Former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury had a front-row seat to watch current heavyweight titleholder Daniel Dubois destroy Anthony Joshua, as Dubois shocked and dropped Joshua four times to score a fifth-round knockout win.

Although Fury is fully focused on exacting revenge against Oleksandr Usyk on Dec. 21 following a loss to the Ukrainian in May – the first of his career – “The Gypsy King” was very much an interested observer for Dubois’ career-defining win against Joshua.

“He did a very good job – fair play to young Dan,” Fury told members of the media as he left London’s Wembley Stadium on Saturday night. “Everyone wrote him off, you know. Coming in, he was the [IBF] champion and everyone treated him like he was a bum. He showed what he is made of. It's very good for him – fantastic.

“What went wrong [for Joshua] is what always goes wrong in heavyweight boxing – a good right to the chin, and that was it.

“It's heavyweight boxing, boys. Shit happens. You get knocked spark-out. It could have been me, you or anybody. In the heavyweight division, you are one punch from being smashed and knocked out.”

“You get caught with punches, and you don't see many heavyweights get hit, get knocked down and get back up and continue,” said Fury. 

“It's up to [Joshua] on whatever he wants to do [next]. If he's got good ambitions, he'll come back once again. He's got to make his own decisions. He's a big boy.”

Joshua, who will turn 35 in October, shut down retirement talk immediately after the fight. The 36-year-old Fury, who is 14 months older than Joshua, suffered his first loss, to Usyk, at age 35. Fury alluded that age may have played a factor in Joshua’s loss. 

“I thought it was a 50-50 fight [going into it],” said Fury. “Dubois is a lot younger at 27. AJ is 35, like me. Age doesn't wait for anybody, does it? It is what it is.”

Fury and Dubois are both promoted by Frank Warren. Fury plans on beating Usyk to then set up an undisputed title slugfest against his Queensberry roster mate.

“I'm going to fight the fucking rabbit and ugly bastard Usyk and take all of the belts back once again – I guarantee that,” said Fury. “After I beat Usyk, I'll fight Dubois. That's my plan.”

 

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Daniel Dubois was written off, but he didn't write back.

“Dynamite” Dubois dominated, detonated and destroyed Anthony Joshua on Saturday in front of a record crowd of 96,000 fans at London’s Wembley Stadium, dropping his British counterpart four times to score a fifth-round knockout win.

Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) stunned Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) from the onset, knocking him down in Rounds 1, 3, 4 and 5 in a thrilling fight to defend his IBF heavyweight title for the first time.

“I wasn't going to be denied tonight; by any means necessary,” Dubious said during his post-fight press conference. “I knew it was my night tonight. I want to thank my family for getting me through this and keeping me mentally strong throughout.

“[Critics] were doubting me and always saying I was going to get knocked out. We all saw who got knocked out. I'm glad I proved everyone wrong. This is the start of my journey.

“I feel like the champ and I want to keep my belt and keep the train running. It's great.”

With the win, Dubious completed a remarkable 13-month turnaround after suffering the second loss of his career to unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in August 2023.

After TKO wins against Jarrell Miller in December and Filip Hrgovic in June, Dubois proved that the former two-time heavyweight champion and heavy favorite Joshua would be no match.

“The last year has been a growing process and a growing journey,” said Dubois, who also suffered a knockout loss to Joe Joyce in 2020.

“Tonight almost felt like a dream in the ring, and I just had to seize the moment. I took the opportunity with both hands tonight.

“[Tyson Fury and Usyk] are my targets now. I want the rematch [versus Usyk] and prove the wrong right. I need to get back and fulfill my full potential now.”

Dubois pulverized Joshua from pillar to post, outlanding him 79 to 32. Just as Joshua appeared to rock and rattle Dubois in the fifth, Dubois immediately retaliated with a rifle right that ended the fight.

“He couldn't keep me down,” said Dubois. “He had to nail me to the canvas. I was unstoppable tonight. It was a good firefight. He could have thrown everything at me and I would have come through it.

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine and more. He has been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) , Instagram , LinkedIn and YouTube , through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com .

Daniel Dubois scored a sensational knockout victory over Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium to retain his IBF heavyweight title.

Dubois landed a fantastic shot in round five of the contest to claim the win and keep hold of his belt, scoring the upset and denying Joshua the chance to become a three-time heavyweight champion.

Dubois stunned Joshua in the opening round of the fight, landing a number of big shots to begin the contest before then dropping AJ with a massive hook in the dying seconds.

Joshua got back to his feet and saw out the round, but it was clear that he was still dazed in round two, with Dubois continuing to dominate and catch Joshua with several huge punches that rocked the challenger.

It looked like the contest was over in round three when Joshua hit the canvas once again, but he showed great heart to continue, despite further trouble in the fourth round.

Joshua then landed a big shot in round five that seemed it could change the direction of the bout, but Dubois ended the bout with a massive punch in round five, as AJ was counted out and Dubois retained his IBF heavyweight title.

It’s an incredible turnaround for Dubois, who just 13 months ago came up short in a fight against Oleksandr Usyk, and he was thrilled to claim the biggest win of his career.

“I’m a gladiator. I’m a warrior until the bitter end. Behind the scenes the work with my dad and my family and my strong team have helped me get through this. I’ve been on a rollercoaster and this is my redemption story.”

For Joshua, it’s the fourth defeat of his professional career after two losses to Oleksandr Usyk along with a defeat to Andy Ruiz, and he was disappointed to come up short.Joshua vs. Dubois Undercard Results: Wins For Sheeraz, Buatsi, Cacace, Kelly And Padley

“Credit to him and his team. We rolled the dice for success but we came up short. I’m going to keep my cool and keep professional and give respect to my opponent. Before I came here I always said I’m a fighter for life. I had a sharp opponent and there were a lot of mistakes from my end but it is what it is.”

Promoter Frank Warren has worked with Dubois since his debut back in 2017, and he was ecstatic to see his fighter come out on top.

“It was a phenomenal fight. I always felt it would be Hagler-Hearns and that what’s it was. It takes two people to make a great fight. AJ showed his heart until the end, but it was a brilliant fight. I’ve had faith in my man from the beginning, and now he’s done it.”

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn revealed after the bout that Joshua may exercise his rematch clause for the fight, and he felt that the first round was what set the tone for the clash.

“A huge right hand that AJ shipped in the first round and after that he was fighting on heart and desire. He never gave up and he kept on trying. At the end of the fourth round he hit Dubois and then in the fifth he really hurt him. He got greedy and walked onto a right hand.”

On the undercard, there were wins for Hamzah Sheeraz, Joshua Buatsi, Anthony Cacace, Josh Kelly and Liam Padley.

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After a respectful, friendly build-up, Anthony Cacace, 23-1 (8 KOs), and Josh Warrington, 31-4-1 (8 KOs), declared war on each other at Friday’s weigh in but rather than the expected brutal brawl, the super featherweight contest turned out to be a gruelling nip and tuck affair. 

Warrington – no stranger to stadium fights – has the reputation as the type of fighter who bursts out of the blocks from the first bell but he regularly has a look at his opponents during the opening round and he employed raiding tactics in the opener, moving around before quickly stepping forward and attacking with his trademark combinations. Cacace calmly defended the attacks and landed two clean right hands and also rocked Warrington’s head back with a well-timed jab. 

Cacace was by far the bigger and taller man but was struggling to prevent Warrington from getting inside and the man from Leeds fired away with hooks to head and body whenever he was given the chance. The 33-year-old is at his best when he builds up a head of steam and he spent much of the second round inside Cacace’s reach, banging away to the body.

Fighting at 130lbs for the first time, former two-time featherweight champion Warrington opened the third by pressing forward and landing a nice short left hook and again set the tone, making Cacace work inside and negating him at arm’s length. 

Cacace got Warrington’s attention with a hard right hand as he momentarily found himself in no man’s land. Inside, Warrington was doing well, staying tight and landing short, snappy punches. On the outside, Cacace was beginning to find his range and make his mark.

Things were warming up nicely as the fight reached the fifth. Cacace was now trying to time Warrington’s rushes with a right uppercut while the former featherweight champion seemed intent on working over the Irishman’s body. Warrington was momentarily stunned by a wide left hook as the round ended but gathered himself well. 

Cacace’s power seemed to have earned him a measure of control by the sixth. Warrington’s attacks had lost a little steam and he was doing his best work when using his free hand during clinches but Cacace wasn’t dominating the fight, he was just spending more and more time at his preferred distance.

Given his rocky recent form, Warrington’s punch resistance had been questioned before the fight but his chin was holding up well and his knack of finding himself all the way out of range or up in Cacace’s chest meant that he was managing to avoid feeling the full force of Cacace’s power regularly and chipping away at the champion. 

Cacace wasn’t setting up his punches behind his jab and leading with his right hand made it easier for Warrington to slip inside the shots and after a scrappy couple of rounds, the fight seemed to be in the balance heading into the championship rounds.

