Daniel Dubois (248.6) Heavy Duty IBF Title Defense Versus Anthony Joshua (252.5)

The most attended heavyweight title fight in history is now coming to a close.

Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua arrived ready to fight as they hit the scales on Friday. Londoner Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) weighed in at 248.6 pounds, while Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) came in at 252.5 pounds.

Their scheduled 12-round IBF heavyweight bout headlines DAZN Pay-Per-View on Saturday. The UK launch of the Riyadh Season is expected to attract a Wembley record 96,000 fans in attendance. Thousands of fans flocked to Friday’s weigh-in in London’s Trafalger Square.

Dubois came to his first defense much easier than his win that eventually led to this situation. He surpassed his career high weight of 245.8 pounds in his technical victory on June 1 over Filip Hrgovic in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This made Dubois claim the IBF heavyweight title.

The promotion came later in the month when RING champion Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) vacated the full IBF belt. The undefeated Ukrainian still holds the WBC, WBA and WBO belts. However, he agreed to allow Dubois and Joshua to have the rightful title for the debut of the Riyadh Season in the UK.

Usyk picked up a knockout win over Dubois and a two-decision win over Joshua.

Saturday is Joshua’s first title fight since a back-to-back loss to Usyk in Aug. 2022. The hulking Brit saw his second consecutive title reign only in September. 2021 unanimous loss to Usyk in North London.

Four wins followed for Joshua, including a first-round knockout of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou on March 8 in Riyadh. Joshua had the same weight as he did on Friday.

Joshua won his first major title—the IBF belt—in the second round in April 2016 against then-undefeated Charles Martin.

Six defenses followed, including victories over Wladimir Klitschko and Joseph Parker to add the WBA and WBO titles. His undefeated run ended in his debut in June 2019 in the US when he was knocked out by Andy Ruiz. Joshua avenged the defeat six months later in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.

Joshua is ranked No. 2 heavyweight by The Ring; Dubois is number 6.

Below are the undercard weights.

Tyler Denny (19-2-3, 1 KO; No. 10 at 160 by The Ring, Rowley Regis, West Midlands, 159.9 pounds
Hamzah Sheeraz (20-0, 13 KOs; No. 3 at 160 by The Ring), Ilford, Essex, 159.6 pounds
12 rounds, middleweight

Joshua Buatsi (18-0, 13 KOs; No. 4 at 175), Croydon, London, 174.7 pounds
Willy Hutchinson (18-1, 13 KOs; No. 9 at 175), Carstairs, Scotland, 174.9 pounds
12 rounds, interim WBO light heavyweight title

Anthony Cacace (22-1, 8 KOs; No. 5 at 130), Belfast, N. Ireland, 129.8 pounds
Josh Warrington (31-3-1, 8 KOs; No. 10 at 126), Leeds, Yorkshire, 129.5 pounds
12 rounds, junior lightweight (Cacace’s IBF title is at stake)

Josh Kelly (15-1-1, 8 KOs), Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, 159.1 pounds
Ishmael Davis (13-0, 6 KOs), Leeds, 159.3 pounds
12 rounds, middleweight

Mark Chamberlain (16-0, 12 KOs; No. 9 at 135), Portsmouth, Hampshire, 139.4 pounds
Josh Padley (14-0, 4 KOs), Armthorpe, Yorkshire, 139.6 pounds
10 rounds, junior welterweight

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