Commentator Steve Bunce believes Anthony Joshua will not have as much confidence in his ability to beat Daniel Dubois in a rematch as he did after his loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019.
(Source: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Joshua (28-4, 23 KOs) is now five years older at 34, while Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) is significantly younger at 27. He is a much stronger boxer than Andy Ruiz and is not going to party and easily make 280+ pounds.
It is unknown whether Joshua will decide to fight Dubois again because it is risky and he can make more money by fighting Tyson Fury. If his promoter, Eddie Hearn, comes up with a good excuse to tell the public why AJ will not fight Dubois again, they will believe him.
Joshua and Hearn thought it was a lot easier to trigger the rematch clause and fight Ruiz Jr. again because he had put on weight. He was never a gigantic talent. He was just a fringe prospect that Joshua used as a replacement opponent when Jarrell Miller tested positive for drugs in 2019.
“He’s a little older and probably wondering how much longer he has left. He was so convinced after [Andy] “I believed Ruiz would win the rematch,” Steve Bunce said iFL TV on whether Anthony Joshua will want a rematch with Daniel Dubois, as he did after losing to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019.
If Joshua is worried about how fans will perceive him by avoiding the rematch, he will overcome his fear and fight Dubois again. But Hearn or someone on his team could talk him out of fighting Dubois.
“I’m not sure he would have the same confidence. He had complete faith that if he got Ruiz again, he would beat him. It was complete faith. He’s not stupid. I don’t think he had complete faith that he would beat Dubois in a rematch. He can say it, but he feels it,” Bunce said.
Joshua won’t have the confidence to beat Dubois like he did Ruiz, but that’s obvious. In the Ruiz fight, Joshua wasn’t getting beat up in the first round and was fighting well until he was knocked down in the third round on June 1, 2019.
“He should have been stopped a few rounds earlier. He seemed to be thinking too much,” Diallian Whyte told iFL TV about Joshua thinking too much and not letting go of his hands. “Sometimes AJ can be too much of a thinker. AJ was thinking instead of waving his hands. Dubois was waving his hands. Dubois was intelligent. Credit to him, his dad and Don Charles.
AJ’s trainer, Ben Davison, didn’t want to pull him out of the Dubois fight and risk angering him. We’ve seen Joshua change trainers a few times, and it would have been too risky for Ben to pull him out of the Dubois fight in the second or third round to save him.
For coaches who are confident they won’t be fired for pulling their fighters when they’re losing, this won’t be a problem; given how often Joshua has changed coaches, Ben would have put himself at risk of being fired had he given up in the first two or three rounds last Saturday.
“Joshua has made a lot of money and done great things. He can come back and still fight good fights. He has made a lot of money and got a lot of fame. Maybe the spark is not there,” Whyte said.
Dubois hurt Joshua not because of the wealth AJ has acquired in recent years. Joshua was hurt because he couldn’t handle Dubois’ power or any fighter who punched demanding. Joshua’s chin has been vulnerable since his 2017 fight with Wladimir Klitschko, and he’s been stunned many times since then.
Fighters who hurt Joshua:
-Daniel Dubois – Carlos the Greedy -Alexander Povetkin –Andy Ruiz Jr. – Oleksandr Usyk – Kubrat Pulev – Wladimir Klitschko -Dillian Whyte
“It’s not an simple fight for Tyson Fury,” Whyte said, reacting to reports that Fury wants to beat Oleksandr Usyk on December 21 and then beat Dubois to become undisputed champion. “Fury has to be careful because Dubois has the power of Ngannou. Dubois can box a lot better than Ngannou. So he has to be careful.
“Fury can tie Dubois up to stop him from fighting because Dubois let AJ tie him up so easily. It was crazy,” Whyte said.
Dubois would still be a problem for Fury, as he can’t stay up and lean into the win like he did against Deontay Wilder. Fury’s chin isn’t as good as it once was, and Dubois will land harder punches than those that hurt him against Oleksandr Usyk.
Dubois’ body shots will cause Fury problems as he tends to lean into the ropes to avoid headshots, and his body is always exposed when he does this.
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.
Lauren Price MBE will defend her world title for the first time on Saturday, December 14 at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool, while the Welsh champion plans to stage an all-British unification clash with welterweight rival Natasha Jonas, which will headline the Collision Course that night.
Price defends her WBA welterweight title against undefeated Colombian challenger Bexcy Mateus on the same night as Jonas attempts to unify the IBF and WBC titles with Ivana Habazin as part of BOXXER’s ‘Collision Course’ fight night, which can be seen live and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK UK and Ireland and Peacock in the US.
Price MBE (7-0, 1 KO) made history with an excellent performance, defeating former undisputed welterweight world ruler Jessica McCaskill in front of her fans in Cardiff in May.
Price, the first Welsh boxer to win Olympic gold, once again entered the record books by becoming the country’s first world champion in just her seventh professional fight. The 30-year-old from Ystrad Mynach, who has yet to lose a round as a professional, will now defend her world titles for the first time as she focuses on dominating the welterweight division.
Mateus (7-0, 6 KO), ranked No. 5 in the WBA rankings, is undefeated in the professional ranks and has won all but one of her seven fights by knockout. The 29-year-old from Bogota, fighting outside her native Colombia for the first time, will now have her first chance at global fame, with her goal to dethrone Price and take the top spot in the welterweight division.
Lauren Price said: “I’m excited to defend my belts and complete what has been an crucial year for me. I have full respect for Mateusz. I will prove that I am the best in the division and I will not let anything or anyone stand in my way of being undisputed.”
BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: “It’s a massive night for the women’s welterweight division with three world champions competing. Natasha Jonas returns to her hometown for a mandatory unification fight against Ivana Habazin, and Lauren Price defends her world titles against undefeated challenger Bexcy Mateus. The fight for the undisputed continues. If Natasha and Lauren win on December 14, it will set the stage for a massive “Battle Of Britain” world title unification fight next year.
There’s reason to celebrate as BOXXER delivers a Christmas cracker to end the year. In addition to the world championship fights between Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price, fight fans can expect a gala full of drama and entertainment.
Undefeated Irishman Stephen McKenna (15-0, 14 KO) will face English champion Lee Cutler (14-1, 7 KO) in an invigorating super welterweight fight for the silver WBC International title.
McKenna impressed fans in his three-round fight against Joe Laws last August at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley. The two struck out in the first round, then McKenna began to apply the pressure, losing Laws three more times and maintaining his undefeated record after a third-round stoppage.
English cruiserweight champion Viddal Riley (11-0, 6 KO) returns to action from a rib injury that has kept him out of the ring since a career-best victory over Mikael Lawal in March. Riley will be looking to shake off the ring rust as he takes on high-profile opponents in the recent year.
Undefeated Chorley super middleweight Mark Jeffers (18-0, 5 KO) scored an explosive fifth-round knockout victory over Darren Johnston in May and will be looking to bring more drama to Liverpool’s Exhibition Center as he goes in search of his 19th professional win.
Mason Cartwright (20-4-1, 8 KO) from Cheshire, a former two-time British title challenger from Ellesmere Port, will be counting on local support as he returns to the title track.
After signing a promotional contract with BOXXER, local star Frankie Stringer (8-0, 1 KO) can achieve his third victory in 2024, when he returns in front of his fans in Liverpool. The 23-year-old lightweight fighter is a player of the notable city team Rotunda ABC, and his manager is former world champion Liam Smith.
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