Daniel Dubois, per the latest update received from Eddie Hearn, appears to be the frontrunner to face Anthony Joshua. The emphatic win over Filip Hrgovic fetched him the interim IBF heavyweight title. But it also seems to have placed him in a pole position, ahead of rivals Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang. ‘AJ’ is expected to return for the Riyadh Season’s Wembley showdown, slated for September 21st. But not all appear enthusiastic about the potential fight. Former three-division champion James ‘Lights Out’ Toney rather censured the Olympic gold medalist when asked for his views on the line-up.

It would be the year’s second fight for the former unified heavyweight champion. On March 8, at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena, he obliterated Francis Ngannou‘s offense within two rounds. With a win over Dubois, Anthony Joshua might kill two birds with a stone. First, as the new interim IBF heavyweight champion, he stands a chance to become a world title holder for the third time. But only if Oleksandr Usyk vacates. Even if the Ukrainian somehow doesn’t, then it’s still a win-win situation for Joshua. The victory puts him in direct line to challenge the winner of the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk rematch as an IBF mandatory!

Rise to the occasion, Anthony Joshua says James Toney

Soon after James Toney shared his thoughts on Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez not taking place, the reporter from ‘Pro Boxing Fans’ asked, “Got to ask you about the heavyweights. Uh, what do you think about uh Anthony Joshua against Daniel Dubois potentially?”

It appears the poser literally took the ‘Lights Out’ of James Toney. Going completely ‘English’ he asked mockingly, “Really.. oh, how about a cup of tea?” Then he had Anthony Joshua in his crosshairs. The former world champion said to ‘Pro Boxing Fans’, “Oh Anthony Joshua, please grow some b*lls and fight real fighters, and Daniel Dubois, well, Dubois, whatever it is, hey, easy win for him. We step all up, fight some for real, step up, step up fight.”

The reporter then asked who ‘AJ’ should pick next for his opponent. Toney promptly took the upcoming American heavyweight star Jared Anderson’s name. But then, how do you stop an old-school boxer from taking a dig? ‘Lights Out’, then suggested his name, but it too had a caveat! “Maybe James Toney, but nobody wants to see me. I guarantee you that…not in this day and age….,” he said.

Daniel Dubois, nearing the finish line

Sometime last week, Eddie Hearn was in conversation with Andy Goldstein on talkSPORT‘s ‘Drive’. He shared a few updates on Anthony Joshua’s upcoming fight. Speaking about the current state of the heavyweight division with Deontay Wilder’s upset defeat, the Matchroom boss spoke about the prospect of having Anthony Joshua headline the September event at Wembley Stadium. A press conference regarding that was scheduled for June 26.

Then he mentioned the opponents ‘AJ’ might eventually face. “Daniel Dubois, if the IBF title can be on the line, which it may well be with two Brits fighting for the world title, AJ to become a three-time world heavyweight champion. Zhilei Zhang! He’s on a great run dangerous you know. Big, big, southpaw from China. Joseph Parker’s on a great run but I think if the belts are lying and everything makes sense Dubois could be the runner, ” he said.

Perhaps James Toney might have had his own reasons to question Daniel Dubois as an unfair match-up for ‘AJ’. But otherwise, with the kind of output that he is delivering, the 26-year-old Londoner has become one of the biggest names in the heavyweight division. He has the potential to join the top rung of the weight class once the current lot of champions vacate. His performance against Filip Hrgovic impressed the great Teddy Atlas massively. The ace trainer even said, “He came here to be a like a fighter and and act like a champion.” This pretty much sets the tone for Dubois to be the next big contender against AJ in a massive Wembley headliner.

Do you agree with James Toney’s views on Anthony Joshua picking easy fights? Please share your views with us in the comments below.