Anthony Joshua willing to risk it all in world title battle with Daniel Dubois

Anthony Joshua has suggested he is “willing to die” in the ring when he fights Daniel Dubois for the IBF world heavyweight title on ­Saturday night at Wembley. As a former ­two-time world heavyweight ­champion, who has suffered three defeats in an immensely lucrative but uneven career that began nearly 11 years ago, Joshua is well versed in fight talk.

He normally shies away from making dramatic statements about the gravity of boxing but, with five days left before he steps back into the ring for his 32nd bout, Joshua acknowledged the dangers in facing a heavyweight who punches as hard as Dubois.

Asked if he felt a fresh sense of jeopardy this week, he said: “Yes, of course, but [Dubois] is fighting someone who is willing to die in there, who wants to give it everything to be victorious.”

Anthony Joshua has suggested he is “willing to die” in the ring when he fights Daniel Dubois for the IBF world heavyweight title on ­Saturday night at Wembley. As a former ­two-time world heavyweight ­champion, who has suffered three defeats in an immensely lucrative but uneven career that began nearly 11 years ago, Joshua is well versed in fight talk.

He normally shies away from making dramatic statements about the gravity of boxing but, with five days left before he steps back into the ring for his 32nd bout, Joshua acknowledged the dangers in facing a heavyweight who punches as hard as Dubois.

Asked if he felt a fresh sense of jeopardy this week, he said: “Yes, of course, but [Dubois] is fighting someone who is willing to die in there, who wants to give it everything to be victorious.”

“When you win, you’re on a high and you want to experience that. When you lose, you get low and it takes time to get balanced again. After the Ngannou fight, everything was good, you’re riding that wave. Hopefully we do that on Saturday as well. I’ve given Daniel respect in order to get the victory.”

Joshua remains the biggest draw in British boxing, despite his setbacks, but he shrugged aside whether Dubois is among the fighters who owe him a debt of gratitude for boosting their own earnings when his bouts are held in vast arenas.

“The only thing he owes me is a punch and that’s it,” he said. “I don’t want anything else from him. I don’t want his respect or anything else. I have to earn it if I want it. Everything I’ve done in the past, we have to draw a line under because I can’t take that with me on Saturday night. In that moment, [what happens in the ring] is all that matters.”