One of the biggest nights in British boxing is mere days away. Former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will go toe-to-toe with the interim IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois in a bid to win the full version of the title. In the meantime, their bout has been branded the second coming of the legendary skirmish between Joe Frazier and George Foreman. On January 22, 1973, Frazier and Foreman squared off at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Their fight, known as ‘The Sunshine Showdown,’ featured the WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight titles on the line.

‘Smokin Joe’ was knocked down three times in the first round of the fight, and three times in the second, when the fight ended. They would eventually go on to have a rematch in 1976, but the result didn’t change. ‘Big George’ dropped Frazier in the 5th twice before ending the fight. Regardless, speaking to DAZN Boxing’s Ade Oladipo, Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren hyped up the fight by branding it ‘The Sunshine Showdown’ of the modern era. 

“The British public are not fools,” Frank said. “They’ve come out and bought all the tickets. It’s going to do massive numbers on pay-per-view and that’s because they know what they’re going to get. They know they’re going to get something special because out of all the heavyweights these two guys have power, absolute power. And this could be like a British version of Frazier against Foreman.” That said, what record is the upcoming Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois fight poised to break?

Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois vs. Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte

While it remains to be seen if Joshua can replicate the ‘shock factor’ of Frazier vs. Foreman, the upcoming fight is expected to set significant records. One record under threat is Tyson Fury‘s 2022 mark for the largest British boxing attendance, set during his bout against Dillian Whyte. That fight drew a crowd of 94,000, a record achieved with special dispensation from the local authorities.

With days left, Joshua and Dubois are set to fight in front of a sold-out 90,000 crowd, but the Saudis, with their partnership with Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn, aren’t done selling tickets quite yet. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh revealed that a request has been made to expand the capacity, which he later revealed was approved to hold a whopping 96,000.

It appears the Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois fight is gearing up to be truly legendary. However, whether it lives up to Frank Warren’s high praise is yet to be seen. Do you think Joshua and Dubois can honor their legendary predecessors? Let us know in the comments.