Joshua vs Dubois off till 2026

The anticipated rematch between Anthony Joshua and IBF world champion Daniel Dubois has been put on hold until 2026, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren confirmed the development during an appearance on talkSPORT, stating that Joshua would be “out of the picture” for a while due to mandatory challenger obligations.

“First of all, the fight Daniel had against AJ was his mandatory, so he is allowed a period of time, which means he can fight in February and he’s allowed up until April or May (to make a voluntary defence),” Warren said.

He continued, “And then whoever the mandatory is, that is who it will be [for the fight after]. It won’t be AJ because he can’t get himself into a mandatory position because they have called for the next two guys to fight each other (Kabayel and Bakole).”

Joshua, who has earned over $200m in his career, including $75m from fights in 2024 alone, is still nursing injuries from his fifth-round knockout loss to Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September.

The British-Nigerian’s promoter Eddie Hearn hinted at a summer return for the 35-year-old, who has one fight remaining on his Riyadh Season contract.

“He had five fights in 18 months; he will be fine. Back in the summer,” Hearn said.

Meanwhile, Dubois, 27, is expected to return to the ring in February before facing the winner of an eliminator bout between Martin Bakole and Agit Kabayel in the second half of 2025.

The delay in the rematch means both fighters will likely face different opponents before any potential second encounter, with negotiations between both camps already stalled.

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