Anthony Joshua’s upcoming fight against Daniel Dubois could be the biggest fight ever to take place at Wembley. Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, revealed that the fight between the two Brits attracted an incredible number of fans at the stadium.
Hearn revealed that 70,000 tickets were sold on the first day for the Joshua-Dubois IBF heavyweight title fight [via talkSPORT]. The 45-year-old also said that if 90,000 tickets are sold for the fight, he will discuss the possibility of adding 10,000 more tickets for the fight, bringing the total to over 100,000.
If this happens, the fight will set a modern record for most fans to watch a boxing match in the UK. Currently, the current record holder is the fight between Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte in 2022 at Wembley.
When “The Gypsy King” fought Whyte, a reported 94,000 people gathered at Wembley to watch Fury knock out Whyte in the sixth round. After the fight, Fury thanked those who showed up and filled the stadium.
“I wholeheartedly thank all the people who bought a ticket,” Fury said. via the Daily Mail.. No matter how many fans fill the stadium, there will certainly be fireworks when Joshua faces Dubois on September 21.
What makes the fight even more vital is the fact that both will fight for the IBF heavyweight title. Oleksandr Usyk, the undisputed heavyweight champion, announced in a social media video that he would relinquish his title shot as a “gift” to Joshua and Dubois.
“Anthony, Daniel, listen,” Usyk said in the video. “I know the IBF title is vital to you. This is my gift to you on September 21.” Due to his victory over Filip Hrgovic on June 1, Dubois received the title in the meantime.
With Hrgovic and Otto Wallin losing, Joshua becomes the next challenger to Dubois’ modern title. Given how tempting the prospect of fighting Joshua is, Dubois explained what it means to fight his compatriot on the biggest stage.
“This is a dream [to fight Joshua at Wembley]. Especially after coming back from defeats and fighting for the world title” – Dubois he told The Sun“Now I have a chance to win the damn thing and that’s what I want. I will destroy AJ, I can only get better from here.”
Additionally, it seems there was no love lost between them, as they had a heated verbal argument before the fight. Their encounter was so heated that they had to be separated from each other to avoid accidental blows and the like.
“Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, apart from the belts and the fact that it’s him, I’m just ready to fight,” Johsua said, by TalkSPORT. When Dubois insisted he put his money where his mouth was, Joshua doubled down, making sure his opponent knew he was ready.
“To relax …[Do you want] is that f—— chair in your face? Don’t disrespect me,” Joshua snapped back as Dubois got his way. “Dan, I don’t take disrespect lightly, you know? Don’t sit at the table and tell me we can go and do this and that, try to challenge me.”
Both stars will face each other on September 21 at Wembley Stadium.