Joshua vs. Dubois’s Highly-Anticipated Rematch Date Has Been Officially Confirmed! 🥊
The potential rematch between IBF world heavyweight boxing champion Daniel Dubois and former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua seems to be drawing nearer, as Turki Alalshikh, the esteemed chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, has indicated February as a possible date for the highly anticipated event.
Alalshikh underscored this point during his remarks following the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol press conference on Saturday night. This emphasizes the significance of his statement in the context of the event.
The General Entertainment Authority’s chairman, who organizes the Riyadh Season events, announced that a significant boxing match is being planned that will feature a competition between rival promoters Queensberry and Matchroom.
“We anticipate the rematch between Queensberry and Matchroom in February, featuring a 5 vs. 5 format. We expect to finalize the details, potentially including a significant surprise, by the end of this week. Subsequently, we will closely monitor the outcome of the highly anticipated December 21st fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury,” Alalshikh stated to Sky Sports.
“Joshua, Dubois, Tyson, Usyk, everyone, everyone on the line.
“This is what we want. We want the big fights and to see who’s really the best fighter in each division.”
Last month, Joshua’s bid to become a three-time world champion and return to the division’s top table ended dramatically and unexpectedly, with Dubois dropping him several times at Wembley Stadium in front of 98,000 fans before he landed the final blow, a crunching right-hand, in Round 5 that left Joshua sprawling on the canvas for a fourth career loss.
Reacting to talks about his future, Joshua vowed to continue boxing, with his promoter confirming that the Middle Eastern kingdom will stage the rematch as part of the Riyadh Season, a festival of entertainment and sports events that runs from October to early March.
Queen’s Frank Warren, Dubois’ promoter, welcomed the prospect of a rematch.
“It’s all about styles, but also with AJ, you’ve got to put him on the back foot, and that’s what he did,” Warren told Sky Sports.
“He put him on the back foot. That first jab he threw snapped his head back, and that set the pattern of the fight. I think it was the fourth round; he caught Daniel with an uppercut; that was his most significant punch.
“But you want AJ to trade with you, because if he trades, he’s vulnerable. Once he throws that punch, you can catch him on the counter, and that’s what he did.”
Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, who promotes Joshua, when previously discussing the rematch between the two heavyweights said, “I think it would be part of Riyadh Season in Riyadh. Riyadh Season runs from October to the end of February and early March.
Certainly, any event or activity that falls within the specified time frame will be considered part of the Riyadh Season.