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Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois: Winner to face Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk victor, Frank Warren says | Boxing News

On: June 28, 2024 By: admin

Promoter Frank Warren has told Sky Sports the winner of Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois will face the winner of December’s rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

Joshua will face Dubois in an all-British heavyweight clash for the IBF world heavyweight title at Wembley on September 21, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Usyk announced on Tuesday that he had vacated the IBF belt, which means Joshua can regain one of the world titles he previously held if he defeats Dubois, who has been upgraded from IBF interim title holder to IBF champion.

Joshua has marched back up the heavyweight ranks after suffering two consecutive losses to Usyk, who went on to become the undisputed world champion with his stunning victory over Fury last month.

Dubois, who previously held a version of the WBA title, has also rebuilt successfully from a loss to Usyk.

“All roads will lead to unification again,” Warren, promoter for Dubois, told Sky Sports on Thursday.

“He’s [Usyk] getting a massive payday for the rematch that he was contracted for against Tyson. That’s what the position is. It’s pure business as far as he’s concerned.

“If it was about holding on to the belts, then he wouldn’t have relinquished. He’s in it for the money and obviously the rematch is a massive, massive fight, which everyone wants to see. It was such a closely fight last time, it’s a bigger fight now in December.

“Whatever happens, the winner of this fight on September 21 [Joshua vs Dubois], which will be Daniel [Dubois], will fight the winner of that fight, and the four belts will be back on the line again.”

Dubois: I need to become a king-slayer | AJ: We’re all a pack of lions

Dubois, speaking at Wednesday’s press conference…

“I’m just aiming to be the best. To fight the best and beat the best. AJ has been the king for a long time, and we all know it, so on the night I need to become a king-slayer.

“That’s my goal and that’s the mission at hand. I’m just ready to go.

“I’m definitely learning more about myself with every fight, as a fighter and as a person. Coming out of the darkness, going into the light and being a man of the future.

“I’ve improved all round as a fighter and an athlete. I’m really up for this and ready to go.

I’m ready to let my fists do the talking. I’m 100m per cent ready. I’m going to go to camp, focus and train like a beast. Bring it on.”

Joshua, speaking at Wednesday’s press conference…

“It’s the next man up. I’ve had Dubois on my mind for a while, and he’ll be on my mind for the next 12 weeks until I get my hand raised.

“I’m not silly either, I know the game. We’re all in the wild. We’re a pack of lions and hunters. I have to keep my eyes peeled, I can’t just focus on those two [Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder].

“The goal is just to get through a successful training camp, and then performing on the night. The shiny stuff comes at a later date.”

Anthony Joshua expected to fight Daniel Dubois for world title as Oleksandr Usyk vacates IBF belt | Boxing News

On: June 26, 2024 By: admin

Anthony Joshua is expected to fight Daniel Dubois for the IBF heavyweight belt after Oleksandr Usyk confirmed he was vacating the world title.

Usyk defeated Tyson Fury on points to become undisputed champion with the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF titles, but has now announced he will relinquish his IBF belt ahead of a planned fight between Joshua and Dubois at Wembley Stadium on September 21.

The Ukrainian confirmed the news via his Instagram account.

“Hey Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois, the IBF Belt is my present for you for 21.09.2024. The world loves strong. Your friend, Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World, Oleksandr Usyk,” he posted.

Dubois, who Usyk defeated last year, holds an IBF Interim belt and would have been the mandatory challenger for Usyk, who is contracted to rematch Fury, a bout which has been set for December of this year.

Joshua, formerly a unified world champion himself, has previously lost twice to Usyk.

He returned with a points win over Jermaine Franklin in 2023, but then followed up with two stoppage victories over Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin.

He has boxed once this year already, taking out Francis Ngannou in just two rounds. Ngannou, a former UFC champion in MMA, was an inexperienced boxer, but he had managed to go the 10-round distance with Tyson Fury in his first professional boxing bout.

Dubois has also rebuilt successfully from a loss to Usyk.

The 26-year-old challenged Usyk for the WBO, WBA and IBF titles at the Wroclaw Stadium in Poland last August. Dubois put in a game effort, pressing the Ukrainian initially. Usyk had to rise from a low blow, a ruling which Dubois and his team still dispute, to halt Dubois in the ninth round.

The Briton though went on to grind down Jarrell Miller in December and at the start of this month pounded Filip Hrgovic to a halt to win the IBF Interim strap.

“[Being world champion] is a dream. From challenging for the world title to getting the chance to win [it] outright, that’s what I want,” Dubois declared after that fight.

“I’ll demolish Joshua. I’ll get even better from here.”

As he looks to reclaim his former position in the division, Joshua said: “I’ve got to pick them off one by one.

“It’s not going to be easy, but that’s my mentality. So come one, come all.

“He [Dubois] has been in tougher fights 1719362248, so he becomes hardened. He has worked his way up the ladder, we’ll see what happens.

