Anthony Joshua offered shock fight with Brit rival as Deontay Wilder fight on the verge of collapse
ANTHONY JOSHUA has been offered a shock showdown with fellow Brit Daniel Dubois amid the uncertainty over his clash with Deontay Wilder.
AJ was in talks over a long-overdue grudge match with The Bronze Bomber before his seventh-round KO of Robert Helenis last month.
Anthony Joshua is still in negotiations over a grudge match with Deontay WilderRICHARD PELHAM
The pair’s long overdue grudge match is seemingly hanging in the balanceGETTY
Frank Warren is willing to offer AJ a domestic dust-up with fellow Brit Daniel DuboisRICHARD PELHAM
The finances have been agreed but promoter Eddie Hearn is struggling to find a new venue for the fight after Saudi withdrew their interest.
There are now serious doubts over the heavyweight barnburner coming to fruition, which has prompted rival promoter Frank Warren to pitch a domestic dust-up with Dubois to AJ,
The Queensberry Promotions chief told iFL TV: “I’ll tell you what would be a good fight if that one doesn’t happen, a good fight in the UK.
“A fight people would buy tickets to see and see who is the biggest puncher and who has the biggest heart: him and Daniel Dubois.”
Warren is adamant a Joshua-Dubois dust-up would be an instant sellout and a massive pay-per-view event.
The veteran promoter said: “Who’s got the biggest heart? Who’s gunna grit their teeth?
“You can’t say it wouldn’t sell. It would sell. It’s a big fight.”
Dubois is still licking his wounds following his ill-fated bid to dethrone former pound-for-pound and current unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk last month.
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Triple D suffered a ninth-round TKO defeat to the undefeated Ukrainian, who he thought he finished with a body shot in the fifth round of their Polish punch-up.
Joshua, meanwhile, is currently riding a two-fight win streak following triumphs over Jermaine Franklin and Helenius.
A third fight of the year could be in the offing for AJ should his clash with Wilder fall by the wayside.
Matchroom Boxing chief Hearn told the BBC: “If it can’t be made, he wants to stay active.
“If he fights in December, that’ll be three fights in eight months which is incredible for him.
“People keep saying he should have one more fight and then fight Wilder, but we don’t think so.
“If it ends up that way, so be it and nothing would surprise me.
“If he fights in December, if he fights Deontay Wilder, if he fights Tyson Fury next – nothing would surprise me.
“There’s Filip Hrgovic and there’s Andy Ruiz Jr, but it probably won’t take place in this country.
“He’s had two now on the spin at The O2 Arena, so maybe we go to Madison Square Garden, somewhere in the Middle East. It’s just about activity for him.”