Clean, scoring shots were becoming rarer and rarer as Warrington continued to pound away to the body. Cacace scored with a nice right uppercut as the round ended. The fight hadn’t become the give and take war most expected but it was tense and tight.

Neither fighter could be totally sure of the scorecards as the 12th started. Both tried to work in bursts and, as had been the case. Warrington landed more to the body while Cacace targeted the head. Try as they might, neither could make a real statement and the fight went to the cards.

Marcus McDonnell scored the fight 118-110 whilst Steve Gray and Grzegorz Molenda both had it 117-111, all for Cacace. 

The scores seemed harsh on Warrington, but he accepted the result with grace. 

This time last year, Cacace was delivering takeaways to make ends meet, tonight the 35-year-old from Belfast found himself at the centre of the boxing world. Although his IBF title wasn’t on the line, he successfully defended his IBO belt. 

Hamzah Sheeraz captured the European middleweight title with a two-round blowout of Tyler Denny.

Sheeraz, 21-0 (17 KOs), clipped Denny with an early left hook – the first meaningful shot he threw – and Denny went down.

The Midlands man stood up, but shipped the same shot moments later and Sheeraz took control early. Denny tried to cover up and ride out the storm but it was a horror show of an opening round. Denny had been down within 20 seconds.

Sheeraz maintained his control throughout the second. Denny was caught pulling out early by a right hook and the signs were that he was going to be in for a long night before he was cracked by right and left hooks and he went down once more.

Denny, now 20-2-3 (1 KO), contended he could have fought on but referee Mark Bates disagreed and waved it off. Time of the stoppage was 2:05 of the second..

“Any 160 names, let’s have it,” said Sheeraz.

The Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois undercard at Wembley Stadium featured a number of big names, topped off by Hamzah Sheeraz stopping Tyler Denny in the second round to win the European middleweight title, and retain his Commonwealth and WBC Silver middleweight titles.

Sheeraz came out of the blocks flying, dropping Denny inside the opening seconds of the opening round. Denny struggled to recover, and despite getting out of the round, it seemed that the writing would be on the wall.

That was proven when in round two Sheeraz got another knockdown, and with Denny on unsteady feet, the referee waved off the bout at the 2:05 mark, earning Sheeraz the win, taking his undefeated record to 21-0 in the process.

Joshua Buatsi won the interim WBO light-heavyweight title with a split decision victory over Willy Hutchinson.

It was a tight bout approaching the halfway stage, but Buatsi then secured a sixth round knockdown to make the first big impact in the fight.

Hutchinson was deducted a point in round seven for use of the head, and was then dropped again in the ninth round as Buatsi looked to take over.

It looked like there would only be one winner when the fight went the distance, but there was surprise when it was announced that it was a split decision.

One judge had the fight 113-112 in Hutchinson’s favour, but scores of 117-108 and 115-110 earned Buatsi the win, as he moved a step closer to becoming world champion.

Anthony Cacace retained his IBO super-featherweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Josh Warrington.

Cacace’s IBF belt wasn’t on the line for the contest after they refused to sanction the bout, due to Warrington heading into the fight on the back of two straight defeats in the division below.

With that in mind, the Leeds man would have been keen to prove he is still capable of competing at world level, but he struggled to deal with Cacace throughout the fight.WBC President Names The Future Of Boxing

The Belfast boxer was in control for the majority of proceedings, and after the bout went the 12 round distance, the judges scored it 118-110, 117-111 and 117-111, with Cacace retaining his IBO belt, and ensuring he also kept hold of his IBF title, as a defeat would have seen him stripped by the governing body.

Warrington appeared to signal he may retire following the contest, after removing his gloves and leaving them in the centre of the ring.

Josh Kelly came out on top against late replacement Ishmael Davis in their middleweight contest after picking up a majority decision victory.

Davis stepped in less than one week ago after Liam Smith was forced out through illness, and despite the late notice, he gave as good as he got throughout the fight.

It was a back and forth battle between the two men, and after going all 12 rounds, it was Kelly who narrowly emerged with the win, thanks to scorecards of 115-113, 115-114 and 114-114, handing Davis the first defeat of his professional career in the process.

Josh Padley secured a huge upset in the opening fight of the card as he defeated Mark Chamberlain by unanimous decision.

Chamberlain was a massive favourite heading into the bout, as he looked to continue the impressive displays he has put in on Riyadh Season events over the past year.

Padley ensured it wouldn’t continue though, as he dropped his opponent in round eight, while Chamberlain was also deducted a point.

It allowed Padley to come out on top with a points win, with the judges having it 96-92, 96-92 and 95-93.

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Josh Kelly has spent years waiting for breakout performance. At 30 years old, the talented Kelly spent weeks preparing for the suffocating pressure of Liam Smith but the Liverpudlian’s late withdrawal meant that he was instead matched with Ishmael Davis.

Kelly, 16-1-1 (8 KOs), knew that a victory over former the WBO super welterweight champion Smith would have finally proven his world-class credentials but instead he found himself defending his reputation at middleweight against the confident, unbeaten, but relatively unknown, 29 year old from Leeds.

Drawing self-belief from his recent win over their common opponent Troy Williamson, Davis, 13-1 (6 KOs), cut a confident character throughout a busy fight week and after a troubled past, his choice of Bob Marley’s ‘Redemption Song’ as his entrance music was apt. A natural switch hitter, he came out as a southpaw and planted himself directly in front of Kelly, who tucked his chin behind his shoulder and immediately got Davis’ attention with a quick flurry.

Both fighters spent the first three minutes looking at each other but the roles were set, Davis edging forward, looking for openings, and Kelly moving away, hands down, looking to capitalise on every mistake. The second round was a repeat of the opener. Davis looked composed and calm but Kelly was operating fully in his comfort zone, stepping away from Davis’ attacks and landing snappy counter shots before smartly changing angles and repeating the process.

A smile passed over Kelly’s face in the third as he controlled a nondescript round but Davis did find a nice uppercut early in the fourth and managed to engage Kelly a little more in a closer round. As it ended Kelly made Davis miss with some beautiful head movement and briefly ran through the gears, but Davis will have relished the contact and went back to his corner with a smile on his face.

Although he was finding it hard to land anything meaningful, the slow-but-steady grind was getting Davis closer and closer, but while Kelly was doing little to dissuade him from pressing forwards, he was putting round after round in the bank. He boxed, moved, showboated and flicked out arm punches but refused to hold his feet and exchange. They were sensible tactics but frustrating for those who wanted to see him make a real statement.

Having taken the fight on short notice, Davis understandably held himself back from committing to an all-out attack but he had fallen into the trap of throwing single shots at a moving target and if he did land anything of note, Kelly made sure to flurry back and leave the lasting impression.

The action picked up slightly in the eighth. Davis managed to get close enough to put together a combination but Kelly quickly got himself out of trouble and fired back with a beautiful straight right hand. Maybe feeling that he had made a slight impression, Kelly opened the ninth in aggressive fashion, getting off with a sharp right hand and a left hook, but when Davis attempted to fire back, Kelly got back on the outside and began to pick, poke and move around the target. 

Kelly was fully in control, but clearly beginning to slow; Davis, however, just couldn’t get his feet close enough to force the pace, Kelly ended the 11th with a small cut over his left eye after a clash of heads.

The action was dwindling but Davis let everything go in the 12th. He hurt Kelly with a left hook and the Sunderland fughter’s legs betrayed him. He had been slowing for a number of rounds but suddenly appeared absolutely spent. His face a mask of blood, he moved and back-pedalled around the ring, clinching at every opportunity. He made it to the end of the round but, for Kelly, it was a disappointing end to an underwhelming fight.

The scores, also, were closer than expected. Keiran Parker scored a draw at 114-114. He was overruled by Mark Bates’ 115-113, and Victor Loughlin’s 115-114 that made Kelly the winner by majority decision. 

Later on Saturday night, 96,000 fans will fill Wembley Stadium as Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua contest the IBF heavyweight title but those supporters were just beginning to file into the cavernous arena as Mark Chamberlain and Josh Padley got the promotion underway with 10 rounds at super lightweight. 

Chamberlain, 16-1 (12 KOs), has been one of the unexpected success stories but after dominating Gavin Gwynne and Joshua Wahab on his previous Riyadh Season appearances, he found the underrated Padley a far more difficult prospect.

The naturally smaller Padley, 15-0 (4 KOs), had clearly decided that his best bet was to put the excitement of the week behind him, suck the drama out of the contest and draw Chamberlain’s sting, and he boxed cleverly in the opener, making the big-punching Chamberlain pay for repeatedly leaving his feet behind and over-reaching. 

Chamberlain is noted for his accuracy and smart punch selection but he struggled to find the mark regularly as Padley’s tactic of inching backwards caused him to fall short. Chamberlain started to impose himself a little more in the second - scoring with that accurate southpaw left - but the 28 year old from Doncaster had settled into a rhythm and continually scored with a short chopping right when they found themselves working inside.

