Frank Warren: The heavyweight division has never been so lively

Daniel Dubois’ stunning fifth-round demolition of Anthony Joshua produced the type of images that stay at the forefront of the mind for days and provoke an almost endless stream of questions, suspicions and opinions.

Most people will have spent the last 36 hours wondering at the IBF heavyweight champion’s mental toughness or asking themselves whether Joshua’s time at the very highest level has come to an end.

How many genuinely thought, “We need to see that again?”

Still, these days, major heavyweight fights seem to come packaged with a pre-ordained sequel and although Joshua left Wembley without making a definitive statement on his future intentions, the word from Eddie Hearn and those around him was that he would, in all likelihood, pursue a rematch.

This time last year, Dubois, 22-2 (21 KOs), was looking for a way back into the heavyweight mix. In August, he earned respect for the way he held himself together and competed with Oleksandr Usyk for eight rounds of their unified heavyweight title fight. 

The way he sank to a knee and allowed himself to be counted out in the ninth overshadowed the good work and gave extra fuel to those who wrote him off after he submitted to the discomfort and worry caused by a badly damaged eye socket – and Joe Joyce’s ramrod jab – back in 2020.

How things change. While others laid waste to his career, Dubois found some hope in the wreckage. Over the course of nine months he has fought – and stopped – Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Joshua. 

Dubois’ promoter, Frank Warren, suddenly has the heavyweight division’s hottest property on his hands but after successfully guiding the 27-year-old through the type of gauntlet which should make him a front runner for Fighter of the Year honors, he wants Dubois to take a moment to breathe and enjoy the spoils of war before they sit down and commit to his next step. 

“He doesn’t have a rematch in his contract. There is one in AJ’s contract but I haven’t got a problem with a rematch if they want to do it. If the terms are all okay, we’ll sit down and talk about it but it’s all too soon to say who he’s going to be fighting next,” Warren told talkSport this morning.

“He [Dubois] needs to now savor the moment. He had some stick in the past from a couple of fellow professionals – which I thought was a liberty – but he’s shown now what he’s all about. He gritted his teeth in that fight. He gritted his teeth in the two fights previous to that when he was an underdog in each of them.

“He went in with three undefeated fighters, one after the other. Ranked fighters. He’s had four fights this year and those fighters are all world ranked including one champion and one two-time former world champion.

“How many fighters have done that?”

Dubois was working to his own agenda on Saturday night but his win – and the emphatic nature of it – ransacked the latest tentative plans for a fight between Joshua and former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. 

Although the heavyweight division seems to operate according to its own rules these days – unless the IBF are involved, of course – a Fury victory in December’s rematch with Usyk would surely lay the table for a trilogy fight with the great Ukrainian or an undisputed title showdown with Dubois.

Another Usyk win may just open a window for the two to finally climb between the ropes and whether a title belt is on the line or not, a large audience would still tune in to watch the two best British heavyweights of their generation box for personal pride and – as Jerry Izenberg once said of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier – ‘the heavyweight championship of each other.’ 

“I don’t know. I think people may still buy it. If he [Joshua] comes back and has a win, who knows?” Warren said.

“Tyson’s got his rematch first of all with Usyk on the 21st December as a part of Riyadh Season and that’s a tough fight.

“I fancy him to come through it but this division at the moment is alive. Losers fighting losers, winners fighting winners. There’s such a combination of great fights. The heavyweight division has never been so lively and that’s basically because of the last year of the involvement of the Saudi Riyadh season.”

John Evans has contributed to a number of well-known publications and websites for over a decade. You can follow John on X @John_Evans79