Anthony Joshua threatens to hit rival Daniel Dubois with chair as tempers flare
Daniel Dubois almost sparked a brawl with Anthony Joshua as tempers flared ahead of their September showdown.
The pair were speaking to each other as part of a now traditional interview for broadcasters in which they sat opposite each other across a small table to promote their heavyweight clash which was confirmed for Wembley Stadium.
They usually pass with little more than the odd barb shared between the pair but this got heated as Dubois tried to instigate a fight there and then.
Joshua responded by threatening to “smash a chair across his face” according to his promoter Eddie Hearn. The interview had to be cut short over fears the pair could exchange more than verbal blows.
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Joshua insists he walked away after what he felt Dubois said was over the line.
Former three-belt world champion Joshua said: “We had a bit of aggro, it’s good. There are two aspects to it, the competitive side, the Queensbury Rules of boxing.
“But there is also the instinct that one has, as a fighter. And that is just how it is.
“Before I boxed, I was a good fighter, that’s an instinct you have when someone calls you out. He said ‘let’s go now’. And I said: ‘let’s go then’. No security, I just stepped away, I thought I would be the bigger man.”
(Image: Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren witnessed it ithe interview get out of hand.
He said: “It just nearly went off upstairs but you will have to wait until the film goes out to see it. It was quite lively. We did a face-off around a table and it got a bit spicy. It got a bit heated and Daniel said, ‘Let’s go now’.
“It was genuine, there is genuine animosity. There’s pressure on both of them but the pressure is on AJ. Daniel’s last two fights, the bookmakers have made the other guy the favourite and I’m sure they will make AJ the favourite. I hope they do because he loves it. They didn’t shake hands.”
Dubois, who was elevated to IBF heavyweight champion on Tuesday night after Oleksandr Usyk relinquished the title, jetted in for the press conference from Brazil where he was on holiday.
(Image: Getty Images)
He said: “I was jet-lagged that was all, my mind was not in the right place, but it was all good and all part of the fun and getting into the groove.”
Dubois added that there won’t be any handshakes until after the fight as he puts all his energy into beating his British rival.
He added: “This is the fight game, I’m ready to go and ready to conquer. I’m ready to make sure I get the victory, that’s all that’s on my mind. We’ll shake hands after the fight.”