Chamberlain was a major favourite heading into the fight but Padley was posing him plenty of questions technically. He emerged from one clinch with blood pouring from a vertical cut over his right eyebrow after a clash of heads and he had an expression of frustration on his face that was compounded in the fourth when a short shot left him with a second, more serious, cut over the same eye.

Badly needing to inject some pace and variety into his attacks, Chamberlain tried to use his double jab at the start of the fifth but it was Padley who scored with a snappy combination to open the round and he rocked Chamberlain’s head back with a fine jab as the taller man once again fell in. Padley wasn’t running; instead he was making short, precise movements and capitalising on Chamberlain’s mistakes.

Finally Chamberlain found one of his accurate straight left hands at the start of the sixth. His attacks were one-paced but he was starting to give the impression of being the man controlling the range of the fight. Padley had begun to slow down but he was able to pick his counters and gave no impression of being troubled by Chamberlain’s much vaunted power.

After seven rounds, Padley’s corner hammered home to him the fact that he was nine minutes away from changing his life but there was the definite impression that Chamberlain’s size was beginning to tell. Padley listened to their advice; he answered the bell for the eighth and dropped Chamberlain with a short left hook. Chamberlain got up but his head hadn’t cleared, and Padley safely banked another round.

A major shock was becoming more and more likely. Chamberlain had been unable to string together any success consistently and now found himself chasing Padley, who could see the finish line. Things became even more desperate for Chamberlain because, after a number of warnings, he had a point deducted for rough inside work in the ninth, and he found it near-impossible to string together any consistent, accurate work.

With the biggest moment of his career within reach, Padley didn’t tighten up. He stayed out of trouble in the 10th round, negating Chamberlain’s scrappy efforts and making it to the final bell. 

Bob Williams scored the fight 95-93, while Keiran McCann and Kevin Parker both had it 96-92, all in favour of Padley, who was outstanding on the type of stage he could have only ever previously dreamed of gracing.

UFC president and CEO Dana White's long-planned foray into boxing appears imminent.

"There will be some big announcements soon," White said during a press conference in Ireland on Thursday while promoting Callum Walsh's fight against Przemyslaw Runowski .

"And let me tell you, if you know anything about me, and you go back and look at anything I ever said, I never say anything that I don't do,” White said.

“We've been kicking the whole boxing thing around for a long time, but you've never heard me commit and say, 'I'm in.'

“I’m in.”

The MMA executive and lifelong boxing enthusiast White has teased his entry into the sweet science for several years, attempting to fix what he has billed as boxing’s broken model . But it has never gotten off the ground.

In August 2019, White said Zuffa Boxing would be up and running by October. In 2020, he teased boxing fights that he said would be announced soon . In March 2023, White alluded to a boxing division that would launch within a 12- to 24-month window . 

Amid the false starts, Zuffa Boxing has since been re-branded as TKO Boxing after the UFC and WWE merged under the Endeavor-backed TKO umbrella last year. 

In recent years, White’s involvement in boxiamoter, Tom Loeffler of 360 Promotions.

This week, White is even promoting Riyadh Season’s debut show in London featuring Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois on his social media channels, similar to how he promotes his UFC shows.

Earlier this month, in an interview with BoxingScene, White praised combat sports power broker Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, as someone who reinvests in boxing while everyone else just takes .

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine and more. He has been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Akopyan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) , Instagram , LinkedIn and YouTube , through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com .

There is no doubt that the best heavyweight in the world is Oleksandr Usyk. 

And therefore, there is no doubt that the most important fight in the heavyweight division is Usyk’s rematch with Tyson Fury on December 21 for three world titles, the lineal championship, and being recognized as the king of the big men.

Daniel Dubois-Anthony Joshua, being held on Saturday in London, is a big fight.

It is a big fight even though Dubois’ IBF title is second hand, cast aside by Usyk because he was contractually required to rematch Fury first.

When people ask me why I love writing about boxing as opposed to baseball, my first love, I talk about the importance each fight has, how a boxing match is a chapter in history rather than just one tiny puzzle piece over the course of a season – a puzzle with a full picture that has not necessarily begun to take shape.

As with every other bout, Dubois-Joshua features the stories of the two men coming into the fight. It will provide storylines between the opening and final bells, a combination of action and drama, twists and turns. And it will lead to new chapters for the victor and the vanquished.

Dubois and Joshua have each been forced to rebuild – not once, but twice apiece.

Joshua’s initial rebuild came first. His chin and defense were questioned following his June 2019 loss to Andy Ruiz, when Joshua shockingly lost his three world titles as the result of two serious mistakes. First, Joshua thought he’d hurt Ruiz worse than was actually the case after flooring Ruiz in the third round of their bout. And then when Joshua went in to land what he hoped would be the finishing blows, he did so from too close and left himself too vulnerable for Ruiz’s counters. Ruiz had gone down once in the third. Joshua then went down twice.

The smaller Usyk was the better boxer, utilizing the kind of feints and footwork – the tricks and tactics that Joshua had not seen enough of and did not know how to deal with. By the end, Usyk had Joshua reeling in the final round.

Is his confidence a facade? Is this renewed Anthony Joshua a mirage? His first truly solid test will show.

Next up: a title shot.

Dubois challenged Usyk in August 2023, losing by ninth-round knockout, but, in the eyes of some, gaining a moral victory. That’s because of what happened in the fifth round. Dubois threw a punch that, depending on your perspective, either was on the beltline or veered low. The referee ruled that it was a low blow. Usyk went to the canvas. Some people wrongly argue that Dubois was deprived of a knockout given the time Usyk spent off his feet. But if the referee had ruled it to be a legal blow, it’s wholly plausible that Usyk would’ve risen much sooner instead of taking some of the allotted time to recover.

Even with the moral victory, Dubois couldn’t afford another loss in any of his subsequent matches. While the most recent defeats for both Dubois and Joshua had come against Usyk — who had shown himself to be one of the two best heavyweights in the world and now is conclusively the best — losses against other, lower-ranked opponents would potentially send them packing.

Both Miller and Hrgovic were previously unbeaten. Losing to fellow contenders would have pushed Dubois toward the fringe, in danger of being relegated to a measuring stick with a marketable name. Instead, the win over Hrgovic made Dubois one of the foremost contenders, and it earned him the interim IBF title, upgraded with Usyk taking on Fury again.

We’ve seen too many boxers — or at least their managers and promoters — protect the zero on their records out of a concern that a loss would effectively end their ability to earn. But the fact is that Joshua has remained a superstar in the United Kingdom. 

Even the brightest of stars will eventually fade, though. Joshua wants to shine for as long as he can. He’ll need to outshine Dubois on Saturday. Dubois, meanwhile, wants that torch to be passed. He’ll need to snuff Joshua’s flame for that to happen.

Usyk-Fury is still the brightest star on the horizon. But Dubois-Joshua is about to light up the night.

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2 and @UnitedBoxingPod . He is the co-host of the United Boxing Podcast . David’s book, “ Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing ,” is available on Amazon.

When Daniel Dubois was stopped by the great Oleksandr Usyk in August 2023, the young heavyweight and those around him felt at their lowest ebb.

His promoter Frank Warren and trainer Don Charles raged from the ring in Wroclaw, Poland, at the sense of injustice they felt at a punch Dubois had thrown that had dropped the defending champion being ruled low. The following day, when the paternal Charles and his then-assistant James Ali Bashir were available for interviews at their hotel, Dubois was nowhere to be seen, and was said to be distraught and being comforted by his father Dave.

The heart of the athletic, heavy-handed fighter once declared the future of the heavyweight division was, regardless of how the defining punch of the previous night’s fight was being viewed, being questioned. 

When in 2020 Dubois had little choice but to take a knee against Joe Joyce, as a consequence of suffering a fractured eye socket, criticisms of his heart were both unfair and premature. Three summers later, there was little question that his temperament had undermined him, regardless – and perhaps because – of him sharing the ring with the finest active heavyweight of them all.

“After that fight, I said to him, ‘That mental attitude is going to get you nowhere’,” Warren told BoxingScene. “Mentally, he wasn’t mature. He just wasn’t – and that happens a lot with the big guys. He had to toughen up. Forget about the referee – you’ve got to be your own referee in those situations. You’ve got to take it out of the referee’s hands.

“I felt he could win it. He allowed that to get to him, rather than disregard [the occasion and circumstances]. He was in the lion’s den, but he could have won that fight. He lost focus, and I think he got disheartened, and that’s not acceptable, and it’s not good enough. After the fight, I told him that. ‘You had that fight won.’

“On the night of the fight, I wasn’t quite happy with how the dressing room was. It was like a morgue, and I didn’t like that. I had to say – I tell them how it is – what they’re supposed to be doing and what’s expected of them. ‘That fight was yours to lose and yours to win.’ Up until Usyk fighting Tyson [Fury], that was Usyk’s toughest fight. He was disheartened, entirely, with the referee.”

