Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois: AJ has 'demon look in his eyes' during IBF heavyweight title fight | Boxing news

Anthony Joshua is regaining momentum. After two losses to Oleksandr Usyk and a cautious comeback against Jermaine Franklin, the former unified heavyweight champion is in threatening form.

He has three consecutive stoppage victories over Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.

He will look to continue this style when he fights Daniel Dubois for the IBF heavyweight title at Wembley Stadium on September 21, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Many in boxing believe that Joshua will regain his former title.

A snapshot of boxers' opinions on the preliminary fight on September 21st suggests that AJ will be victorious against Dubois.

European champion Tyler Denny, for example, said: “If I had to choose, I would choose Joshua. I think they both have the destructive power to knock each other out and that's why it's so fascinating.”

“If I had to choose, I would choose AJ.”

Former world champions Liam Smith and Josh Warrington agreed.

“In terms of confidence and results, they are in top form. But I think this style suits Joshua more than Dubois,” said Smith.

Warrington said: “They're both big punchers. I'm leaning towards AJ. The reason is he exudes a certain confidence. He still has that demonic look in his eyes and he's been in this situation before.”

But Dubois is not an easy man to beat, having lost twice, last year to the brilliant Usyk and in 2020 when he faced a strong Joe Joyce.

But he recently achieved two solid victories and the interim IBF title, which was later upgraded to a world title.

Kevin Lerena fought Dubois in a London stadium in 2022. The South African was close to winning, but knocked Dubois down three times in the first round before the Briton knocked him out.

Lerena believes Dubois will be a serious opponent for Joshua.

“Yes, he lost to Usyk – but look what Dubois did [Jarrell] Miller and [Filip] Hrgović [in his last two fights]. He is riding the wave, his confidence is sky high and he is a serious heavyweight at the moment,” Lerena told Toe2Toe Podcasts.

“He is very strong. His punches have a lot of power. That's no secret. Most of the guys who have fought or fought with him say the same thing and express the same feelings.

“I think that's his biggest strength. He's a strong guy, he's got a strong punch. But the man he's with is just as strong. AJ is phenomenal.”

“It's a really great fight because both guys are on the rise. I think Daniel has faced better opponents in terms of quality in the last three or four fights. But other than that, AJ did what he had to do given the opponents he was facing. He took them out of the way,” Lerena continued.

“It's a great fight. It's a tough fight for both guys.”

In his opinion, that's why it's difficult to predict the outcome of the fight. “A lot of people use that term very loosely. They say the one who wants it the most on the night will win. Well, that's what's going to happen in this fight,” said Lerena.

“Because they're both strong, they both have punches, and neither of them can afford clean punches to the chin. Because it's the heavyweight game and both can buckle.”

Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight showdown with Daniel Dubois will take place on Saturday, September 21st live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book Joshua v Dubois now!