Daniel Dubois makes Anthony Joshua rematch claim as next fight finally announced

The IBF heavyweight king has a fight booked for February, and while it’s not against Joshua, the Brit has opened the door to a future rematch with the former world champion

IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois has refused to close the door on a rematch with Anthony Joshua after his next fight was recently announced.

‘Dynamite’ is scheduled to make a return to the ring on February 22 and will take on former world champion Joseph Parker in Riyadh. The heavyweight dust-up will serve as the co-headline act as a blockbuster sequel between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol is set to top the bill.

The Brit will be hoping to successfully defend his IBF title for a second time. In his showdown with ‘AJ’, Dubois was a huge underdog, but he went on to drop his heavyweight rival four times in total before securing a sensational knockout in the fifth round to retain his gold strap.

Soon after the fight, Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh had proposed a date on February 22, with His Excellency targeting the rematch between the two British stars. However, that was eventually shut down after Joshua’s team revealed that the former world champion is currently recovering from some minor injuries.

In an interview with Boxing News, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, revealed his client will likely return to the ring next summer. “We had a very awkward call with ‘AJ’ and his medical team,” he said. “He wanted to fight in February and basically was told ‘there is no way you can start camp and be 100% for February, physically’. There’s nothing major. There’s two or three issues that he had a little bit in camp but also after the fight as well. And they said you need to come back in May-June and he didn’t want to do it. He wanted to fight in February, but unfortunately we kind of had to overrule him on this and say no because we can’t afford not to get this right.”

While Dubois may have to wait a little longer to take on Joshua once again, the 27-year-old is optimistic that the sequel will take place in the future. “To me, as a fighter, I would have liked to get it on and get a final conclusion to that,” Dubois told talksSPORT, “But I’m just really happy to be out again and defend this belt. I’m sure that might happen down the line, who knows? So yeah, I’m just ready to go.”

Despite talks of a sequel with Joshua, Dubois remains firmly focused on Parker. “I’m really excited and ready to go,” he said. “I’m glad I’ve got an opponent now. I’m just ready to seek and destroy, to go to work again. It’s been talked about for a while, so I’m finally glad to get it on and get in the ring and show the people that I’m the real deal.”

Parker has re-established himself as a top contender in the division as of late after defeating Deontay Wilder and, most recently, Zhilei Zhang. Therefore, ‘Dynamite’ knows he’s in for a tough test, but has identified a few keys to victory. “I think I’ve got to just go right through him and be better at everything, better in every department,” he continued. “Speed, youth, energy, power, everything – I’ve got to bring it. He’s an experienced veteran of the game, so I’ve got to just essentially just break him down and finish him off.”