Hearn’s Mind Games: Dubois’ IBF Title Legitimacy Questioned Ahead Of Joshua Clash

Eddie Hearn says he doesn’t see IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois as a legitimate world champion going into his title defense against the Hearn-promoted Matchroom fighter Anthony Joshua on September 21st at Wembley Stadium in London.

Hearn’s Sour Grapes

One senses there’s still some lingering bitterness with Hearn over Dubois destroying his Matchroom fighter Filip Hrgovic on June 1st and now poised to do a similar job to his flagship fighter, Anthony Joshua.

If Dubois obliterates Joshua, there won’t be much Hearn can do to pick up the broken pieces of AJ’s shattered career and glue them back together for a Tyson Fury cash-out.

Hearn views the IBF heavyweight title as vacant, and the Joshua vs. Dubois fight winner will capture it. It doesn’t matter what Hearn thinks because Dubois is the IBF champion, and if Joshua loses, his career will be in the mud.

Hearn’s delegitimizing Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) as the IBF world champion must be seen as another one of his tricks to make the 27-year-old Daniel question himself to fight below his capabilities against the soon-to-be 35-year-old Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs).

Joshua will make tons of sweet cash if he’s victorious against Dubois because the Tyson Fury fight would be next. However, if Joshua is blown out of the water by Dubois on September 21st, it will put him and Hearn in a terrible position to decide whether to rematch the young gun or limp into the Fury match coming off a loss.

AJ needs all the help he can get because he’s not fought a live opponent since his second loss to Oleksandr Usyk in 2022. No one knows how Joshua will respond against Dubois because this is such a huge step up in class compared to the last four opponents that AJ has fought.

“I don’t like to see people elevated from interim champ to full champ. If the IBF title became vacant and it was Dubois against Hrgovic, my answer would be, ‘Yes,’” said Eddie Hearn to Charlie Parson’s YouTube channel when asked if he sees Daniel Dubois as the legitimate IBF heavyweight champion ahead of his title defense against Anthony Joshua on September 21st.

No one likes to see fighters elevated, but the fact is, Dubois holds the IBF heavyweight title, and if Joshua wants it to validate himself, he’s going to have to beat him. Joshua and Hearn are making a big deal about capturing the IBF title. If the shoe was on the other foot and Matchroom fighter Hrgovic was the one holding the IBF title, Hearn would be pumping him up, saying he’s legit.

“But because the [IBF] title wasn’t vacant when they [Dubois and Filip Hrgovic] boxed for it [on June 1st], I think for me, it’s a vacant title. Yes,” said Hearn when asked if the legitimacy of Dubois being the IBF heavyweight champion isn’t there.”

Dubois beat a fighter that many people saw as the boogeyman in the heavyweight division with his eighth round knockout of previously unbeaten Hrgovic (17-1, 14 KOs) on June 1st in Riyadh. The shots that Dubois took from Hrgovic could have knocked Joshua out many times over, and it’s admirable that he walked through them to score a knockout.

“Listen, if Dubois beats AJ, 100% world champion, good luck to him. But to me, to beat Hrgovic as an interim champion, and to get elevated [to full IBF heavyweight champion], it’s different to winning it in the ring. But give him his props. He’s gone Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic, and Anthony Joshua.

“He’s on a good run, and if he wins this fight, yeah, legitimate world champion or sure,” said Hearn about Dubois.

Dubois is the Champion, Period

Daniel has fought far better competition than Joshua in his last four fights, and that’s not up for debate. Hearn has been bailing water with Joshua’s ship, trying to keep him from sinking entirely before he sets him up for the cash grab against the completely washed 36-year-old Fury in 2025.

We’re likely going to see Joshua and Fury steaming into their fights next year, having lost their preliminary matches and looking like a couple of old, pampered fighters.