Joshua vs. Dubois: All-Brit Wembley Stadium Showdown 

This Saturday afternoon in the States, boxing fans get a treat with an all-British showdown between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois.  This fight belongs exactly where it’s taking place in what will be a jammed-packed Wembley Stadium to watch two Londoners facing off for pride. The undercard has a few equally matched fights in Cacace vs. Warrington, Kelly vs. Davis, and Buatsi vs. Hutchinson. Rising contender Hamzah Sheeraz is on the card and part of a 20-dollar discounted PPV price point.

The game plan for Daniel Dubois is simple on the surface. Dubois must find his way inside and then unload punches to the head and body with his head in AJ’s chest. Dubois has to make AJ uncomfortable by pushing him back as much as possible. Of course that task is easier said than done to take flush right hand after flush right hand the way Daniel did in his win over Filip Hrgovic.

Joshua loves to fight at range looking to set up right hands and left hooks. Of late, Anthony has targeted the body with those powerful right-hand punches, something he will definitely look to accomplish against Dubois. Engaging in a full-out brawl is not AJ’s strength, but he does punch straighter and more accurately than many heavyweights. Joshua will fight at range in the early goings, mixing in his jab with slight lateral or circling movement so he doesn’t get overwhelmed. Eventually Joshua will attempt to bring the heat to Dubois.

AJ can box decently on the outside as long as it’s on his terms. There is big difference in choosing to box smartly and getting forced to the ropes or in corners. Defense is where Daniel shows his biggest weakness. The effect of taking all those shots in his last outing may rear its ugly head on Saturday, physically or mentally, or both. AJ’s length and offense are his best defense, but when put on a rope and pressured, the whole fight’s open targets increase rapidly. Mentally/physically giving up is not just a one-way street as we saw with AJ in the first Andy Ruiz fight.

This boxing podcaster believes the styles will match up for an entertaining two-way scrap until Joshua’s hard right hands begin to add up. In an offensive matchup, AJ has the advantage, so it will be up to Daniel to make him shrink offensively on the ropes. If Dubois can make Joshua overly defensive with relentless pressure, he will win the fight. Here’s hoping we get a great fight before what will be an energetic crowd at Wembley Stadium.

My Official Prediction is Anthony Joshua by late stoppage.

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Side Note: The combination punching by Cacace and Warrington’s willing to oblige should make for a great battle until Josh’s chin fails him. This boxing junkie is very interested to see if the bad blood surfaces in the Bautsi vs. Hutchinson. Bautsi has the advantage in skill but Hutchinson is very game and throws punches from awkward angles. Also, Jaime Munguia makes his return to the ring after suffering his first defeat of his career taking on a solid opponent in Erik Bazinyan on ESPN this Friday.

My Picks: Cacace by TKO, Bautsi MD, and Munguia UD.

Written by Chris Carlson Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast Available at www.blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperadio Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio