Surprisingly, tickets for next month’s Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois fight, which will take place on September 14 at the 100,000-seater Wembley Stadium in London, are still on sale.
Dubois focused on knockout
IBF heavyweight champion Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) is itching to knock out former two-time champion Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) and is preparing to fight the winner of the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk rematch in early 2025.
Joshua has won his last four fights against lower-ranked opponents, and his fans believe he has rejuvenated himself to his pre-Wladimir Klitschko form. I don’t see it that way.
To get back to where Joshua was before would require going back in time, which is physically impossible, even with contemporary science. He has always had trouble withstanding blows.
Joshua’s last four wins:
Francis Ngannou: *Celebrity level fight. Should never have been considered a professional fight.
Otto Wallin: Admitted three weeks in advance
Robert Helenius: 41-year-old after first-round knockout
Jermaine Franklin: After losing to Dillian Whyte
AJ’s victories over this pathetic group prove nothing except that he was handpicked by his shrewd promoter, Eddie Hearn.
For Joshua to show he has rejuvenated himself into the form of Benjamin Button, he would need to beat better fighters than the four Hearn has handpicked to rebuild Joshua and repackage him for marketing purposes.
You have to be dumb and extremely ponderous to understand to believe that Joshua has truly modernized after defeating these four frail fighters.
“Victory is certain. A stoppage is what I’m looking for and a statement is what I’m looking for,” said Daniel Dubois Boxing on Sky Sports about his goal for the fight with contender Anthony Joshua, which will take place on September 21 in London.
Dubois needs to focus on a knockout in this fight because if the fight goes on the cards, the chances are good that Joshua will get the nod from the judges. He’s an aging star with a mega-fight with Tyson Fury just around the corner.
They must fight for the money before two aging stars go supernova and spread their material throughout the universe.
“If Joshua can make Dubois look like he made Wallin and Ngannou look, I think we’re sedate here,” analyst Paulie Malignaggi told Probox TV YouTube side about Joshua.
If Joshua knocks out Dubois, it won’t prove as much as it might seem, as he’s already been knocked out by Usyk and Joe Joyce.
Joshua needs to knock out Dubois, Usyk and Fury to prove he is special. I don’t think that will happen because Usyk has AJ’s number and will probably beat him again if they meet in a trilogy.
Ben Davison’s Influence: Exaggerated?
“He looks good with Ben Davison. He’s a good coach, and you can see that in Joshua’s confidence and ability,” Malignaggi said. “He’s coming into his own now. Dubois is a risky guy. If he can dominate Dubois, it would be a huge statement.”
Ben Davison didn’t improve on Joshua. He’s still the same fighter he always was. The guys Joshua fought in his first four fights were weaker than the guys he fought in the amateur ranks, and that’s the reality of the situation.
Wallin and Helenius were vintage. Ngannou was just a guy who was renowned because of his years in the UFC and was a celebrity. Jermaine was a fringe contender who lost to Whyte. Joshua could have beaten those guys similarly, training by himself, because they were terrible fighters.
“He looked like the vintage Joshua, the Joshua before the Klitschko fight, who was dominant,” said Chris Algieri, referring to Joshua who looked like the version of himself from 2013 to 2016 when he was destroying weaker opponents.
That all changed in 2017 when Joshua faced 41-year-old Wladimir Klitschko and was almost knocked out.
“Joshua was controlling, physical, explosive, scored knockouts and really punished guys. That’s the type of Joshua you need to beat Usyk,” Algieri said, assuming AJ beats Dubois on September 21.
“He’s a different guy now since he’s been with Ben Davison. He’s confident, he’s got the skills, the physicality. That attitude was really what set Anthony Joshua apart. He was a little bit nervous after the Klitschko fight,” Algieri said.
I wouldn’t say Joshua was shaky after the Klitschko fight, as he had won three consecutive fights over Carlos Takam, Joseph Parker and Alexander Povetkin before being knocked out in the seventh round by Andy Ruiz Jr. on June 1, 2019.
If AJ was “shaky,” he would have had trouble with those three before the Ruiz fight. Although Joshua was stunned by Povetkin in their September 2018 fight, it had nothing to do with a lack of confidence. It was the same chin problem Joshua had against Wladimir and later against Ruiz.
In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).
The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”
Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00
“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”
Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.
“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.
Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.
Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.
The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.
Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.
The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.
“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.
“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.
“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”
Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.
“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].
Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.
“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.
Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.
“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.
One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.
WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.
“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.
“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.
“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.
He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”
Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.
Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.
Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.
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