Joshua and Dubois get big reception in London days before title fight

The IBF heavyweight title fight between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois will be Saturday at Wembley Stadium and it is expected that nearly 100,000 people will be in attendance to witness that bout. Today, both fighters showed up at Leicaster Square to speak with media and interact with fans as they get ready for their showdown.

Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) comes to Saturday’s bout as the IBF champion and makes his first defense of that title against Joshua. After his loss to Oleksandr Usyk last year, he has defeated Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic by knockout. Those wins have given Dubois a level of confidence that hasn’t been seen previously in his career.

“I’m feeling good,” Dubois said. “I’m just relaxed and soaking it all up. Soaking up the energy, it’s good.”

This will be the first bout of this magnitude for Dubois but he feels that he is ready for the moment and take care of business on Saturday night.

“I’m just going to feed off of that energy and build it up. I can’t wait for it. It’s my time. I’m ready for it.”

For Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs), this gives him the chance to become a three time heavyweight champion in a venue where he achieved the biggest win of his career when he stopped Wladimir Klitschko in 2017. Joshua has won four fights in a row, with knockout wins over Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin, and Francis Ngannou. He is approaching this fight with the belief that he will once again be a champion.

“My mentality is if I draw a line and put fear on one side, and confidence on the other, but I’m still going into the ring – what one am I going to choose? I’m confident. I believe in myself, and I think that’s the right mentality to have.”

This atmosphere was different for him as this is an all-British heavyweight showdown to headline a Riyadh Season event in Wembley Stadium. While this is his third bout in the venue, the red carpet event today gives the sign that this week is huge.

“I’ve never had a red carpet in my life. This is a blessing. They’re doing big things. It’s good that we’re doing joint ventures (with Riyadh Season) together now. I’ve been in Saudi, it’s good to be home. Even though I’m home, it’s not small, they’ve made it massive. Fighting Dubois who is a Queensberry Promotions fighter as well so it’s a new age for boxing – a golden era.”