Eddie Hearn Warns Dubois: Trading Blows with Joshua Will Be Costly

Dubois and Joshua prepare for explosive showdown, Hearn predicts AJ's precision will prevail

Anthony Joshua after a match / ANTHONY JOSHUA ON X.

Eddie Hearn has warned Daniel Dubois before the Anthony Joshua fight that he will be outgunned if he trades with Joshua. Dubois, 26, will make the first defence of his International Boxing Federation heavyweight title against Anthony Joshua on September 21 at Wembley Stadium. He has won consecutive fights against Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic, demonstrating an excellent capacity to inflict and absorb significant damage.

Interestingly, Joshua last willingly traded a match with an opponent in 2019, when he faced Andy Ruiz, who unexpectedly stopped him, but the 34-year-old and Dubois not only had to be separated when they first met as opponents but, the aggression they are expected to fight with means that their contest is widely expected to be decided by whoever lands the first truly devastating punch.

Ruiz's first setback of his career has prompted the Olympic gold champion to seek a more sophisticated edge. On the other hand, Dubois has increased his confidence by refusing to be frightened by heavy-handed opponents, while his promoter, Eddie Hearn, argues that accepting the bout will be a terrible mistake.

“Both are going to be letting their hands go,” Eddie said in media reports. “Both are very dangerous. Some people call it a ‘shootout’ but I think ‘AJ’s’ top sniper. He’s too accurate; he’s too good; and I think if you’re going to get hit against Anthony Joshua, you’re going to have serious problems, and AJ’s not gonna stand in front of him like Filip Hrgovic and just ship shots,” he added.

“It’s two very dangerous heavyweight punchers, who are in the form and confidence of their career. For Dubois, the Miller and the Hrgovic fight have taken him to the most dangerous point of his career so far. It’s not a good time to fight Dubois, and it’s definitely not a good time to fight AJ. The key points for me are two massive punchers in their absolute primes,” he added.

Deontay Wilder's defeat by Zhilei Zhang in June effectively ended his long-term ambitions of facing Joshua. This forthcoming bout is deemed similar to the previous one between Deontay and Zhilei, and Hearn had a magnificent response to the similarity of the two fights. “Joshua-Wilder was a unique fight. But the similarities between the fights are – again, they’re two massive punchers and fast punchers. In that respect, it’s a fight that captures the imagination because it’s very dangerous,” added Hearn.