Former British heavyweight champion David Price has backed the Anthony Joshua versus Daniel Dubois IBF heavyweight title rematch following boxing promoter Eddie Hearn’s revelation that Saudi Arabia will most likely host the highly anticipated fight involving the two Britons.
Price, who spoke to Boxing News on Saturday night at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, where local star Nick Ball retained his WBA featherweight title against Rios, described the fight as a “win-win” for Joshua.
While the nature of the loss would normally rule out a rematch, Price backs the two fighters to face off again.
He said, “The rematch is the no-brainer. It’s a win-win for Joshua because you can go in and win the fight and right the wrong, or he can go in and lose again. Nothing changes. He’s still where he is. Dubois is a wrecking machine; his confidence is sky-high. If [Joshua] loses to him again, it’s not the end. He can still fight Wilder, [Zhilei], ‘Big Bang’ [Zhang], or even Fury. There’s still options. It’s a no-brainer. What else is he going to do?
Last month, Joshua’s bid to become a three-time world champion and return to the division’s top table ended dramatically and unexpectedly, with Dubois dropping him several times at Wembley Stadium in front of 98,000 fans before he landed the final blow, a crunching right-hand, in Round 5 that left Joshua sprawling on the canvas for a fourth career loss.
The defeat sent shockwaves through the boxing world, with some pundits questioning Joshua’s future in the sport.
Reacting to talks about his future, Joshua vowed to continue boxing, with his promoter confirming that the Middle Eastern kingdom will stage the rematch as part of the Riyadh Season, a festival of entertainment and sports events that runs from October to early March.
