It says a lot about where Anthony Joshua is in his career that questions about Saturday’s opponent Daniel Dubois usually come after those about two men who won’t be in the ring at Wembley.
For the best part of a decade now Joshua has been among an elite group at the top of the heavyweight division, so perhaps it’s only natural he should be asked so frequently about Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, who will meet again later this year for three versions of the heavyweight title.
The other, the IBF’s, will be on the line this weekend in one of the most pivotal fights of Joshua’s career.
Victory will put him in line to fight the winner of that December bout in Riyadh, and potentially complete the type of redemption arc that makes boxing such a compelling and cinematic sport.
Defeats to Andy Ruiz and Usyk may have forced the 34-year-old to rebuild his career, but nobody has done more to revitalise heavyweight boxing than the 2012 Olympic gold medallist.
That’s a fact he can underline once again at the weekend in front of a record 96,000 sell-out crowd against a dangerous underdog who arrives in great form after impressive wins against Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic.
Victory over Dubois would add yet more depth to a resume only unified champion Usyk can trump. It’s also a chance to join the select few who have claimed a version of the title on three occasions, alongside stellar names such as Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield.
"He is definitely dialled in," said Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn. "He seems a bit more like: 'I must win this fight’. He's talked a little bit more about legacy, and then he kind of reins it in and goes back to: 'No, it's about performance’. But I think he realises firstly how much he needs to win; and two, the value of being world champion again – and the legacy that comes with it.”
Joshua could also emulate Lewis in winning an all-British world title stadium fight that will captivate the nation just as his predecessor did when stopping a game Frank Bruno at Cardiff Arms Park in 1993.
Joshua’s career has been full of such spectacular moments – none more so than the first time he filled Wembley for his statement victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2017.
However, seven years later, that remains his best win, and perhaps the chief reason the names Usyk and Fury tend to follow him around. For all the highlight reel knockouts and bumper crowds, Joshua is still searching for that signature victory over one of his elite contemporaries.
From 2016 to 2018, there was a big two – Joshua and the American Deontay Wilder – but as was often the case before Saudi Arabia's involvement in the sport, rival promoters failed to make it happen.
Fury’s return from his long hiatus to challenge Wilder in 2018 made that a big three before Usyk’s rise from cruiserweight established a big four in 2020. Wilder’s subsequent decline has trimmed that number back again.
Joshua has never shared a ring with Wilder. His long-running rivalry with Fury remains unconsummated. He is 0-2 against Usyk.
That might seem a harsh assessment of a man who has done so much to enrich the sport, but ultimately these are the type of fights that will define his legacy. As a self-confessed scholar of boxing history, he will know that better than anyone.
Daniel Dubois holds up his IBF heavyweight title belt as he stands on stage during the grand arrivals as part of the Riyadh Season - Wembley Edition card at Leicester Square Odeon Luxe on September 17, 2024 in London. Getty
Anthony Joshua during the ceremonial grand arrivals at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, London. PA
Daniel Dubois said he must beat Anthony Joshua on Saturday to legitimise his status as a heavyweight champion. Getty
Anthony Joshua will attempt to join an elite group of boxers to win heavyweight titles on three occasions when he takes on Daniel Dubois at Wembley. Getty
Daniel Dubois makes his entrance during the grand arrivals as part of the Riyadh Season - Wembley Edition card at Leicester Square. Getty
Anthony Joshua is hugged by a member of the crowd. Getty
Frank Warren, head of Queensbury Promotions, during the ceremonial grand arrivals at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, London. PA
Eddie Hearn, head of Matchroom Promotions, during the ceremonial grand arrivals. PA
"If they call me to fight them, 100 per cent. It's what I do. Fight. I'll be ready. It'll be an honour to fight them two," Joshua said this week. "[But] I'm not focusing on Usyk and Fury. I'll watch it. Let me get past Dubois. We'll see."
At 34, Joshua arrives at Wembley as a heavy favourite, riding a four-fight winning streak and looking as good as he has done in a long time under new coach Ben Davison.
Another spectacular performance will crank up the hype for an undisputed bout against either Fury or Usyk in the first half of 2025.
Both possibilities present unfavourable style match-ups for Joshua, but both are also nearing the end of their careers, and how these next two fights play out will invariably alter perceptions once again.
Lewis was famously introduced by ring announcer Michael Buffer as having beaten every man he had faced “by way of rematch”. The same could be said of Joshua if he can get past Dubois and somehow find a way to overcome his nemesis Usyk, while a historic bout against domestic rival Fury surely remains both his grail and his endgame.
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
