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.
"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.
RESULT
Bayern Munich 5 Eintrracht Frankfurt 2
Bayern: Goretzka (17'), Müller (41'), Lewandowski (46'), Davies (61'), Hinteregger (74' og)
Frankfurt: Hinteregger (52', 55')
SQUAD
Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Adel Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Mohammed Barghash, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Hassan Al Mahrami, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Yousef Jaber, Saeed Ahmed, Majed Sorour, Majed Hassan, Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Khalil Al Hammadi, Fabio De Lima, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Ali Saleh, Caio Canedo, Muhammed Jumah, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Pros%20and%20cons%20of%20BNPL
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
