Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois

Anthony Joshua Hospitality

Gala’s boxing hospitality team sizes up the most anticipated bout of 2024

As the UK’s leading boxing hospitality specialist, Gala knows all about the thrill of fight night. With ‘sold-out’ and ‘off-limits’ not in our team’s vocabulary, we’ve invited our clients ringside at classic bouts all over the world, bringing you so close to the action you can feel the air move and the canvas quake. 

With the sport witnessing its biggest hitters and characters for years, Gala’s boxing hospitality packages have never been so popular. From the blurred fists of your favourite featherweights to the earth-shaking uppercuts of the heavyweight class – not to mention one-off experiences like our pro training camp at David Haye’s private gym – there are no limits to what we can offer. 

But right now, there’s only one bout on everyone’s lips. Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois. Tipped for a Wembley showdown in September, the battle between the two Brits for the IBF belt has everything: high stakes, shared history, drama and jeopardy – not to mention plenty of fighting talk in the press. Here’s everything you need to know about the Anthony Joshua fight.

Two fighters with a shared history

Joshua Getty - Boxing Hospitality

If Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois goes ahead, it won’t be the first time the pair have touched gloves. Despite their eight-year age gap, Joshua and Dubois were regular sparring partners in 2016’s Team GB setup. And while Joshua stepped into public consciousness that year, winning his first world title with a second-round knockout over Charles Martin, there were whispers in the fight game that hot-tip Dubois had put AJ down in the Olympic squad.

“I first heard about Dynamite when I was told an 18-year-old lad had knocked out Anthony Joshua,” Frank Warren told talkSPORT. “This was in 2016, the same year AJ became a heavyweight world champion. Dubois was a boy and he knocked out a man in Joshua – a six-foot-six man at that!”

The road to a historic bout

The road to a historic bout - Boxing Hospitality

It’s been an eventful few years for both fighters. Now 26, Dubois has been a prospect since 2017, when he knocked out Marcus Kelly within 35 seconds in his first professional fight. But the Greenwich-born pugilist really turned heads with his 2019 takedown of Nathan Gorman to claim the British heavyweight title. “He fought like an old, seasoned bruiser,” wrote journalist Steve Bunce, “his feet flawless, his jab a stiff weapon inherited from relics of the ring…”   

Last year, Dubois was arguably cheated out of victory over Oleksandr Usyk. But he returned for a stunning victory this month, punishing Filip Hrgovic across eight rounds in Saudi Arabia until the battle-scarred Croatian was halted by a doctor’s stoppage. It was a significant victory which earned Dubois the interim IBF belt and makes AJ the next logical target. 

“Being world champion is a dream,” says Dubois. “From challenging for the world title to getting the chance to win the damn thing outright, that’s what I want. I’ll demolish Joshua. I’ll get even better from here.”

Since his star-making victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2017 – seen by many as one of the sport’s greatest modern bouts – AJ has also experienced the wild highs and lows of boxing. There have been victories over Joseph Parker, Alexander Povetkin, Andy Ruiz Jr and more. But there have been setbacks, too, including two separate points decisions lost to the aforementioned Usyk. 

Fortunately, AJ has since got back to winning ways – recently besting Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin – and will head to Wembley with bags of confidence. “Wembley, O2, York Hall – wherever they put me, I’m happy to fight,” he says. “Any venue, I’ll turn up and do my job.”

Who will win Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois?

boxing sport hospitality anthony joshua

National treasure AJ is certainly the better-known fighter – but celebrity isn’t everything and some boxing connoisseurs believe Dubois could prevail. 

“If he gets through to Joshua’s chin then it’s game on,” wrote the iconic Barry McGuigan in The Mirror. “Joshua is the more complete fighter, marginally quicker. And he has rebuilt impressively since he lost for the second time to Usyk. There is, however, still a chink in his armour first exposed by Andy Ruiz that makes him vulnerable to the kind of power packed by Dubois.” 

Despite admitting that Dubois “put me on my arse with a left hook” in the Olympic squad, Frazer Clarke told SecondsOut he believes AJ will narrowly prevail at Wembley. “Anthony was always that little further ahead but Father Time happens and Daniel has matured and grown as a fighter and it makes the fight intriguing.”

Meanwhile, bridgerweight champion Lawrence Okolie told SecondsOut that AJ can win but needs to be very careful. “If AJ lands a right hand clean the way Hrgovic landed, he can put anyone out. The problem is if Joshua doesn’t get him out of there straight away, as we saw in Dubois’ last fight against Hrgovic and against Jarrell Miller.”

Boxing hospitality packages that pack a punch

Whether you’re counting the days to Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois or have another event in mind, talk to Gala. We’re the UK’s favourite boxing hospitality specialist, proud to offer VIP access to the biggest fights, while wowing your guests with private suites, gourmet dining, celebrity guests from the sport’s top flight and signed memorabilia to keep your memories alive. Get in touch today and let us know what your perfect fight night looks like.

For boxing hospitality and more, get in touch with the Gala team today.