When on Saturday, at Wembley Stadium, Dubois walks to the ring to fight Anthony Joshua, he will perhaps be confronting an even more intimidating fighter. Unlike, however, against Usyk, he will do so with the self-belief generated by his victories, as the underdog, over the previously undefeated Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic – victories that disrupted the best laid plans, and that left the 34-year-old Joshua with little choice but to risk his reputation against someone until recently considered a pretender, at a time when Joshua and those around him had expected to have to prepare for Hrgovic instead.

“I think that fight [against Usyk] was actually the making of him.” Warren continued. “There’s not many at that level who have fought three undefeated fighters [in succession].”

Dubois, 27, and Charles worked together for the first time when they were preparing for Usyk. The sense of the most thankless of tasks was then extended to their preparations for Miller, an inferior fighter but a fight they accepted off the back of a defeat, and similarly to Hrgovic, another dangerous opponent he was expected to lose to, when they had had so little time to gel.

“He’s fought three undefeated fighters,” Warren said. “World-class fighters. Better opposition than ‘AJ’ has in his last three fights, no doubt about that, and had to dig deep. They’re all guys who’d give Joshua a problem.

“Don’s a very stable guy and given him a lot of stability; he’s got respect for Don, who’s done a good job for him. With that, the voice that he does listen to is his father’s. Knowing that, you can use him as a conduit and get what you need with tactics through. His old man’s a Svengali figure to him.”

The promoter, a both cautious and astute matchmaker – one often proven astute by his caution – will have known the risk that both the Miller and Hrgovic fights represented. Unlike against Usyk – even in the context of how troubled Dubois immediately was by what unfolded – defeat on either occasion would thereafter have left the lucrative picture formed by Usyk, Joshua and Tyson Fury beyond his reach. With Moses Itauma having replaced him as Britain’s – and Warren’s – most promising and exciting young heavyweight, he would have been left in the type of no-man’s land that, of all rivals, Joyce finds himself in following successive defeats by Zhilei Zhang that included him suffering an eye injury, and Derek Chisora then inflicting another defeat. 

Instead, Dubois fights Joshua at a time when he is considered capable of upsetting the fighter who represented the world’s leading heavyweight when Dubois was making his professional debut. In many respects, to revisit 2017 – when at Wembley, Joshua retired the great Wladimir Klitschko and when Dubois was being paraded by Warren and BT Sports as capable of reaching their rarefied level – Dubois is finally justifying the hype.

“At that time [he was Britain’s best heavyweight prospect],” said Warren, “and he was doing the business until – and I’m sure if that fight had taken place when it should have done, before it got pushed back because of Covid, I’m sure he would have come through – the Joe Joyce fight. He was in front on the judges’ scorecards and only had to stand up, but unfortunately he had an horrific injury.

“I felt that he would be the future of heavyweight boxing. He’s done extremely well; he’s done everything that was asked of him, and he’s done well coming through. He was a powerhouse; there were stories about him. 

“I was told by three people that were there that he knocked [Joshua] out [in sparring], and he was 17. What a big puncher he was; that he was phenomenally strong; how he was sparring with seasoned pros and how he was handling and hurting them. He was giving everyone problems. I heard he did the same to David Price. 

“He suffered an horrific injury, and a lot of the stuff that was being said at the time was a bit over the top. I just stayed on the programme with him; we did what we had to do and got him back into a situation where he wound up winning the WBA regular title and then in the ring with Usyk.”

There were two victories, over Bogdan Dinu and Joe Cusumano, with Shane McGuigan as Dubois’ trainer after the defeat by Joyce had contributed to the heavyweight separating from Martin Bowers. The opportunity to challenge the unremarkable Trevor Bryan for the lightly regarded WBA regular heavyweight title proved a higher profile occasion than was justifiable, largely on account of the nostalgia provided by the deteriorating Don King’s involvement with Bryan, who like Dinu and Cusumano was stopped with ease. Then followed the fight with Kevin Lerena, on the undercard of Tyson Fury-Chisora III. 

“I thought McGuigan got it wrong on the night of the Lerena fight,” said Warren. “He was stone cold in that opening round and he got caught on the top of the head when he wasn’t warmed up properly. 

“He had to show a lot of character that night, which he did do, and he had to grit his teeth. The big problem he had there was he tore his Achilles; he was out after that for months. 

“He done what he had to do there. It was good that he got up. He was in trouble, and he gritted his teeth.”

Three times Dubois went down in the opening round, and three times he returned to his feet, before impressively stopping Lerena in the third. But if he answered some of those questioning his chin, he provoked more questions about his abilities by, when sharing the ring with a fighter of the forgettable caliber of Lerena, so nearly being stopped. 

There then followed the unsettling fallout with his sister Caroline, a professional lightweight he is still not on speaking terms with, and partly as a consequence his separation from McGuigan and therefore move to Charles – more recently assisted by Kieran Farrell.

Whether the rebuilding process, post-Usyk, would have been anywhere near as rapid or dramatic as it has proved without the influence of the investment of the General Entertainment Authority – and Warren’s influence on the GEA – is unlikely, but if it is the promoter’s job to create opportunities for his fighter, then he has delivered as effectively as Dubois has ridden the significant risks.

“He found a bit of confidence [around the Miller fight],” says Warren. “He’s grown up, and matured. Mentally, he’s matured. He done a job that night [in December 2023] and showed how dangerous he is from the first round to the 10th round. That 10th round, when he caught him with that hook – he’s ‘gone’. 

“He showed a couple of things, that fight. He showed a bit of heart; he showed he’s dangerous at any time, and he showed he’s got a good engine.

“After that fight, the Hrgovic opportunity was there, and nobody was fighting Hrgovic. He was an avoided fighter; he had a very good amateur background. I really did fancy him to knock Hrgovic out. He’s young, he’s big, and I felt it was a win-win for him – the worst case was he was going to get some tremendous experience from it. 

“The first couple of rounds Hrgovic was moving well, and he was catching [Dubois] with a lot of right hands, which I didn’t like. But he gritted his teeth, then started throwing his own shots, caught him a couple of times – you can see there was a slight change in the way the fight was going; the momentum – after that he just got on top.

“The consensus is that Joshua’s going to beat him, so Joshua’s gotta live up to that. The pressure is on him.”

In this breakdown of Caleb Plant’s recent win over Trevor McCumby, we get a glimpse inside the corner through Stephen "Breadman" Edwards' insightful coaching adjustments during the fight. Breadman highlights how Caleb adapted from their original game plan, showcasing his versatility and ability to adjust mid-fight, a key factor in his victory. Plant’s persistence and willingness to follow his trainer’s lead helped him overcome McCumby's initial explosive energy.

The commentary from fans praises Caleb's increased power and assertiveness in the ring, speculating that this version of him could pose a serious threat to Canelo Alvarez in a rematch. While some fans are now eyeing Canelo's next opponent, there's speculation that Tim Tszyu could be a viable option after a few more big wins.

Edwards also touches on the technical side of the sport, commending Plant for embracing a new fighting style against a dangerous opponent like McCumby. This ability to learn and adapt, even in the heat of battle, is what could make Plant a major player in future bouts, including any potential rematch against Canelo.

#CalebPlant #BreadmanEdwards #TrevorMcCumby #CaneloAlvarez #BoxingNews #TimTszyu

Former world champion Shawn Porter is in agreement with the many boxing fans who believe Carlos Castro should’ve earned more than he got from the Stephen “Cool Boy” Fulton fight last Saturday.

Fulton was adjudged a split decision winner over Castro in a close featherweight contest on the Canelo Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga undercard at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Judges scored the bout 94-95, 96-93, and 95-94 in favor of Fulton.

Assessing the fight on his “The PorterWay Podcast”, Porter, a two-time welterweight champion, said Castro was a victim of the business side of boxing.

“Boxing tells you who to watch,” Porter said. “And what I mean by that is the business: who they feel is going to move the money, move the ticket sales. They're telling you who to watch.

“Once upon a time, they were telling you to watch Rolly and Rolly ain't really being Rolly. And even when Rolly was doing the big knockouts and stuff like that, again, when you look at the opposition, that wasn't a Stephen Fulton-Carlos Castro kind of fight.

“You know what I mean? And so now you're looking at the name Stephen Fulton, you're looking at where he's coming from.”

Mexico’s Castro, 30-3, (14 KOs), was at his best against 30-year-old Fulton of Philadelphia, recording a knockdown in five. But Fulton (22-1, 8 KOs), a former unified titlist at 122, rallied back to record a narrow decision victory in his debut 126-pound fight.

Despite believing Castro, 30, proved his mettle in the fight, Porter admitted he had Fulton ahead on his scorecards.

