Anthony Joshua Gets Chance to Redeem Self Against Dubois

Anthony Joshua could redeem himself from last year’s defeat to Daniel Dubois. The British boxer was knocked out by ‘DDD’ at Wembley in their IBF heavyweight title fight in September. However, recent events suggest that a rematch may be on the cards.

Dubois had been eyeing a bout with Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title following his latest victory, but first had to defeat Joseph Parker last month. Unfortunately, Dubois had to withdraw from his first title defence at the Kingdom Arena during fight week. This left Parker to obliterate last-minute replacement Martin Bakole, ending the match in the second round. Although Dubois kept his title due to his withdrawal, he has seemingly lost his chance to fight Usyk – with Parker now set to face the undefeated Ukrainian.

As Parker is currently the WBO’s interim heavyweight champion, the organisation has demanded that Usyk agree to a mandatory defence of his own title within 30 days before they initiate purse bid proceedings, reports the Mirror US.

Meanwhile, Usyk, who claimed a split-decision victory over Tyson Fury at Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Arena last May to become undisputed heavyweight champion, may opt to delay his quest to secure that title a second time. Instead, he might consider giving Parker the chance to challenge for his collection of WBA (Super), WBC, WBO and IBO belts.

This development could pave the way for Joshua to seek a rematch against Dubois for the IBF crown. Notably vocal about his desire for a lucrative bout with Fury in 2025, Joshua’s plans took a turn when the ‘Gypsy King’ hung up his gloves after two defeats to Usyk last year.