“I’ll turn up and do my job.”

Tyson Fury deserved decision in first fight with Oleksandr Usyk, and can win the rematch, says promoter Bob Arum | Boxing News

On: June 23, 2024 By: admin

Tyson Fury deserved to win his first fight with Oleksandr Usyk, maintains promoter Bob Arum, but will make changes for the December rematch.

Fury suffered the first defeat of his professional career decision in his undisputed heavyweight world championship clash with Usyk last month.

They are due to box a second time on December 21.

Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who promotes the Briton, does expect something different from Fury going into that rematch.

“I’d assume there’d be certain changes but that’s up to Tyson and SugarHill [Steward] the trainer who I have great respect for, protege of the great Emanuel Steward,” Arum told Sky Sports.

“I expect certain changes but what they are and how significant they’ll be I don’t know.”

Arum does believe that will be enough for Fury to win the second fight.

“We all felt over here [at Top Rank] and I was in Riyadh and I also felt it was going to be a very close fight,” Arum said.

“Because I’ve known Usyk since he turned pro and I knew what a good, determined fighter he was and I followed him in his career because he’s such a good friend of [Vasiliy] Lomachenko and they were always around together.”

He does though think that Fury deserved to win the decision in the first fight.

“I thought he won a close fight but I could see it going the other way which it did,” Arum explained.

“But Fury as he goes into training he’s got to fight 12 full rounds. Because I thought the first part of the fight, it was no contest. It was all Fury.

“Then in the eighth round Usyk came on and won eight through 11 and I had Tyson come back and win the 12th.

“If Tyson trains well and goes 12 meaningful rounds, he should be able to beat Usyk.”

Chris Billam-Smith on Oleksandr Usyk dream fight: ‘I asked Shane McGuigan to train me to beat him in 2017!’ | Boxing News

On: June 16, 2024 By: admin

Chris Billam-Smith is cultivating a remarkable habit of turning his dreams into a reality.

When he turned professional, he wasn’t touted as a future champion. Yet he managed to win Commonwealth, British and European titles.

Last year at the Vitality Stadium in his hometown of Bournemouth, he dethroned Lawrence Okolie to win the WBO cruiserweight world championship.

On Saturday, he defeated the only man to have previously beaten him as a pro, outscoring power-puncher Richard Riakporhe at Selhurst Park in south London to defend his world title.

“The child in me who loves football so much – I get to box in two Premier League football stadiums, it’s wild. It was beyond my wildest dreams at one point and now I’ve managed to do two, it’s just crazy,” he told Sky Sports.

But he’s not done with dreams yet. He believes he can beat any of his rival world champions now.

“[Jai] Opetaia’s a great fighter, they’re all great fighters. [Gilberto] ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez is probably the most underrated champion I’d say. What he did with [Arsen] Goulamirian was fantastic. [He’s] a really strong, durable southpaw, can counter-punch, got fast hands, a really good fighter,” he said.

But that is what he wants next – world title unifications. “It’s mad. That’s what we’re looking at now. We’re not interested in anything else, really, other than other champions,” Bilam-Smith continued.

Riakporhe was a dangerous challenger, but Billam-Smith answered his doubters with Saturday night’s performance.

“They don’t see everything else. They see the [Mateusz] Masternak fight. They see the [Armend] Xhoxhaj fight and me getting clipped and the Isaac [Chamberlain] war and they don’t see the ins and outs of the gym and I can turn it on when I need to,” he said.

“Xhoxhaj wasn’t a great performance, so everyone backed Lawrence. Masternak wasn’t a great performance, so everyone backed Richard, but mentally I can switch it on.

“The Masternak fight was difficult, everything around it, the massive high [against Okolie] coming into that fight, going to a smaller venue, everyone’s expecting you to win.

“No one really cares about that fight, everyone wants to see me and Richard. All the talk was about Richard. And the same with the Xhoxhaj fight, everyone’s talking about what’s next. No one’s heard of him before. We’re only human, you can switch off, but big fights I can turn up every time.”

Despite the humble beginnings of his pro career, Billam-Smith can now dare to dream of going undisputed at cruiserweight.

If he keeps on winning, he could perhaps snare the biggest fight of all, if undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk decides to return to his former division.

Usyk has publicly said he would consider returning to the division he has previously unified.

“If he comes back down, that’s wild. I said to Shane [McGuigan, his trainer] when I first joined the gym, we were talking about Usyk, [saying] he’s a special fighter. I was going: ‘You’re going to train me to beat him.’ I said that to him [in] 2017. I think I’d only had my debut,” Billam-Smith laughed.

“He’s a special fighter, it would be an honour to share the ring with him as it would ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez, as it would Opetaia. I’m enjoying my career.

“I’m not saying it’s an easy fight by any stretch of the imagination.

“What a special fighter. To share the ring with someone like him would be phenomenal. And as fighters we go in every fight believing we can win it.”