IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois defends against British star Anthony Joshua tonight in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London. Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) looks to become a three-time heavyweight champion. Tonight’s event will be shown live on DAZN PPV at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Undercard results
– Junior middleweight contender Josh Kelly (16-1-1, 8 KOs) defeated substitute Ishmael Davis (13-1, 8 KOs) by a close 12 round majority decision in a middleweight fight. Davis hurt Kelly in the twelfth round with big shots, bloodying his left eye and nose. Kelly was forced to hold and move to survive the round to get the narrow win.
#2 WBC-ranked 154-lb contender Kelly boxed and moved throughout the fight, using his typical potshot style to deter the offense of the previously unbeaten Davis.
Kelly began to tire in the championship rounds and took shots from a desperate-looking Davis. The pressure from Davis wore Kelly out, and he didn’t have the engine to evade Davis in the 11th and 12th.
Fortunately for Kelly, he’d won enough of the rounds to win a close decision, but it was not the performance he had wanted, obviously. The scores were 114-114, 115-113, and 115-114.
– Josh Padley (15-0, 4 KOs) picked up his biggest career win, defeating highly ranked lightweight Mark Chamberlain (16-1, 12 KOs) by a ten-round unanimous decision in a light welterweight fight.
This was a big upset, as the heavy favorite Chamberlain was expected to breeze through the light puncher Padley. The judges’ scores were 95-93, 96-92, and 96-92.
The fight had been close through the first seven rounds, but Padley turned things up a notch when he dropped Chamberlain with a left hand in round weight. That knockdown changed the fight, as Chamberlain became wreckless, trying to pay Padley back and opening himself up for big shots.
In the ninth, Chamberlain was docked a point for pushing Padley. Chamberlain had been shoving Padley throughout the fight, but he finally paid the price for his roughhouse tactics.
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Dubois wants to “slay the King” by defeating Joshua, who has already been slayed two years ago but is still popular due to his fame gained his best years earlier in his career.
This could be a passing of the torch between the old lion Joshua, 34, and the young talent Dubois. That won’t make most British fans happy because they idolize Joshua, but that’s how the sport is. Older fighters get replaced by the younger talents.
Event information:
Start time: 11:00 a.m. ET/4:00 p.m. UK
Broadcaster: DAZN PPV
Headliner ring walks, approximately 5:00 p.m. ET/10:00 p.m. UK
There are some interesting fights on the undercard for the hardcore boxing fans who closely follow the sport. The co-feature fight between middleweights Tyler Denny and Hamzah Sheeraz should be an entertaining one.
Pay-per-view Fight Card at 11:00 p.m. ET
Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois
Tyler Denny vs. Hamzah Sheeraz
Anthony Cacace vs. Josh Warrington
Joshua Buatsi vs. Willy Hutchinson
Mark Chamberlain vs. Josh Padely
Josh Kelly vs. Ishmael Davis
