Anthony Joshua could face the winner of the Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois fight for the IBF world title at Wembley Stadium on September 21 should it get stripped off Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk outpointed Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia on May 18 to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years, but it was expected that the Ukrainian would soon have the IBF belt taken from him.
The IBF title was expected to be on the line on Saturday, June 1, 2024, when mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic fought Daniel Dubois in Riyadh, but the IBF decided to create an interim belt for that fight.
As a result, Usyk will keep the official title for the time being, as well as his undisputed status, though it is unclear whether the 37-year-old will be stripped before his rematch with Fury. That bout will take place in Riyadh on December 21.
However, if Usyk is stripped before then, Hrgovic or Dubois will be upgraded to become the official champion. It is also possible that the winner of Hrgovic/Dubois vs. Joshua will be upgraded after their fight instead.
Joshua, a two-time heavyweight champion who was at ringside for the Ukrainian’s split decision win over the Gipsy King, is enjoying a resurgence that began soon after his second consecutive loss to Usyk in 2022: beating Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin, and Francis Ngannou.
Eddie Hearn thinks the British Nigerian would have left Usyk’s victory over Fury, fancying his chances against both.
“I don’t think he’s that deep,” Hearn said on the True Geordie podcast when asked what would have been going through Joshua’s mind after the bout.
“I think probably deep down, he’s thinking, ‘Well, I lost, especially in the second fight, by a close points decision’.
“By the way, honestly, AJ was 50% of the fighter he is now. You saw in the press conference his reaction in the ring; he wasn’t himself, and I don’t think he was in a great place.
“Now he’s firing on every single cylinder that exists. So he’s watching that fight, thinking, ‘I’d love another crack at Usyk’. He’s thinking, ‘I’d love a fight with Fury, but he did say to me before that fight, ‘Usyk would win on points’ and he was right, in a great fight.”
