be at the end of the day. I think it’s going to be very hard to talk him out of taking the rematch.” It remains to be seen how the IBF title eliminator and Usyk vs. Fury pan out and how these fights affect the Dubois vs. Joshua rematch.

What do you make of this coming fight between Martin Bakole and Agit Kabayel? Do you think it will affect Daniel Dubois’ rematch with Anthony Joshua? Let us know in the comments below.