Joshua 'must' beat Dubois to set up Fury showdown, says Jones Jr

All eyes will be on Wembley this Saturday as Joshua aims to climb back to the top of the division against IBF world heavyweight champion Dubois.

The Briton returns to the ring six months after his second-round triumph over Francis Ngannou, extending his unbeaten run to four fights after consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk.

Joshua has once held the title he will fight for this weekend, beating Charles Martin in two rounds back in 2016, going on to retain it for five fights while also claiming the WBO, WBA (Super) and IBO titles in the process.

The 34-year-old's return to the top faces its sternest test under the Wembley arch, with Dubois winning the IBF title against Filip Hrgovic in June.

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— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyjoshua) September 20, 2024

While the pressure of fighting in front of a post-war record 96,000 spectators in London is weighing on the Briton's mind, there are also expectations for Joshua to deliver a victory to set up a long-awaited clash with Fury.

The pair have exchanged in a war of words over the years but have yet to settle it in the ring, with the Gypsy King set for a rematch with Usyk in December after his split-decision loss to the Ukrainian in May.

And Jones Jr, who won 66 of his 76 professional fights, believes Joshua has to win against Dubois to give British boxing fans the fight they have been craving.

"Well, he's hungry. He's still searching for direction. And, I think he found a good direction with the training he has now," Jones Jr told Stats Perform.

"So, hopefully, he can come back and get back to the form of what people want to see.

"Because even though he lost to Usyk twice and Fury may lose to Usyk twice, the people in the U.K. still want to see Anthony Joshua v Tyson Fury."

When asked to pick a winner, Jones Jr placed more pressure on Joshua to prevail, adding: "He has to win that fight.

"And the only way I think he'll lose it is if he gets knocked out, which I don't think will happen.