“I had him (Fulton) clearly winning and I apologize if my score is off,” admitted Porter. “I don't think it is, but I apologize if my score I felt like he was at certain points a half step behind Cool Boy, and then the other points, a full step behind Cool Boy.

“And there were only a couple of rounds where it was clear and concise that he (Castro) won three rounds, and one of those was a knockdown round.”

The win over Castro is Fulton’s first since losing his unified WBC and WBO junior featherweight titles to hard-hitting Japanese Naoya Inoue last July. On his long-awaited return, Fulton came out tops in a performance many believe was disappointing.

On Fulton’s performance, Porter said, “This is Fulton’s first fight moving up. We've seen Carlos drop off in a few of the big fights that he's been in, and we don't think this is gonna be what it ended up being.

“Carlos Castro is the real deal, but he just doesn’t have a name. So, you guys don't look at him like that. Think about it like the NFL or the NBA. There’re so many great players in the game, but we only talk about those significant quarterbacks.”

#ShawnPorter #CarlosCastro #StephenFulton #CaneloAlvarez #EdgarBerlanga #RollyRomero #NaoyaInoue #ThePorterWayPodcast #TMobileArena #BoxingBusiness #SplitDecision #CoolBoyFulton #BoxingFans #FeatherweightBoxing #BoxingNews

Ali Akhmedov was supposed to win – and win convincingly – Friday in Dublin, Ireland, with he and his team anticipating a title eliminator that would set up the super middleweight from Kazakhstan to soon challenge for a belt.

The prognosticators were half-right.

Akhmedov indeed slipped out of 3Arena with a split decision victory over Pierre Hubert Dibombe, but anyone would be hard-pressed to justify exactly how after Dibombe scored a knockdown against Akhmedov and objectively dominated the second half of the fight.

Judges scored it 97-92 for Dibombe (an objectively reasonable score), 95-94 for Akhmedov (a stretch) and 96-93 for Akhmedov (patently ludicrous).

Akhmedov (22-1, 16 KOs) pumped a steady jab early, while Dibombe mostly pondered and worked in short bursts. Dibombe landed a leaping left hook as Akhmedov backed out in the second, but that was the only action of note in the frame.

In the third and fourth rounds, both fighters upped their activity levels – if only a little – as Akhmedov continued firing a stick at Dibombe’s high guard and Dibombe occasionally emerged from his shell to lunge forward with a sharp jab or looping right hand. Dibombe (22-2-1, 12 KOs), a 32-year-old from France and a reported 7-to-1 underdog going into the fight, could have been more aggressive in the early rounds, but he landed nearly all of the most eye-catching and effective punches – even more so as the fight wore on.

More than once in the fifth, Akhmedov bounced Dibombe backwards with a textbook one-two, but those sequences were neutralized by Dibombe, now gradually opening up, landing a booming right hand and a slick left hook.

Dibombe began finding his timing and burning hotter in the fight’s second half, catching Akhmedov moving forward with a counter jab and occasionally closing distance to lead himself. With trainer Jonathan Banks imploring Akhmedov to focus on and work off his own jab, the Kazakh fighter obliged – but not nearly often enough, and far too predictably.

In the eighth, Akhmedov’s tentativeness and habit of backing straight out caught up to him, as Dibombe exploded forward, missing with a lead jab and a right-hand follow-up but tagging Akhmedov with another quick jab to send him to the canvas. It was a flash knockdown that caught Akhmedov leaning, but it counted just the same.

Although Dibombe never went for broke, he was more active, aggressive and effective over the final rounds, while Akhmedov appeared visibly flummoxed and his corner vented outward frustration at the lack of answers. Before the 10th, Banks told Akhmedov that he needed the round simply to walk away with a draw – and any sane-of-mind scorer with two eyes would have seen Dibombe winning that session as well.

It was a running theme, apparently, as Emmet Brennan edged Kevin Cronin one fight earlier, winning a disputed split decision in what was at least a physical and more competitive battle of super middleweights.

Both fighters were there to be hit, but the 28-year-old Cronin (8-2-1, 4 KOs), of Country Kerry, Ireland, appeared to do more of the hitting while seemingly earning a majority of the fight’s scheduled eight rounds. He turned in effective body work and found a home for some teeth-rattling power shots set up by a long jab, outlanding Brennan 163-137 on total punches, according to CompuBox statistics.

But Dublin’s Brennan (4-0, 1 KOs) was cagey inside, at times smothering Cronin’s length and landing his own short, hammering shots. The 33-year-old Brennan mostly matched Cronin’s pace, and even clubbed his countryman with two uppercuts late in the eighth round that, with a bit more zip on them, might have ended the affair more decisively.

Cronin – bruised, swollen and smiling during the announcing of the scorecards – was immediately furious with the outcome: a score of 77-75 in his favor, along with two more cards (78-75 and 78-74) for Brennan.

“I blocked a lot of his shots on the inside,” Brennan said when interviewed in the ring afterward. “When we’d break, I was catching him with the 1-2 every single time. … It was a very close fight, though I wouldn’t call it a robbery.”

#AliAkhmedov #PierreHubertDibombe #JonathanBanks #EmmetBrennan #KevinCronin #SuperMiddleweight #ControversialWin #SplitDecision #DublinFight #BoxingJudges #KazakhstanBoxing #FrenchBoxer #IrishBoxing #BoxingPolitics #Knockdown

Junior middleweight Callum Walsh scored a highlight-reel knockout over Przemyslaw Runowski in front of a raucous home crowd on Friday at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.

Walsh (12-0, 10 KOs) stopped Runowski (22-3-1, 6 KOs) at 2:06 of the second round, marking a successful homecoming for Ireland's 23-year-old Walsh, who previously had yet to fight in his home country as a pro.

Walsh started cautiously, looking to counter as the lively Dublin crowd roared him on. Despite limited power, Runowski pressed forward but was stunned by a left hand from Walsh late in the first round. Redness began to show on Runowski’s body as Walsh closed the round with a sharp straight left.

In the second round, Walsh opened with a body shot from the southpaw stance, then dropped his hands to his hips, emulating a gunslinger demeanor. He soon floored Runowski with a powerful left hand after absorbing a right hand from his opponent. Though Runowski beat the count right at 10, the referee waved off the contest.

A representative from 360 Promotions confirmed to BoxingScene that the event was a sellout, with 8,000 in attendance. The fight, promoted by 360 Promotions, was broadcast globally on UFC Fight Pass.

Following the fight, Walsh joked about the festive atmosphere, saying, "I hope Dana White [UFC's CEO and president] brought his umbrella” – a reference to the beers flying down to the ring after his win.

Reflecting on his knockout, Walsh added, “This is unbelievable. They said he’d never been stopped until he faced me. I just hit too hard.”

Walsh, who is riding a three-fight knockout streak, hinted at frequent returns to Ireland for future fights. “Dana White told me we’re coming back. This is just the beginning,” he said.

With eyes on bigger challenges, Walsh declared, “I’m a contender, not a prospect. I’m coming for all the belts, and I want to bring them back to the Irish people.”

#CallumWalsh #PrzemyslawRunowski #DanaWhite #360Promotions #UFCFightPass #Boxing #IrelandBoxing #JuniorMiddleweight #DublinFightNight #KnockoutVictory #FightNight #3Arena #KOStreak #IrishBoxing #UFC

Regardless of the score, or the balance of play, it is inevitable. It is usually shouted with about a minute to go in the match and the implication, when it is called, is that everything that came before it, including even the score, is now effectively irrelevant. 

“Next goal wins,” somebody shouts, at which point both teams, liberated by the permission to forget the scoreline, try to get hold of the football and score the all-important goal. One team achieves this; the other team complains, begs for more time.

In boxing terms, there is an argument to be made that Saturday’s (September 21) heavyweight fight between Daniel Dubois, the IBF champion, and Anthony Joshua, the former champion, is an example of Next Goal Wins. Certainly, if you view it through the eyes of the two promoters involved, the fight carries every hallmark of a Next Goal Wins scenario. 

After all, three and a half months ago Matchroom Boxing and Queensberry Promotions were engaging in a Five vs. Five event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during which scores were kept and bragging rights were at stake. That night, Queensberry happened to sweep the board, winning all five of the fights involving Queensberry boxers and Matchroom boxers in a rather emphatic rout. There were wins for Willy Hutchinson, Nick Ball, Hamzah Sheeraz, Daniel Dubois, and Zhilei Zhang, while the biggest winner of them all was arguably Frank Warren, in effect the manager of this thriving five-a-side outfit. Slowly throughout the night his counterpart, Eddie Hearn, could be seen slipping lower and lower into his seat and by its conclusion was conspicuous by his silence. Warren, in contrast, had never looked so smug. 

