Promoter Eddie Hearn insists that Anthony Joshua is too much of a “sniper” for his fight against IBF heavyweight Champion Daniel Dubois to turn into a war on September 21st at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
Joshua’s Prime and Recent Trajectory
Hearn feels that Joshua, 34, is in the absolute prime of his career after breezing through four consecutive opponents and turning his career around. Joshua’s prime was back in 2016, and he’s been on the downward slope since 2019.
That said, many fans feel that Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is just as vulnerable as before and is heading towards oblivion against Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), ready to be exposed again.
For example, Joshua is coming off of a second-round knockout win over Francis Ngannou (0-2) on March 8th, a fighter who didn’t belong in the same ring with him, and it was a travesty that the fight was sanctioned as a professional match.
Doubts and Concerns Over Joshua’s Vulnerability
The fact that Joshua was willing to fight that level of opponent says a lot about how far he’d sunk after his two defeats against Oleksandr Usyk. Those losses took a lot out of Joshua’s self-belief, leaving him willing to fight a 0-1 guy, Otto Wallin, Robert Helenius, and Jermaine Franklin before that.
“It’s not a good time to fight AJ. The key points for me are two massive punchers in their absolute primes,” said Eddie Hearn to Probox TV about Anthony Joshua’s fight against IBF heavyweight Champion Daniel Dubois on September 21st.
It’s a great time for Dubois, 26, to fight Joshua because Joshua is an older fighter, about to turn 35 in October. He’s likely to come out slugging, which will put him at risk of being knocked out by the younger fighter.
Dubois’s Opportunity and Battle-Tested Experience
If this match turns into an early shootout, you have to favor Dubois because he’s battle-tested and has taken hard shots from quality fighters in his recent matches against these guys:
- Filip Hrgovic
- Oleksandr Usyk
- Jarrell Miller
“Some people call it a shootout, but I think AJ is a top sniper,” said Hearn. “He’s too accurate; he’s too good; and I think if you’re going to get hit against Anthony Joshua, you’re going to have serious problems, and AJ’s not going to stand in front of him like Filip Hrgovic and just chip shots.”
Joshua was a sniper against Ngannou, but only because he faced a one-fight novice without experience. That wasn’t a professional fighter who put his time in grade and belonged in the ring with him. A fight like that is totally unfair. It’s like going to the local YMCA, finding some nobody, and signing them up for a fight.
