ANTHONY JOSHUA will have a pair of ringside distractions waiting for him when he fights Daniel Dubois, claimed Frank Warren.
Joshua challenges for Dubois’ IBF belt on Saturday in what is set to be a British-record 96,000 sellout at Wembley.
Anthony Joshua ahead of his fight with Daniel Dubois[/caption] Dubois’ Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren[/caption]And among the never-before-seen numbers of fans will be Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
The pair – set to rematch in Saudi Arabia on December 21 – will have front row seats for the world title fight.
And promoter Warren believes it could be at the detriment of AJ.
He told Sky Sports: “Usyk will be there, as will be Tyson, but I don’t think it’s anything for [Dubois]. It could be a distraction for AJ as he has beaten AJ twice.
“Usyk is the man at the moment, he’s the guy who is top of the tree, and these two are trying to get the winner of the rematch between Tyson and Usyk.
“They know how important this fight is, and as I say, I believe the winner of this will fight the winner of the fight in December.”
Usyk, 37, became the heavyweight division’s first four-belt undisputed champion after beating Fury, 36, in May.
But his unified status did not last long after he was forced to vacate the IBF belt to proceed with a rematch against the Gypsy King.
Joshua vs Dubois fight predictions
THIS weekend Wembley will witness one of the biggest all-British fights of all-time.
But who will emerge victorious under the famous arch? Some of the biggest names in boxing have been having their say…
Oleksandr Usyk: “My favourite is Anthony Joshua but I am very bad at predictions. But I will predict Anthony Joshua.”
Dillian Whyte: “I just think that it’s one of those fights where it is a genuine 50/50 fight in my opinion.”
Joe Joyce: “I was initially edging with Joshua but I don’t know, Dubois is coming on.”
Frazer Clarke: “As heavy-handed as Dubois is and as good a fighter as he’s becoming, I still have to go for Joshua.”
Francis Ngannou: “Even though Joshua lost against Usyk twice and Dubois fought Usyk and almost knocked him down and almost won, I would still give this to Joshua.”
Click here for more fight predictions for Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois
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Dubois, 27, was elevated from interim champ and makes his first defence against Joshua, 34.
Talk has turned to a stunning super-fight between AJ and Fury next year – regardless of results in their interim bouts.
But Warren argues it could be Dubois who is next for Fury or Usyk.
The Hall of Famer said: “He’s ready to fight Usyk again, I really do believe that.
“Having come out of the fight, shared the ring with him and knowing what happened last time, I really do believe he’s ready.”
AJ vs Dubois: Build up to the big fight
ANTHONY JOSHUA and Daniel Dubois go head-to-head at Wembley THIS Saturday.
Ahead of the all-British heavyweight showdown, here’s all the biggest stories and need-to-know information…
- Check out the ring-walk time, TV details, timings and undercard for Saturday’s blockbuster event
- SunSport’s Colin Hart has exclusively revealed exactly what happened during AJ’s infamous spar session with Dubois
- Dubois is so desperate to retain his IBF heavyweight title, he’s told he is willing to use an ILLEGAL MOVE
- A SUPERCOMPUTER has predicted the result of Saturday’s fight – and if correct, fans are in for an epic
- AJ is worth more than £200million and Dubois drives a £260k car – we take a look at how their lifestyles compare