Frank Warren has told media his preferred next move for Daniel Dubois following his epic win over Anthony Joshua on Saturday night.
Warren was one of the 98,000 in attendance, as his charge Dubois emphatically stopped Joshua in the fifth round of their world heavyweight title fight at Wembley Stadium.
And after an impressive first defence of his IBF belt, speculation is already rife in the boxing world over what the Brit’s next move will be.
Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn claims Joshua has a contractual rematch clause, which would, if true, mean he’d be able to trigger a second showdown with his domestic rival immediately.
However, Warren told BBC 5Live that the 27-year-old is not obligated to face ‘AJ’ again and that he would prefer a second crack at unified world champion, Oleksandr Usyk to be next.
“The fight I would like to see him in now is Usyk again.
“He is a different Daniel Dubois, he is more mature physically and mentally.
“He will go from strength to strength. He will be here for a while, he is a young man and has all the tools to take this division over.
“There is a clause [for a rematch with Joshua] in his contract but not in ours. But that’s not to say we wouldn’t do it. It’s something we’ll sit down and discuss.”
Usyk defeated Dubois via ninth round stoppage in August of last year, however their bout was marred over a controversial low blow incident.
🇺🇦 USYK DEFEATS DUBOIS AMID CONTROVERSY 🏆
🥊 @paulmason1986 reports after Oleksandr Usyk defended his unified heavyweight titles with a 9th round stoppage over Daniel Dubois, after a controversial low blow 👇
✍️ https://t.co/t8nfeY53Mo#Boxing #UsykDubois
— Pro Boxing Fans (@ProBoxingFans) August 27, 2023
The Ukrainian was writhing in agony on the canvas after a shot from the 27-year-old that was ruled a low blow by referee Luis Pabon, though many observers felt the punch was legal.
‘Triple D’ will no doubt fancy his chances of righting what he sees as a big injustice, however him getting the opportunity will no doubt depend on Usyk scoring another victory over Tyson Fury when they rematch in December.
