Daniel Dubois says Anthony Joshua is his “next step,” and he’ll “do it” after his surprise eighth-round TKO victory over Filip Hrgovic (17-1, 14 KOs) to win the IBF interim heavyweight title on Saturday night in Riyadh. Dubois is confident that he’ll defeat Joshua.
Joshua wants the IBF title, and now he can fight for a piece of it against Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs). The IBF interim title that Dubois won on Saturday night could be elevated to the full belt, which would make a fight between him and Joshua even bigger.
Quick Turnaround for Dubois
If Joshua does agree to fight Dubois, 26, the two will meet at Wembley in September. Luckily for Dubois, he didn’t suffer any cuts during his win over Hrgovic because that would make it difficult for him to heal in time to face Joshua in September.
As it is, that’s a fast turnaround for Dubois to return to the ring in three months to fight Joshua in September, but the money will make it worth it.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, hasn’t said whether AJ will take the fight with Dubois or not. He said tonight that he needs to talk to His Excellency. If guess if he wants that fight to happen, Joshua will follow his wishes and face Dubois.
Dubois Determined
“That’s the next step. Words can’t explain it, but I’m glad we got through tonight. That was a war tonight,” said Daniel Dubois to Secondsout about wanting to fight Anthony Joshua next after stopping Filip Hrgovic in the eighth round to claim the IBF interim heavyweight title in Riyadh.
It’s going to be interesting to see if Joshua takes the fight with Dubois or not, because he’ll look bad if he chooses not to face him. Joshua would risk a lot of money if he faced Dubois. He’s got the Fury fight that would be hanging in the balance if he fought Dubois, and that’s going to be a massive payday for AJ.
“After the round before the last. I was wearing him down, but it was a great war. He’s an animal in there,” said Dubois. “Full respect to him. He’s a top fighter. He’ll be back. He’s a good fighter. Tonight, I showed what I was made of. My dad and Frank Warren helped me come through it.
“You guys will see. I’ll prepare and I’ll do it,” said Dubois when asked how he’ll defeat Joshua.
