Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, was fired up at hearing the words of the young phenom Daniel Dubois, saying he’s going to ‘demolish” AJ when he gets his hands on him in September at Wembley Stadium.
Dubois’ Power Shakes Up Hearn’s Plans
Hearn, still reeling from watching Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) obliterate his fighter Filip Hrgovic in eight rounds in a night he’d rather forget last Saturday night in Riyadh, said if Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) lands his right hands on ‘Dynamite’ Daniel like his fighter did, it ain’t going to last long.
It’s still up in the air whether Hearn will make the fight between Joshua and Dubois, as he says he wants the IBF title to be available. Whether that’s the real issue holding Hearn up from making this fight is unclear.
Hearn is dragging his feet about going through with the Joshua-Dubois fight. Is this a sign that he’s afraid of what Dubois could do to Joshua? AJ isn’t young, about to turn 35, and putting him in with a young, mint Dubois might be the wrong move.
There’s got to be some worry on his part after what Dubois did to the 31-year-old Hrgovic because that display of toughness, power, and brute strength could be a nightmare for the 34-year-old Joshua. He doesn’t need that kind of danger, with him poised to get the winner of the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 rematch.
From looking at Hearn, you could tell that he’s still seething inside over what Dubois did to his fighter, Hrgovic (17-1, 14 KOs). Hrgovic came into the fight as the IBF mandatory for Oleksandr Usyk’s title and was seen as a clear favorite to make easy work of Daniel.
The look on Hearn’s face when talking about the Dubois-Hrgovic fight, he was reliving the moment in his mind and boiling over at what took place that night.
It would have been an ideal situation for Hearn if the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Hrgovic had done the job on Dubois, as Eddie would have only his hands on the gearshift of an in-house fight between Joshua and Filip for September 21st.
Hearn’s Confidence in Joshua
“Not really. From our point of view, if the [IBF] world title is on the line against Daniel Dubois, he is the frontrunner. If it’s not, we’ll probably fight someone else. Zhilei Zhang, Joseph Parker, I don’t know,” said Eddie Hearn to Pro Boxing Fans’ YouTube channel when asked how far along are negotiations for a fight between Anthony Joshua and IBF interim heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois for September 21st at Wembley Stadium in London.
Is Hearn’s assistance on the full IBF being on the line for Joshua-Dubois just a smokescreen? Maybe he’s afraid of what Dubois can do to mess up things for AJ to get that mega-clash against the winner of Fury vs. Usyk 2 rematch? I would be terrified if I was in Hearn’s position.
“The plan for us [Joshua] is to position ourselves or win the world heavyweight title, and if that’s available, then I think that’s the right fight,” Hearn said. “Nothing has been decided. There won’t be an announcement until the press conference on the 26th of June, and then we’ll go from there.”
As you can see, Hearn ain’t ready to pull the trigger on the Joshua vs. Dubois fight, and it’s understandable. There’s got to be some concerns from Hearn’s side about throwing AJ in with Dubois, who is firing on all eight cylinders now, looking fresh and ready for battle.
“What Dubois needs to know is if he gets hit with right hands [by Joshua] that he got hit by on Saturday [against Filip Hrgovic], the fight ain’t going very long. But Joshua can punch,” said Hearn. “Dubois has got great confidence. Dubois is a danger, and that’s what you want. Everybody is a danger.:
Hearn’s comments in trying to downplay the threat that Dubois poses to Joshua are amusing. He’s got to be terrified about what could happen.
“Obviously, we’re very confident with the way he is at the moment that he takes care of business,” said Hearn, believing that Joshua will defeat the young lion Dubois when or if they fight on September 21st at Wembley Stadium.
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