Tyson Fury has promised to knock out British-Nigerian Anthony Joshua when they meet in Cardiff on December 11, after watching Daniel Dubois destroy Fabio Wardley on Saturday.
Dubois retained his WBO heavyweight title in London when Wardley’s corner threw in the towel in the second round. Fury posted a short video on Instagram congratulating him.
“That was a very exciting heavyweight fight there between Dubois and Wardley. Fair play to both guys. Well done to Daniel for retaining his belt with a good knockout. That’s how you get them out of there, big Dan,” Fury said.
“That is exactly what is going to happen to AJ on December 11, sparked out. Get up.”
Dubois dropped Wardley with a big right hand less than 20 seconds into the first round, and a barrage of unanswered punches in round two ended the fight. It was his first defence of the title. Wardley had taken the belt from him in May in an 11-round fight in which Dubois twice got up off the canvas.
The 29-year-old said he went in ready for war.
“I was just prepared for a war. Whatever he did wasn’t going to affect me: his punches or anything. I wouldn’t feel them, and I was just going to go right through him.
“I was in the zone. I was so on it, and I wasn’t going to be denied. I refuse to lose.”
Dubois asked his promoter, Frank Warren, “Who’s next?” Warren, who also promotes Fury, said he hoped to work on a unification fight next year. His stable includes IBF champion Filip Hrgovic and new WBC champion Agit Kabayel.
“All those names are there to do a unification fight next year, and that’s what we’re working on,” Warren said.
Asked whether Dubois could face the winner of Fury against Joshua, he replied, “Well, that remains to be seen, but what can you do with these fights? You can only keep making the best fights.”
The Cardiff fight will be at the Principality Stadium and live on Netflix, with the WBA world title at stake. The 38-year-old Fury would become a three-time world champion with a win, and he also wants to avenge his two defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.