Daniel Dubois has been advised that he does not need to fight the winner of the upcoming heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, with former boxer Darren Barker arguing the champion would beat both men.
Fury vs Joshua fight date and licensing concerns
Fury and Joshua are expected to finally settle their long-running rivalry on December 11 at Cardiff's Principality Stadium. However, the fight could be in jeopardy after objections to the event being staged in the early hours. Ring walks are scheduled for 1am on December 12 in the United Kingdom, and while event organisers want the stadium to be open until 3.30am, their application has met with concerns from local residents.
Cardiff Council's Licensing Sub-Committee will meet on November 25 to decide whether to grant or reject the stadium's request for an extension to its current arrangements. The proposed fight timings are designed to suit audiences in the United States.
Barker backs Dubois to beat both rivals
Should the fight go ahead as currently planned, the winner could be set for a big 2027 in the ring. Dubois' name has been mooted for the potential winner, but Barker believes the champion does not need to wait around for the victor.
In his latest column for DAZN, Barker explained: "Daniel Dubois is a man on a mission and he's going to take some stopping. He's a handful. Does he need to fight the winner of Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua? In my opinion, he doesn't. I mean, he's beaten Joshua convincingly and he would beat Fury."
"He's too fresh. He's in his prime. It's mental to think he's 29, with all the experience he's got behind him. He couldn't be sitting in a better position. He's had the real, real lows and he's had real, real highs. For me, there's a swagger, there's a confidence oozing from Dubois. You see him walking around and there's just a bit more. There's a maturity, there's real self-belief. Young men need to be fighting Dubois. Young, hungry… fighters the calibre of Agit Kabayel."
Barker added: "I know Fury's teased about continuing after fighting AJ on December 11. I don't know what Joshua plans on doing. But unless they have a rematch, I would love this to be their final fight."
Joshua wants Dubois rematch
The comments come after promoter Eddie Hearn revealed that his client Joshua wants to avenge his loss to Dubois. The two heavyweights clashed at Wembley Stadium two years ago, with Dubois going on to score a knockout in the fifth round.
"I can't speak on Tyson's behalf, but for [Joshua], he still wants to be in the biggest fights of the sport," said Hearn. "I've got to be honest with you, and I know it's a very dangerous fight, but he wants to rematch Daniel Dubois. [Joshua] is a competitor, so he's looking at that…and anyone who has ever beaten him, he's rematched, apart from Daniel Dubois."
"He wants to have another go at Daniel Dubois, and this is second nature to him. He wants to try to avenge that defeat. It's a dangerous fight, but if he goes through Tyson Fury and stops Tyson Fury, then why not? That would be for a title unification – or for a fight against [Filip] Hrgovic."
