Frank Warren has said that reigning IBF heavyweight champ Daniel Dubois will return to motion in February, with the date of Feb. 22 “penciled in” for a Riyadh card. Recent off his crushing KO win over Anthony Joshua, 27 12 months outdated Dubois is in an excellent place, with loads of big-fight choices seemingly open to him.
(Credit score: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
One among these huge fights is a rematch with Joshua, and Warren stated he’s very a lot open to it. Not solely that, however Eddie Hearn says Turki Alalshikh needs to see the rematch and that this might be the struggle AJ takes subsequent – no tune-up.
Warren informed TNT Sports activities that the struggle might occur “in a heartbeat” if Joshua and his group need it.
“I’m not towards that in any respect. That’s not an open door for me, I’ll take the door off the hinges and we’ll do it,” Warren stated concerning a Dubois Vs. Joshua II. “That struggle is there. If they need it, they’ve acquired it, have it in a heartbeat. His subsequent struggle will probably be in February. That’s when he’ll struggle subsequent, and we’ll work out who that’s going to be towards within the subsequent week or two weeks.”
And Hearn informed Discuss Sport that Joshua “will at all times need the rematch” and that his subsequent struggle be on a Riyadh card. It appears it actually might be the speedy rematch with Dubois that AJ takes.
“Rematch clauses are available many various kinds,” Hearn stated. “We have now a struggle with Riyadh Season. One among our choices is to struggle Daniel Dubois once more, and our contract is with them. His Excellency will cope with Frank and Daniel and make that struggle occur. The phrases must be agreed with them. We have now already agreed our phrases, we’ve the choice to rematch with Dubois. Our assembly together with his Excellency, he needs the rematch. AJ will at all times need the rematch. Daniel needs the rematch too. It’s the most important struggle for him and they’ll fancy it. It’s a case of going away and speaking about, can we go straight into the rematch? And when will or not it’s? It was a heavy evening on the workplace, we aren’t going again to struggle in 10-12 weeks, he wants his relaxation and time to get better.”
If the rematch between Dubois and Joshua does occur on February 22, that will probably be 5 months after the primary struggle, the place all of us noticed what occurred to Joshua. Is an instantaneous rematch in any respect sensible for the 34-year-old former two-time champ? Ought to Joshua take a tune-up bout first to get his confidence again? Nonetheless, as Hearn identified, loads of folks suggested Joshua towards going straight again in with Andy Ruiz after Ruiz stopped AJ in June of 2019, but Joshua did it. He acquired his revenge (over a particularly obese Ruiz, it should be stated, however that wasn’t Joshua’s fault).
A return between Dubois and Joshua could be a giant struggle, little question, and there will probably be those that really feel AJ can proper the fallacious. However one other loss to the identical man, by way of an identical end result, and the place does Joshua go then? Credit score to Joshua if he does take the speedy rematch; that is what warriors do. However typically a hoop warrior will be too centered on revenge, on getting again on monitor together with his objective (in Joshua’s case, that of changing into a three-time heavyweight champ) that she or he places long-term well being and speedy security firmly to 1 facet.
Joshua actually could be risking an entire lot if he went proper again in with Dubois once more.
