Dubois hopes to become 'king slayer' in IBF title showdown with Joshua

By Sports Desk June 26, 2024

Anthony Joshua is set for another shot at the IBF heavyweight title but Daniel Dubois hopes to become a "king slayer" when the pair meet at Wembley Stadium.

Oleksandr Usyk vacated the IBF heavyweight championship just five weeks after becoming the undisputed world heavyweight champion with his win over Tyson Fury, confirming his decision on X on Tuesday.

The all-British showdown was confirmed the following day as the duo prepare to battle at Wembley on September 21.

Joshua will bid to become a three-time world champion, while Dubois will appear in his first title fight after becoming the mandatory challenger for the IBF crown with his win over Filip Hrgovic this month.

The meeting will be Joshua's first at Wembley in three years, and Dubois hopes to bring his homecoming crashing down.

"That's just where I'm aiming for, to fight the best and be the best," Dubois said at Wednesday's press conference. 

"AJ's been the king for a long time and on the night, I need to become a king slayer and that's my goal, that's the mission at hand.

"I'm learning more about myself as a fighter, as a person, coming out of the darkness and into the light, improving all round as a fighter and as an athlete. I'm up for this and ready to go."

Joshua has repeatedly been suggested as a potential opponent for Usyk or Fury, though says he will turn his attention solely on the upcoming Dubois bout.

"Congratulations to Daniel for winning his last fight," a measured Joshua said at the same press conference. 

"I've been having Dubois on my mind for a while and he'll be on my mind for the next 12 weeks until I get my hand raised.

"The goal is just getting through a successful training camp, performing on the night and the shiny stuff comes at a later date."

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    Oleksandr Usyk has vacated the IBF heavyweight championship just five weeks after becoming undisputed world heavyweight champion with his win over Tyson Fury.

    The Ukrainian handed Fury his first professional defeat via a split decision last month to unify the WBC belt with his WBA, WBO and IBF titles.

    The fighters are set to face off in a rematch in December and Usyk had requested he keep the IBF belt to make that contest another undisputed bout.

    However, the IBF's rules dictated that Usyk had to be stripped of the title if he did not face mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois next.

    Dubois is expected to face fellow Brit Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium on September 21, and that fight is now likely to be for the IBF championship.

    Addressing Joshua and Dubois in an Instagram post, Usyk wrote: "The IBF belt is my present for you. 

    "Your friend, the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, Oleksandr Usyk."

    Usyk was the first undisputed heavyweight champion since the turn of the century, with Lennox Lewis last achieving the feat in the three-belt era in 1999.

  • Rice says England can take positives from Iceland loss, defends Mainoo display Rice says England can take positives from Iceland loss, defends Mainoo display

    Declan Rice insists there are positives England can take from Friday's friendly loss to Iceland, also saying the result should not affect Kobbie Mainoo's chances of partnering him in midfield.

    England were booed off as they lost their final Euro 2024 warm-up fixture 1-0 at Wembley Stadium, Jon Thorsteinsson's 12th-minute strike proving decisive.

    Gareth Southgate's team managed just one shot on target as Iceland sat deep and invited pressure, with Harry Kane and Ivan Toney both fluffing their lines from promising positions.

    It was their fewest shots on target in any game since a goalless draw with Scotland in the group stage at Euro 2020 (also one).

    The Three Lions were also criticised for a lethargic performance on that occasion, only to reach the final of that tournament.

    While Rice was disappointed with Friday's result, he is sure England will learn from their mistakes in time for Group C fixtures against Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia.

    "I think when we have that much of the ball and have a couple of really clear-cut chances, and obviously getting beat 1-0 at home just before a Euros isn't ideal, but I am going to take the positives from it as well," Rice told Channel 4. 

    "There were a lot of promising performances tonight. I felt on the pitch we played with a good tempo, always tried to play forward and be attacking and a threat. 

    "In the end it becomes a frustrating game because you are chasing your tail a little bit, you're likely to get caught on the counterattack and that is where we have to be a little bit more savvy. 

    "Going into a tournament, it is not ideal that we lost, but also there are some good learning curves from tonight that we can build on as a team."

    This is the first time England have lost their final game prior to a major international tournament since Euro 1968, when they fell at the first hurdle in a four-team competition after going down to West Germany in their final warm-up fixture.

    After losing 1-0 to Brazil in March, they have also failed to score in two of their last three matches at Wembley, as many blanks as they fired in their previous 31 outings at the national stadium.

    Rice partnered Manchester United youngster Mainoo in the heart of midfield, and his team-mate came in for some criticism from supporters as the Three Lions were routinely caught out on the counterattack.

    Rice, however, remains excited about Mainoo's potential, saying: "We did it in March, and it was really positive.

    "I can imagine tonight because we lost tonight some people are saying stuff, but that's football these days. Kobbie's young, I am young, our midfield options are young. 

    "We are going to learn every game and that is the beauty of football, that every game you play there is a chance to improve and get better."

  • Southgate promises England will learn from Iceland loss Southgate promises England will learn from Iceland loss

    Gareth Southgate has pledged England will learn from Friday's shock 1-0 defeat to Iceland ahead of their Euro 2024 campaign starting next week.

    England's Wembley Stadium send-off fell flat as they produced a disjointed performance against a stubborn Iceland side, with Jon Thorsteinsson's low strike the difference. 

    Despite Southgate picking a strong starting lineup featuring Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, the Three Lions managed just one shot on target and only recorded 0.89 expected goals (xG) from 13 total attempts.

    It is the first time they have lost their final game prior to an international tournament since Euro 1968, having won 15 and drawn five of their previous 20 such matches. 

    While Southgate was in no mood to excuse England's below-par performance, he is sure their issues will be solved before they face Serbia in Gelsenkirchen in nine days' time.

    "It was obviously a disjointed and disappointing performance, and we didn't show enough character but I think it's good for us before an international tournament," Southgate told Channel 4.

    "I think we've got to be better without the ball. I think there were a lot of reasons for that and across the two games we probably haven't had our full side out. 

    "We've been able to look at people, we've been able to learn about the balance of the team.

    "I've been involved in a lot of last matches leading into a tournament. 

    "Inevitably players have one eye on what's coming in terms of early challenges. There are no excuses on the result but there are a lot of things we can put right quickly."

    England have now conceded first in each of their last three games at Wembley – against Brazil and Belgium in March and versus Iceland on Friday.

    It is the first time they have conceded first in three successive matches at the national stadium since doing so between October 1953 and November 1954 – a run which included an infamous 6-3 defeat to Hungary in November 1953.

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