Eddie Hearn discusses the Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois fight
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn gave his fight preview and prediction for the upcoming mega clash between two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and newly-installed IBF World heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois on September 21 at Wembley Stadium.
It’s set to be a battle of North vs South with the opposing fighters hailing from different ends of London. Watford’s Joshua is the overwhelming favourite at the bookies, with Greenwich-born Dubois a 5/1 underdog at Betway Sports.
Speaking to DAZN, 45-year-old Hearn echoed the bookies’ odds with his prediction, “I think he’ll get flattened, but Dubois is dangerous. You don’t want to be trading with Daniel Dubois, [instead] you want accuracy, you want power, you want explosiveness, and you want to time him onto shots because if Dubois comes out like he did in the Hrgovic fight, Dubois could get flattened early.
“But Dubois is very dangerous. I saw Simon Jordan’s comments, Dubois is a massive puncher, if he hits anyone on the chin they’re going to know about it, but if he gets hit on the chin by AJ he’s getting absolutely flattened in quick time.”
34-yea-oldJoshua publicly lost his head momentarily when he suffered a second back to back defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in 2022, throwing the world titles out of the ring, snatching the microphone to vent his frustrations and stealing the winner’s big moment.
It appeared to signal the lowest point of the 2012 Olympic gold medallist’s career, but he has impressively bounced back with four straight wins, three by KO, to now have a chance of becoming a three-time world champion in his next fight.
Long-term promoter and close friend Hearn believes that Joshua has now had the entire weight of the world lifted off his shoulders after three defeats and no longer being the poster boy for boxing he once was.
“I think post Oleksandr Usyk 2 when he had that moment with the world when he kind of poured his heart out and had a little tear at the press conference, I think that really awoke his soul a little bit.
“For many years AJ kept that inside of himself, the pressures of what he faced everyday, the expectations of the public and also what he put on himself. He has always tried to be that incredible ambassador and role model for the next generation and for our country, and I think sometimes you never really got to see the real AJ. In that moment at the press conference people sort of went ‘wow’ and realised the pressures this man’s been under.
“No-one made AJ for this life. When you come from humble beginnings, an estate in Watford, to all of a sudden having the world’s media on you everyday, fans waiting for you to come out of your house, it’s incredibly asphyxiating. I feel that moment kind of broke him free a little bit and also from the pressure of not having the belts anymore, and the pressure of not chasing undisputed all the time – just enjoy yourself and be active.
“Those four fights in 11 months really helped to reinvigorate and rekindle his love for the sport. Now that he is back as the challenger, that’s a different kind of mentality. Add the influence of Ben Davison and AJ being very comfortable in himself in terms of what he’s doing in the ring and day to day in training, he’s in a really good place.”