Anthony Joshua, left, and Daniel Dubois during weigh-in ahead of their Riyadh Season - Wembley Edition bout at Trafalgar Square. Getty Images
Anthony Joshua, left, and Daniel Dubois during weigh-in ahead of their Riyadh Season - Wembley Edition bout at Trafalgar Square. Getty Images
Anthony Joshua, left, and Daniel Dubois during weigh-in ahead of their Riyadh Season - Wembley Edition bout at Trafalgar Square. Getty Images
Anthony Joshua, left, and Daniel Dubois during weigh-in ahead of their Riyadh Season - Wembley Edition bout at Trafalgar Square. Getty Images

Anthony Joshua wants to 'prove people wrong' as he eyes redemption against Daniel Dubois


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Anthony Joshua will be looking to complete his long road to redemption on Saturday as the former world heavyweight champion fights for Daniel Dubois's IBF belt.

Joshua hopes victory over Dubois at Wembley will help end the difficult period he has endured since a 2019 loss to Andy Ruiz and a defeats against Oleksandr Usyk.

The Briton, 34, will step into the ring on a five-fight winning streak, but says the memories of his shock loss to Ruiz in New York remain fresh.

"I became mentally strong when everyone went against me after Ruiz," said Joshua, who was floored four times before being stopped in the seventh round by the Mexican-American.

"You build up a firm back, a firm chest, strong legs and you walk through it. You walk through walls and you keep proving people wrong."

Dubois, meanwhile, will be looking to deny his compatriot a chance to face the winner of Usyk's rematch with Tyson Fury in December.

But Joshua, who is regaining his touch under new trainer Ben Davison, is expected to join Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield by winning a world title for the third time in front of a 96,000 crowd.

"It's a blessing to be back. What can I say? I don't even know how it's come about or why, but I'm the man of the moment and I'm living in it, making the most of it," he said.

"I'm also here to do a job. I've got to go out there and win. I'm ready to rumble and remind everyone what I'm capable of.

"Every fight is a legacy fight for me and this is just another day at the office. I'm going to give it my best. My only message for Daniel is good luck."

Dubois tipped the scales at a career-high 17st 10lbs for the first defence of his IBF world heavyweight title against Joshua.

Dubois registered 3lbs heavier than for his most recent victory, an eighth-round stoppage on cuts of Croatian Filip Hrgovic in June, while Joshua tipped the scales 4lbs heavier at 18st.

The weigh-in was overseen by ring announcer Michael Buffer with a sizeable crowd in attendance at London's Trafalgar Square.

"It's time to get into the ring and fight. Lets go. I've been working hard. A lot of work and training has gone into this and I'm ready to go. A win, by any means necessary," Dubois said.

The fight night is part of the fast evolving Riyadh Season, which puts Saudi Arabia firmly on the world map of combat sports. The kingdom has been hosting big fights for many years now and has started to take the Riyadh Season on tour. The event in London on Saturday follows last month's outing in Los Angeles.

Undercard

The full card consists of six fights, headlined by the Joshua v Dubois bout. The undercard is as follows:

Hamzah Sheeraz v Tyler Denny (European middleweight title)

Anthony Cacace v Josh Warrington (IBF super-featherweight title)

Joshua Buatsi v Willy Hutchinson (WBO interim light-heavyweight title)

Ishmael Davis v Josh Kelly (light-middleweight)

Mark Chamberlain v Josh Padley (lightweight)

When and where to watch?

The broadcast begins at 4pm on Saturday in the UK (7pm UAE). Joshua and Dubois are expected to walk to the ring at around 10pm UK time (1am UAE). The event is being shown in the UK on Sky Sports Box Office and TNT Sports Box Office, and worldwide – including the UAE – by streaming service DAZN.

The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
​​​​​​​Princeton

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

The stats: 2017 Jaguar XJ

Price, base / as tested Dh326,700 / Dh342,700

Engine 3.0L V6

Transmission Eight-speed automatic

Power 340hp @ 6,000pm

Torque 450Nm @ 3,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined 9.1L / 100km

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont

Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950

Engine 3.6-litre V6

Gearbox Eight-speed automatic

Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm

Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm

Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km

Superliminal%20
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Pillow%20Castle%20Games%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Pillow%20Castle%20Games%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20Xbox%20Series%20One%20%26amp%3B%20X%2FS%2C%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PC%20and%20Mac%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

Analysis

Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.

The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement. 

We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment. 

 

Updated: September 21, 2024, 6:20 AM`