British heavyweight, Daniel Dubois, could be set to return to the ring before the end of the year.
News broke earlier this week that a heavyweight mega-card was being planned for December 23 in Saudi Arabia as part of Riyadh Season.
The event is reportedly set to feature both Anthony Joshua and Deontay wilder, but not against each other. The two frontrunners to face the former champions are currently Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker respectively. Boxing News now report that Dubois is apparently being lined up to also make an appearance on the undercard.
Dubois was last out in August when he made his first challenge for a full world title against unified champion, Oleksandr Usyk. ‘DDD’ lost the fight by ninth round stoppage, but not without controversy. The 26-year-old sent the Ukrainian to the canvas in the fifth round with a shot to the midsection. Referee Luis Pabon immediately called the punch an illegal low blow and gave the champion several minutes to recover.
The Brit’s promoter, Frank Warren, subsequently appealed the result, claiming their man landed a legal shot and argued that the referee wrongly encouraged Usyk to take more time to recover than necessary. The WBA rejected the appeal and Dubois lost his mandatory status.
Not for the first time in his career, questions were being asked about Dubois’ heart, having stayed down for the count after a shot from Usyk, with some pundits referring back to his loss against Joe Joyce where he once again stayed down on one knee.
Dubois is now looking to rebuild his career and get back into title contention and that could start against an old Joshua rival.
‘AJ’ was scheduled to face Jarrell Miller for his American debut back in 2019, but after a fiery build up where insults were thrown back and forth, the unbeaten heavyweight from New York tested positive for several banned substances. Andy Ruiz Jr stepped in as a replacement and caused one of the biggest upsets in the division’s history.