Prior to fight night, Hearn, as expected, had been by far the more vocal. He was the one cutting promos, extolling the virtues of his five avatars, and claiming victory for Matchroom would once and for all establish their promotional superiority in Great Britain. To then have to surrender to Warren in such fashion will have no doubt wounded Brentwood’s finest, if only on a superficial, utterly trivial level. Hearn, let’s not forget, is a competitor, someone who likes to back himself and his boys, and someone who believes he is the best at what he does. Losing 5-0 to Warren, or Queensberry, is no reflection on his ability to promote per se, but it was nevertheless a reminder that what happens in a ring between two fighters trumps anything a promoter, often just guessing like any other fan, says beforehand. 

Still, in the end, it all meant nothing. It meant nothing, one, because promoting is promoting and fighting is fighting, and two, because the only kind of fighters the two promoters were willing to let participate were those for whom defeat was not the end of the world. Each of the boxers involved, in fact, were either fringe contenders, older fighters, or fighters so young they could conceivably suffer a loss and still go on to have a fruitful and long career. They were not, in other words, gambling with their prized assets that night, Warren and Hearn. Good fighters, yes, maybe even future assets, but not the crown jewels so to speak. 

This was perhaps best exemplified by the night’s heavyweight fight: Zhilei Zhang vs. Deontay Wilder. This matchup, while intriguing on paper, contained absolutely zero jeopardy or even meaning by the time it came around. Not only was the tie sewn up by then (with Queensberry boxers winning all four previous fights), but it had also dawned on us that a defeat for either Zhang or Wilder would barely register for their respective promoters. Indeed, in the case of Wilder, he was not even officially promoted by Matchroom, but merely a wild card they had drafted in to provide the event with a high-profile heavyweight fight. Zhang, meanwhile, a 41-year-old from China who has become something of a cult hero, is the kind of heavyweight we have grown accustomed to seeing in recent decades, particularly when seeing them walk in front of promoters like Don King. That is to say, he is the kind of heavyweight relevant and loved only for as long as he keeps winning. For the Saudis, he is perfect. A defeat for Zhang breaks nobody’s heart, hurts nobody’s business, and is felt only by Zhang, the one who takes the punches. 

It made sense, then, for Zhang and Wilder to get together for Five vs. Five. The epitome of low risk, at least for the two promoters involved, there was a feeling by the end of it all that it didn’t really matter who won because their links to these promoters were tenuous at best. Neither Matchroom nor Queensberry needed their heavyweight to win that night, that’s for sure. 

The same cannot be said for the heavyweight fight this Saturday, of course. This one, which features Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, again sees Hearn and Warren go head-to-head only now there is more on the line; now there is a feeling that it all means something. Joshua, for instance, has since turning pro in 2013 been Matchroom’s primary breadwinner, while Dubois has played a similar role at Queensberry, albeit to nowhere near the same degree. They are also heavyweight poster boys, Joshua and Dubois, meaning that from a promoter’s point of view a win here delivers not just bragging rights but the chance to then establish their heavyweight as the biggest draw in the country. Joshua, it could be argued, is already there, already that , yet to remain in this position and strengthen his position he cannot afford to slip up against Dubois. Dubois, likewise, cannot entertain the prospect of defeat, either. Not if he wants to hold on to his IBF heavyweight belt and not if he wants to one day fight either Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch, or Tyson Fury, the consensus two best heavyweights in the world. Moreover, for Dubois, someone who has yet to enjoy the same fame or wealth as Joshua, a win in this fight unlocks the door to superstardom, something Frank Warren, his promoter, will have been dreaming about for years. 

Warren, in fairness, has invested heavily in Dubois, just as Hearn has invested heavily in Joshua. For both these men, in fact, the two heavyweights appearing on Saturday represent passion projects developed from the ground up; day one. Dubois was just 19 when he turned pro with Warren, while Joshua, the 2012 Olympic champion, was 23. Since then, both have had their highs and lows, yet consistent throughout has been their promoter, with each of them, Warren and Hearn, keeping the faith.

Maybe, on account of them being heavyweights, and the division being so lucrative, this was always going to be the case. But still, credit should go to the two teams for staying tethered when so often in boxing we see a boxer leave a promoter, or a promoter leave a boxer, when the going gets tough. 

What this means now, in the context of Saturday’s fight, is that there is a real bond and attachment between fighter and promoter, which in turn guarantees that there will be plenty at stake when Joshua and Dubois take centre stage; far more than was ever at stake during the five fights Warren and Hearn concocted in June. Now at stake are a multitude of things. There is, on the one hand, a belt at stake: the IBF belt currently owned by Dubois and previously owned by Joshua. There are also bragging rights, both promotionally and territorially, with Joshua and Dubois hailing from London, England. Then you have the small matter of past, present and future, all of which are on the line in this fight and therefore at risk. Defeat for either man will, rightly or wrongly, reframe their past, have a detrimental impact on their present, and have some sort of effect, again detrimental, on their future. Their long-serving promoter, meanwhile, will experience a similar tremor, with the damage considerable and the desire to shout “Next goal wins!” – or perhaps, “Best of five!” – an overwhelming one.

#DanielDubois #AnthonyJoshua #JoshuaVsDubois #HeavyweightBoxing #IBFBelt #MatchroomBoxing #QueensberryPromotions #BoxingClash #BritishBoxing #LondonBoxing #FightNight #BoxingRivalry #Joshua #Dubois #BoxingShowdown #LegacyFight

GLENDALE, Arizona – Jaime Munguia has navigated narrow bouts before, sweating out scorecards and fretting in the center of the ring waiting to see if the referee will raise his hand.

As Friday’s super middleweight fight with Canada’s Erik Bazinyan started to take on the form of those others, Munguia flipped the script by ripping his fists toward his opponent.

Thanks to that extended barrage of blows that sent Bazinyan reeling from one side of the ring to the other, Munguia eliminated any of that past tension and set forth on a new segment of his career by knocking out Bazinyan 2 minutes and 36 seconds into the 10th round.

“It was a fight I had to dig in to win. I had to be smart and break him down,” Munguia said. “In the 10th, I came out with everything.”

Returning from an action-fight defeat on Cinco de Mayo weekend against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the 27-year-old Munguia (44-1, 35 KOs) made a power move toward free agency after fighting this bout under the Top Rank banner following an extended run from his time as a junior middleweight titleholder to the Canelo setback.

“He’s going to make the decision,” Munguia’s Mexican promoter Fernando Beltran told BoxingScene minutes after the bout’s completion.

Top Rank President Todd duBoef, whose company has expressed interest and plans for retaining Munguia, said he was impressed with both the enthusiasm of the 6,000-plus fans at Desert Diamond Arena and the way Munguia answered the challenge of Bazinyan (32-1-1).

“I thought there were a couple rounds he fought brilliantly, and a couple rounds he let [Bazinyan] dictate the pace,” duBoef said. “And that’s all part of this next chapter for him. It’s a comeback. Like the ebb and the flow of the fight … when he decided, ‘I’m going to motherfucking press it,’ he pulled it out. He proved he’s a guy who can finish, and always photogenic.”

Munguia laid the heavier leather on Bazinyan through three rounds, starting swelling under the Canadian’s left eye in the third and pressing the action as Bazinyan worked for opportunities to counter.

Munguia seemed willing to accept those punches as petty inconveniences to the more disabling heavier blows he was seeking to land. His continued steps forward in search of that damage brought the same kind of entertainment he created in the Alvarez loss to this evening.

But as Bazinyan’s counterpunching gave Munguia some problems in the fourth and fifth rounds, the bout seemed to turn.

“I was feeling very comfortable and felt good – he was frustrated,” Bazinyan said. “He wasn’t comfortable with my counterpunches.”

Munguia tended to body work in the sixth, and then rocked Bazinyan back to Munguia’s corner with an extended combination that featured hard right hands.

But Bazinyan answered the pain, banging his gloves together and backing up Munguia with a right hand to the face.

New Munguia trainer Erik Morales admitted to duBoef that he was influenced by his own fighting days – “the judges like me” – in instructing Munguia to take it easy in the ninth round and go all out in the 10th.

The strategy was sublime, showing Munguia as a battering force capable of destructing this top-five super middleweight contender and moving his career forward as top-ranked contenders such as Top Rank’s Christian Mbilli, along with Diego Pacheco and recent fellow Alvarez foes Caleb Plant and Edgar Berlanga, await.

“This was a great experience … [those contenders] are capable of making great wars, too,” Munguia said.

#JaimeMunguia #ErikBazinyan #Boxing #SuperMiddleweight #TopRank #KO #CaneloAlvarez #DesertDiamondArena #ChristianMbilli #CalebPlant #EdgarBerlanga #BoxingVictory #FightNight #Munguia #Bazinyan

On Saturday, US fight fans will get a reminder that boxing isn’t just an American pastime – it’s a global sport, and let’s be honest, we tend to forget that.

Daniel Dubois is putting his IBF heavyweight title on the line against Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in London. Here’s the kicker: it’s not just the main event that should have your attention.

