Anthony Joshua is reportedly considering fighting either Daniel Dubois or Zhang Zilei in the main event at Wembley Stadium in September.
Daniel Dubois: The obvious choice?
Interim IBF heavyweight champion Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) is the obvious choice for Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) to face in September, as it is likely that his IBF title will be promoted to its full version by then. As both fighters are from the UK, the showdown will generate plenty of interest from British boxing fans.
Zhang would be a good option given how he looked when he stopped Deontay Wilder in the fifth round last Saturday night in Riyadh, but he doesn't have a world title in hand.
Fighting Zhang would be more important for Joshua to prove he can beat the guy who beat Wilder, but that might not be enough for AJ because he wants to win the IBF title, and if he wants that belt he has to fight Dubois, which is a dangerous matchup.
If Joshua fights Dubois, it would be his first truly quality fight hosted by Saudi Arabia, as his previous two bouts were against boxing newbies Francis Ngannou and Otto Wallin, both of which were near-handicap wins.
They weren't A-level fighters, more like C-level fighters, and boxing fans cheered Joshua on for beating both of them.
Joshua's Perspective
“I have to take them down one by one. It's not going to be easy, but that's my mindset. So come on, one by one, all of them. He [Dubois] “He's come up the ladder, let's see what happens in the near future,” Anthony Joshua said about potentially fighting Daniel Dubois or Zhang Zilei next.
Dubois is the only logical choice for Joshua if he wants a world title shot, and even if the IBF doesn't promote it to a full belt, it would at least give AJ a chance to win a second belt he can use to boost his credibility when he faces the winner of the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.
“Dubois has turned himself around in the last six months. He's a reborn guy,” Chris Mannix said on his YouTube channel. “It was impressive when he went all out to beat Jarrell Miller in December, and even more impressive when he went all out to beat Filip Hrgovic.”
IBF Title Factor
“Now we are again featuring Daniel Dubois as the heavyweight contender. He holds the interim IBF title. My information is that the IBF will promote Dubois to full champion in the coming weeks.”
The only reason Joshua isn't fighting Dubois is because he's young, strong, on a roll right now and not likely to lose. If Joshua wants to compete for big money with Fury or Usyk he should play it safe and stay away from Dubois, who might be able to beat Joshua.
Fans may not be aware, but Joshua will turn 35 in October, just a month after his September bout. That's an old age for a fighter, especially one fighting a 26-year-old.
“I don't think the IBF wants to strip Oleksandr Usyk of his title anytime soon, but the reality is that the mandatory fight has been needed for a long time,” Mannix said. “They'll promote Dubois, but if they don't, Anthony Joshua will face Dubois in September and it will be a fight for the full title.”
It wouldn't matter if the IBF stripped Usyk of the belt because either Joshua or Dubois would hold it, and Usyk would have another chance to reclaim it if he beat Fury in the rematch on December 21.
“The fight is likely to happen. They're both British, Saudi Arabia wants to put on a big show at Wembley Stadium in England. It makes perfect sense. The IBF title is on the line. Dubois vs AJ, a big fight. It should happen in September,” Mannix said.
