The Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois undercard has been revealed for the September 21st show at Wembley Stadium in London.
There are some excellent fights to support the main event heavyweight clash, but unfortunately, the card is missing a solid meat-and-potato fight that would convince fence-sitters to order the event on PPV.
For many fans, it’s enough that they’ll see Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) take his first truly dangerous opponent in many years, dating back to his rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr. in December 2019.
The Fights: A Breakdown
- Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois: Joshua challenges Dubois for his IBF heavyweight crown. The winner potentially fights the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk II winner.
- Anthony Cacace vs Josh Warrington: IBF super featherweight champion Cacace makes his first defense against former IBF 126-lb champion Warrington.
- Joshua Buatsi vs Willy Hutchinson: Light heavyweight contenders battle it out for the WBO interim 175-lb title.
- Tyler Denny vs Hamzah Sheeraz: EBU middleweight champion Denny defends against the unbeaten huge puncher Sheeraz.
- Josh Kelly vs Liam Smith: Kelly faces the 35-year-old former WBO 154-lb champion Smith.
- Mark Chamberlain vs Josh Padley: Highly ranked Chamberlain fights unbeaten Padley in a fight that has knockout written all over it.
Fan Disappointment
Overall, fans on social media are not pleased with the fights, grumbling about the absence of Naoya Inoue, Nick Ball, Chris Eubank Jr., and Fabio Wardley.
An appealing fight would have been for Hamzah Sheeraz to move up to 168 to take on Christian Mbilli, Diego Pacheco, or Caleb Plant. Sheeraz’s match against the light-hitting EBU 160-lb champion Tyler Denny is an unfair fight due to the difference in power and size between the two.
Hamzah has crushing power in both hands and the size of a super middleweight going up against a light hitter.
If there had been some fighters from the United States on the card, it would have been more appealing to non-British fans, making it interesting and worthwhile to purchase on pay-per-view.
Joshua’s Reputation in the U.S.
Many U.S. fans view Joshua as a pampered, weak-chinned hype man, a guy who was manufactured with careful match-making after winning a controversial gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics with his “win” over Italy’s Roberto Cammarelle.
Given Joshua’s lack of huge popularity in the U.S, it would have been wise for the organizers of the September 21st card to include some of the American talents like Bruce Carrington, Jaron Ennis, or Shakur Stevenson.
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