On the undercard, you’ll find names like Tyler Denny, a middleweight who’s been quietly making moves. But unless you’re glued to boxing streams at odd hours, you’ve probably never seen him fight. His bouts have rarely made it on to US television, so most fans here are completely missing out on his rise. Then there’s Willy Hutchinson, who’s taking on Joshua Buatsi for the WBO interim light-heavyweight title. Buatsi, you’ll recall, is a 2016 British Olympian training under Virgil Hunter, a name that should ring bells. Hutchinson? He’s a guy who took out Craig Richards in June opening the 5 v. 5 card, yet he’s flying under the radar Stateside.

While we’re on the subject of fighters US fans are sleeping on – sometimes literally – let’s not forget Naoya Inoue. Pound-for-pound one of the best in the world, but his fights air at 3am or 4am PST. Maybe 6am or 7am if you’re on the East Coast. So you’re probably not catching those live. It’s part of a bigger shift – fewer American fighters hold titles these days, and places like Saudi Arabia are becoming more of a focal point. It’s not all about the US anymore. Just something to think about as you sip your coffee.

Next weekend features a Top Rank card in New York City, but after that? The action again moves overseas. Nick Ball-Ronny Rios in the UK, Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol in Saudi Arabia, and a two-night title extravaganza in Japan. After one week, we’ll go almost a month with most of the big fights happening outside of the US.

As we gear up for yet another fight at a less-than-convenient hour – though, really, is it that bad? – remember, there’s something kind of fun about watching a big fight at some ungodly time.

In fact, it is fun to glorify at times. Here is a story about one such moment of waking up early for a fight. 

In 2009, I spent six months living in Armenia. The experience was a lot – I was living near the Cascade and soaking in the culture, but staying connected to my love for boxing? That took some effort. Luckily, a small cafe became my go-to for fight nights.

One that still makes me smile was the pay-per-view between Shane Mosley and Sergio Mora. At the time Mora didn’t know me from a stick in the mud, though we’ve since crossed paths. Mosley, on the other hand, was a staple of my childhood. His fights were like the music of Britney Spears or Limp Bizkit – always around, even if I wasn’t seeking them out. Growing up, it seemed like every year I’d end up at a friend's house, and at some point, Mosley was fighting and I was watching.

Mora was my guy. My grandpa, who got me into boxing, watched The Contender TV series with me. We had already followed Mike Tyson, but after his infamous ear-biting incident against Evander Holyfield it became harder to watch boxing for me. Tyson was our guy, and when he lost it stung. The Contender came at a time when I wasn’t as plugged into boxing, but my grandpa and I latched on to Mora. He won, and I was hooked.

So while many people shrugged off Mosley-Mora, I was all in. I remember watching a pre-fight video where Mora mentioned doing push-ups on a medicine ball to handle Mosley’s clinches. I tried it myself – tiny glimpses of training I thought I’d never get to see.

In Armenia, finding a place to watch the fight was tricky. I chatted with a local cafe owner, whose kids were my age, and they found a way to buy the fight; they also were below my apartment. A 5am wake-up call was necessary. My mom, who was in Armenia for business, and I walked down from our apartment with spiral stairs and an iron gate to the cafe. We waited until a light flickered on, signaling the owner was ready. I handed over way too much money for coffee and a pastry, and then we settled in.

The familiar sound of HBO Boxing filled the air, and Jim Lampley’s voice – the soundtrack to so many fights from my youth – greeted us. Maybe it was the international feed, but I want to believe it was Lampley. Either way, I was overjoyed. The cafe owner gave me a reassuring tap on the shoulder, and we watched the fight together. I scored it for Mora, and though it ended in a draw, I didn’t mind.

Homesick and far from my usual comforts, that fight made me feel connected to something familiar. In a world that feels so big, sometimes it’s the small things – like a boxing match at 5am – that makes all the difference.

Though I made the walk to watch fights after this again, this was the best one. 

So while Saturday’s fight might be timed kindly for those in the US, just remember that with each major fight someone is always inconvenienced. US fight fans are rarely inconvenienced, so when we are it is probably annoying to the rest of the world if we object to a 3pm PST main event. Some have it far worse.

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This weekend at Wembley Stadium, British heavyweight boxing – at its proverbial home – will again be at the center of the boxing world, but it was not always like that. 

It took almost 100 years from Bob Fitzsimmons’ reign as heavyweight champion for another to be crowned from British shores, and there was plenty of unkind mockery and name-calling that went before.

The brave efforts of Tommy Farr, Don Cockell and Henry Cooper against Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali respectively only served to enhance Great Britain’s unwanted reputation as the land of the Horizontal Heavyweights. 

That is not so in the modern era, rather a new status quo that if the finest heavyweights in the world do not come from Britain alone, at least they do hail from Europe. 

Still, here are some all-British heavyweight fights – some memorable, some controversial, some brilliant – that have left their mark on history, the same way IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua hope to on Saturday.

Bruce Woodcock w ko 14 Freddie Mills (June 2, 1949)

Former light heavyweight champion Mills, from Bournemouth, was up and down repeatedly, climbing off the deck in the first, fourth, eighth, 10 th and 12 th rounds before Doncaster’s Woodcock stopped Mills with a right hand in the 14 th round. Mills weighed just 175 1/2lbs, and he came in at 173lbs for the final fight of his career six months later against Joey Maxim for the world light heavyweight title.

Defeating Mills was a repeat win after Woodcock had won their first fight in 1946.

Henry Cooper w tko 11 Joe Erskine (November 17, 1959)

Memorably, Joe Erskine was – according to one commentator – turned into a “human violin bow” when on the wrong end of a devastating left hook, also known as ‘Enry’s Hammer’.

Erskine held points wins over Cooper from 1955 and 1957, but Cooper won their fourth fight in five rounds in 1961, and Cooper stopped him again in 1962.

Joe Bugner w pts 15 Henry Cooper (March 16, 1971)

Bugner won the European, Commonwealth and British titles following 15 so-so rounds which saw referee Harry Gibbs score the contest six rounds to five with four rounds even.

Bugner, at 21, was 15 years Cooper’s junior and the crowd at Wembley’s Empire Pool “booed and stamped their feet in protest” at the decision.

Just eight days on from the first Frazier-Ali fight, an incensed Cooper did what Marvin Hagler would later do after his contentious loss to Sugar Ray Leonard, in that he walked away from boxing – and kept on walking. 

“That’s it for me, I’m finished now. It’s a choker having to go out like this,” said the always popular Cooper.

“I thought I had done just enough to win,” countered Bugner. “I managed to keep out the way of his left hand and those that did connect didn’t hurt. I feel wonderful.” 

Frank Bruno w ko 8 Joe Bugner (October 24, 1987)

The fight was frowned upon before the first bell, with the contest dubbed “a mundane domestic pairing of two men who have each been discredited by failures at international level… Bruno and Bugner have made their own contributions to the dismal annals of British heavyweight boxing, but tomorrow they will become the country’s highest paid failures.”

Bugner was 37, Bruno 11 years his junior, and the younger man boxed patiently for seven rounds before pouncing in the eighth to decisively capture victory at Tottenham Hotspur’s White Hart Lane.

Barry Hearn, along with Mickey Duff and Terry Lawless, promoted.

Horace Notice w tko 10 Hughroy Currie (March 9, 1988)

Notice and Currie fought twice, both times with British and Commonwealth titles on the line. The second fight marked Notice’s third defense of his Lonsdale Belt but the boxing media remained skeptical. “Time will prove Notice’s worth,” wrote one journalist. “He is a good performer, not particularly outstanding in any one department of his trade but proficient all-round.” 

In their initial encounter, both fighters were floored. In the rematch, neither touched down although Currie was “being driven around the ring and caught squarely to the jaw” when the end came.

Currie, surmised one ringsider, “fought very bravely, but in the end ran out of gas. He never ran out of heart.”

Lennox Lewis w tko 7 Gary Mason (March 6, 1991) 

In a fight billed as one that would prove which British heavyweight was ready for an assault on world honors, Lennox Lewis came through his big test with heavy-punching Londoner Gary Mason.

Mason was 35-0 and No. 4 with the WBC, but his aspirations were “ruthlessly exposed by the superior boxing skills and physical gifts of Lewis,” wrote one ringsider.

Inside Wembley Arena, Mason’s right eye swelled from the third, and undoubtedly hindered him in front of a crowd of only around 6,000 but great things awaited Lewis, whose immediate future would spawn contests against Derek Williams and Glenn McCrory. 

“The real test… will come when he takes on a leading American,” wrote one observer. “Then we’ll see if beating Gary Mason was the highlight of his career – or just a stepping stone.”  

Lennox Lewis w tko 7 Frank Bruno (October 1, 1993)

Heavy rain threatened to cause the cancellation of the all-British WBC title fight between champion Lewis and perennial bridesmaid, at the time, Bruno at the stadium in Cardiff.

Lennox had not had things all his own way by the time the end came. Bruno had enjoyed moments of success and landed some of his biggest shots.

