Anthony Joshua could redeem himself from last year’s defeat to Daniel Dubois. The British boxer was knocked out by ‘DDD’ at Wembley in their IBF heavyweight title fight in September. However, recent events suggest that a rematch may be on the cards.

Dubois had been eyeing a bout with Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title following his latest victory, but first had to defeat Joseph Parker last month. Unfortunately, Dubois had to withdraw from his first title defence at the Kingdom Arena during fight week. This left Parker to obliterate last-minute replacement Martin Bakole, ending the match in the second round. Although Dubois kept his title due to his withdrawal, he has seemingly lost his chance to fight Usyk – with Parker now set to face the undefeated Ukrainian.

As Parker is currently the WBO’s interim heavyweight champion, the organisation has demanded that Usyk agree to a mandatory defence of his own title within 30 days before they initiate purse bid proceedings, reports the Mirror US.

Meanwhile, Usyk, who claimed a split-decision victory over Tyson Fury at Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Arena last May to become undisputed heavyweight champion, may opt to delay his quest to secure that title a second time. Instead, he might consider giving Parker the chance to challenge for his collection of WBA (Super), WBC, WBO and IBO belts.

This development could pave the way for Joshua to seek a rematch against Dubois for the IBF crown. Notably vocal about his desire for a lucrative bout with Fury in 2025, Joshua’s plans took a turn when the ‘Gypsy King’ hung up his gloves after two defeats to Usyk last year.

Heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois has been forced to pull out of his world-title defence against Joseph Parker just two days before their fight on Saturday, after falling ill.

The British boxer was being assessed by doctors in Saudi Arabia and missed a key press conference on Thursday evening. Later that night, it was confirmed he would not be able to fight.

Dubois, 27, was set to defend his IBF title for the second time, but the nature of his illness has not been disclosed.

Instead, New Zealand’s Parker, 33, will face Martin Bakole, who has stepped in as a last-minute replacement.

“I hope Dubois gets better soon and I’m still looking forward to a great fight on Saturday,” Parker said before the change was confirmed.

Dubois has a professional record of 22 wins and 2 losses. He won the ‘interim’ IBF title in 2021 and was upgraded to world champion when Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt. His first title defence saw him stop Anthony Joshua in five rounds last September.

Parker, a former WBO world champion, has 35 wins and 3 losses on his record. Bakole, based in Scotland, has 16 knockouts from 22 wins and just one loss.

The fight was meant to be a key part of a major boxing event, with a highly anticipated undisputed light-heavyweight showdown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol still set to headline the card. British boxer Hamzah Sheeraz will also challenge Carlos Adames for the WBC middleweight title on the undercard.

It’s a major blow for Dubois and fans, especially given how close the fight was to taking place. However, Bakole is still seen as a credible replacement, and the fight is expected to deliver an exciting spectacle.

Anthony Joshua was largely out-gunned by Daniel Dubois last September at Wembley Stadium, but managed to almost turn the tide towards the end.

Dubois, who had been elevated to IBF Champion, entered the ring an underdog. Despite that, he hurt ‘AJ’ significantly in the first round with a shot that would shape the entire contest.

Joshua showed incredible heart to stick around, being dropped a total of four times before the eventual fifth round ending. Before the final shot put him down and rendered him unable to make the referee’s count, he had his best success of the fight.

A right hand put Dubois on the back-foot and got the crowd on their feet. ‘AJ’ would land two more before ‘rolling the dice’ by throwing an uppercut only to be caught on the way in

Speaking to the Ring Magazine, Dubois said the shot in question was like ‘a bomb going off.’

“Honestly, it was a quick thing. It was in the moment. I just composed myself. It was a hell of a shot. I’ve watched it back and I’ve heard the sound. It’s like a bomb going off. But yeah [I’ve got a good chin], I just composed myself, studied what I was doing and took the chance, took victory.”

There may be a rematch down the line, it is certainly a fight Joshua wants, however Dubois first defends his belt against Joseph Parker on February 22. Should he retain it, he will look to face unified champion Oleksandr Usyk to become undisputed.

Meanwhile, Joshua is in the market for an opponent after Tyson Fury announced his retirement and put paid to talks of a long-awaited clash.

Anthony Joshua has been urged to take a comeback fight against Filip Hrgovic before deciding his next moves.

Joshua is currently at a crossroads in his heavyweight career after being brutally dropped three times and stopped by Daniel Dubois in September.

He was first expected to rematch Dubois but those plans were shelved after it was suggested he would not be ready for the targeted February date.

AJ then instead declared he would like to settle his rivalry with Tyson Fury in 2025, but the ‘Gypsy King’ then decided to announce his retirement from the sport.

The former two-time champion could now face a number of alternative opponents if he chooses to return, with the division’s boogeyman Martin Bakole also issuing a call-out.

But boxing broadcaster Ade Oladipo suggested on the latest episode of talkBOXING, that Hrgovic would be a sensible step for his next outing.

He said: “It is now a case of what do you do? Do you do a rebuild and go down a level and fight them Jermaine Franklin types?

“If he is here for the next two or three years then you do the rebuild, but I think he is only here for 12 months.

“If the fight with Fury doesn’t happen, I honestly think you go Hrgovic vs Dubois or Hrgovic vs Bakole.

“I don’t want to see the Dillian Whyte fight or the Deontay Wilder fight.

“I think you go in with someone who has only lost once in Hrgovic, and then go. It is a gauge of where you are.”

talkSPORT host Simon Jordan then questioned the value in Joshua fighting Hrgovic to which Oladipo replied: “Just to see if it is still there.

“To go through training camp and sparring to see if you still have it, it’s one thing saying it and another knowing it.

“I think Hrgovic will look at the Dubois fights and think he can win. I think it’s a closer fight than what people think.

“It’s still someone in the top ten and top 15, but then we can work out from that performance if we want to see a Dubois rematch or a fight with Bakole.”

Joshua has been linked with a clash against Hrgovic in the past, with the pair having both been stopped by Dubois.

It would be a reasonable test to work away any ring rust before challenging Bakole.

Bakole is considered an avoided fighter in the heavyweight division, and is campaigning for a huge clash against Joshua in Africa.

Joshua has surprisingly faced off with Bakole, but could have other priorities including future revenge against Dubois.

‘Dynamite’ currently holds the IBF belt and Joshua could become a three-time heavyweight champion if he does pursue future redemption.

But Oladipo and Jordan have themselves cast doubt on if there is genuine interest from Joshua in pursuing a sequel in 2025.

Jordan said: “It’s his decision, he is the captain of his own ship. He’s said this himself.

“If he wants to fight Daniel Dubois, he will fight Daniel Dubois but I’m questioning that.”

Oladipo added: “If AJ wants to fight Dubois, it should be happening tomorrow, he should be that guy.

Jordan continued: “So I assume by the very nature of it that he doesn’t want to fight Dubois, because he isn’t fighting Dubois.

Oladipo replied: “Yeah, I can’t argue with that because I suppose if AJ wanted to fight Dubois, we wouldn’t be seeing Dubois vs Parker.”