Anthony Joshua ready for “Next Man Up” in Daniel Dubois

“He’s the next one coming,” Anthony Joshua said ahead of his IBF heavyweight title fight against Daniel Dubois on September 21 at Wembley Stadium in London. “We are there now. »

Joshua and Dubois know each other well. There was an altercation between them during some past media engagements, and they have fought before.

Dubois is now the champion, after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title ahead of his return with Tyson Fury in December, and Joshua admitted he always felt Dubois could be in his future.

“I’ve had Dubois in mind for a while, and he’ll be on my mind for the next 12 weeks until I raise my hand,” the challenger said.

“Not in the way they mention (Tyson) Fury or (Deontay) Wilder, not in the same breath, but I’m not an idiot either. I know the game. We’re all out in the wild and we’re a pack of lions and we hunt, so I have to keep my eyes open and I can’t just focus on those two I always kept my eyes on Daniel and the rest of the heavyweights, so whoever would occupy. this seat, I would have been ready to fight in September It turns out it’s him now.

Joshua said his immediate goal was to have a good training camp before Sept. 21 and he wouldn’t be drawn on the next steps if he went through Dubois.

“I feel fresh, I don’t smoke, I don’t drink,” Joshua said. “My only vice is socializing, so I feel good. Thank goodness I didn’t get caught up in any antics outside of boxing. I used boxing to keep myself on the straight and narrow – I didn’t use it to get out of it. So young fighters coming up, take care of your body, take care of your mind. This will pay dividends in the long run. So for this fight here with Daniel, it doesn’t matter if I was 35 and he was 25 – it’s just a fight. I am in good shape. Age is just a number in this one.

Dubois was handed the belt before the fight was officially announced today, based in part on his interim title victory over Filip Hrgovic on June 1.

“I would have loved to win it that night, but I’m lucky, I’m here, I’ll continue,” said the champion.

“I am learning to know myself better, to come out of the darkness and into the light, to be the man of the future and to improve as a fighter and athlete. I’m definitely up for this. »

Dubois said he always wanted to compete against the best and he rated Joshua highly.

“AJ has been the king for a long time, and on this night, I must become the kingkiller. This is the mission I have. I’m ready to let my fists do the talking. I’m going to go to camp and train like a beast. Bring it.”

Their respective promoters praised their fighters’ chances.

Frank Warren, who looks after Dubois, believes it’s time for Dubois.

“I just feel like it’s his time. He’s 26, he knows how to punch, he knows how to box, he’s one of the best finishers,” Warren said. “The vaccine is the key to this fight.”

Eddie Hearn, who works with Joshua, replied: “It’s a real fight. We respect Daniel Dubois, he did an incredible job, and I’m very happy that he is champion because when he beats Daniel Dubois, he will have beaten another champion and become world champion. »

“AJ never really asks who he’s fighting – he’ll fight anybody – and when Daniel got the win (over Hrgovic), that was the opponent. He just comes with a red and gold belt.

“The rise or resurgence of Anthony Joshua has given us more confidence than ever.

“He’s going to win this fight and he’s going to beat the winner of Fury and Usyk.”

Warren responded, “Eddie has a lot of confidence in Anthony, and I have a lot of confidence in Daniel, and we’ll find out that night. It will be exciting, there is no doubt about it. This is going to be a war in the ring.