“Had those punches been landed by a hitter like Tommy Morrison, against whom Lewis defends in Las Vegas in March, or the ‘real’ world champion Riddick Bowe, we might now be writing the end of this most promising chapter in the history of Britain’s century-long search for a world heavyweight king,” read one ringside report.

Herbie Hide w ko 7 Michael Bentt (March 19, 1994)

The bout was recognized – if only by the fledgling WBO at the time – as a world title fight, and plenty criticized it for that. Hall of Fame boxing writer Harry Mullan deemed it “a travesty” that the 25-0 Hide was untested but somehow the WBO’s No. 3, while he took some solace in Bentt’s quick upset destruction of Tommy Morrison to at least mark him as a contender.

The build-up was marred by an ugly, infamous press conference brawl that saw both men rolling around in puddles in suits trying to get at one another following a press conference – costing them £10,000 fines apiece, but after an eighth-round stoppage, Mullan admitted “The big time beckons for Herbie Hide.”

Promoter Barry Hearn was clearly delighted with Norwich’s Hide, claiming Herbie was “the second coming of Ali… he may be the best the world has ever seen.”

Danny Williams w tko 6 Mark Potter (October 21, 2000)

In one of the most astonishing turnarounds in boxing, an almost-beaten Danny Williams, right arm dangling uncontrollably by his side courtesy of a dislocated right shoulder, produced an unforgettable left hand to knock out Potter in dramatic fashion.

Sky commentator Adam Smith was screaming how Williams was having to “hold on for dear life” and how the shoulder was “completely gone” and “he’s in a no-win situation.”

Then, Williams landed a hook-cum-uppercut and Smith cried, “Oh, that’s unbelievable!” and it was all over.

David Haye w tko 5 Derek Chisora (July 14, 2012)

This controversial clash at West Ham’s Upton Park stadium was licensed by the Luxembourg boxing federation. Both fighters had been suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control after a violent fracas in Germany following Chisora’s decision defeat to Vitali Klitschko. 

But with Luxembourg licensing both boxers, the fight was on and arguably Haye was never better, certainly at heavyweight. He did something no one else – and the list is long – has been able to do, by getting rid of Chisora in devastating fashion in five rounds.

“He’s got one of the best chins in the business, but I don’t think he’s going to get up this time,” cried John Rawling, on commentary for BoxNation, as Chisora was wasted by a final left hook.

Tyson Fury w rtd 10 Derek Chisora (November 29, 2014)

This was their second fight and possibly the most meaningful. They met earlier in their careers, when both were respective novices, and later in their careers, when Fury was at the top and Chisora was over the hill, but this one was arguably with both closest to their primes.

But it was all Fury, who boxed most of the fight as a left-hander, bamboozling and bewitching Chisora before ultimately breaking him down and forcing Chisora’s corner to pull him out following 10 one-sided rounds. 

Anthony Joshua w tko 7 Dillian Whyte (December 12, 2015)

This was, in some ways, ahead of its time and a rematch years later, scuppered due to an adverse finding for PEDs by Whyte, resulted in late notice sub Robert Helenius deputising (and also later testing positive).

But there was an appetite for a Joshua-Whyte rematch given the nature of their long rivalry, which stemmed back to their amateur days.

When they met, at the O2 Arena in London in 2015, Joshua got on top of fun fight in the seventh and closed the show, launching Whyte into the ropes with a right uppercut before he sagged loosely with his left arm draped over the bottom strand.

Joshua added the British title to his Commonwealth strap, but was now emerging onto the world scene.

Dillian Whyte w sd 12 Derek Chisora (December 10, 2016)

If the old adage style make fights is true – and sometimes it is – then Whyte and Chisora were always going to get down and dirty and turn in a violent fight. They have managed it twice. This first one, with both nearer their peaks, preceded the one that was heading the same way as this contest until Whyte bombed Chisora out with a terrific left hook late on. 

“Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora gave us an absolute thriller, savage, beautiful, beautiful brutality,” said Adam Smith at the end of 12 breathless rounds.

Calling for a round of applause from inside the Manchester Arena, Michael Buffer announced: “We have witnessed one hell of a heavyweight contest.”

The crowd stood as one and applauded as they listened to the split decision, 115-114 Chisora, 115-113 and 115-114 for Whyte.

Tyson Fury w tko 6 Dillian Whyte (April 23, 2022)

The curious build-up culminated with a huge night in Wembley Stadium and arguably Fury had never looked better, patiently dissecting Whyte before landing a thudding right uppercut that spelled the end of the bout. 

Whyte was flat on his back, then rolled onto his front and tried to get up, but the fight was stopped and as Whyte was consoled by the referee, Fury went and kissed him on the head.

It was all over after 2.59 on the sixth round.

Joe Joyce w ko 10 Daniel Dubois (November 28, 2020)

As lockdown gripped the world – and the sporting world – the 15-0 (14 KOs) Dubois and the 11-0 (10 KOs) Joyce, fought in front of a select audience at Church House in London. Joyce got his jab motoring early on, but the fight was not defined by how it started but by how it ended. 

With Dubois’ left eye swelling shut, in round 10 Joyce stepped in behind a jab and Dubois took a knee, where he remained listening to the count of referee Ian John-Lewis. Joyce left with the British, Commonwealth and European titles to his name while Dubois left with the scorn of the online community ringing in his ears and labels attached to his name that have taken years to shift.

“What can I say, he caught me with a good jab and his jab was accurate,” said Dubois. “I couldn’t see out of the eye. It just happens, man. I can’t explain it.”

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I’m very excited about Daniel Dubois-Anthony Joshua. It’s a fight between two heavyweights who can punch, and who can be vulnerable. 

It’s at Wembley Stadium, and approaching 100,000 people are expected to attend. It’s a classic, fun heavyweight fight that reminds me of the heavyweight division of the 1990s.

When in August 2023 Dubois lost to Oleksandr Usyk, it was hard to imagine him entering an occasion like Saturday’s. We’ve seen a major change in his psychology since then. He overcame Jarrell Miller, after Miller – who might be the best trash talker in the sport – abused him all week. His next opponent, Filip Hrgovic, also really talked down to him, and he overcame that and, in turn, broke Hrgovic the bully. 

I was very impressed with both performances – and I’d picked Miller and Hrgovic to win, and believe that the powers that be wanted Miller and Hrgovic to win so that they could be matched with Joshua. It’s really difficult to disrupt plans like those twice in succession. 

Physically, I didn’t believe anything was missing anyway – that’s why there was a sense of excitement around Dubois early in his career. But the psychology was lacking – as was shown when he succumbed in the moment against Usyk. 

I agree with those saying that Dubois has heavier hands than Joshua, but that doesn’t mean he’s the better puncher. He has more raw power, and to the extent he could be off-balance and land a right hand that knocks his opponent out. Joshua, however, has the perfect blend of speed, technique and power – he’s the best knockout puncher in the world.

I also agree that Dubois has the better punch resistance. Hrgovic, who also has power, landed some big punches, and Dubois very impressively took them. 

Where Dubois defeated Miller and Hrgovic, Joshua stopped Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou, and as a consequence we’re being told that the confidence that was lacking against Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius has been restored. Ben Davison, his trainer for those two fights, appears to have helped him rediscover his self-belief. The question is how real that confidence will prove against another world-class puncher – which neither Wallin or Ngannou are. It also strikes me as relevant that Dubois is also British, the underdog, and promoted by Queensberry Promotions – the rivals of Joshua’s promoters Matchroom.

My belief is that if, like against Franklin, Joshua struggles to hurt Dubois early, we may see him change his approach. When that first hook from Dubois goes whizzing past his face, and he senses how powerfully Dubois can punch, if Joshua responds by deciding he’s not willing to risk being hit to land the punches capable of stopping Dubois, we’re going to see a very different fight. If he decides he wants to be cautious, his jab is good enough to keep Dubois at range. Those opening rounds will be particularly intriguing – and could even feature one or the other being stopped. 

Joshua being as intimidating as he is – from Dubois’ perspective, on paper at least – will also test Dubois early. He started slowly against Miller and Hrgovic, but needs to fight an aggressive, disciplined fight from the opening bell – which we’ve not yet seen him do.

Joshua’s had some of his greatest nights at Wembley – he retired Wladimir Klitschko, and stopped Alexander Povetkin. The familiarity will matter for him in the same way it matters to so many other fighters who relish fighting wherever they consider home. Mindset, at the highest level, is everything – especially for someone like Joshua. By comparison, it’ll be foreign to Dubois. If Joshua wins there’s also the possibility of him finally fighting Tyson Fury, but I sense he’s fully focused on Dubois.

It took seeing them together to realise how much bigger Joshua is than Dubois. Joshua’s a modern-day super heavyweight – it’s just that he’s so athletic that that’s often forgotten. 

His technical superiority and experience means he has to be considered the favourite – I expect him to win via stoppage in the late rounds, after coming through some difficult periods.

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