LONDON: Daniel Dubois will put his International Boxing Federation world heavyweight title on the line on Saturday in a mouth-watering clash with Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium.

The pair will battle it out in front of a reported post-war British record crowd of 96,000.

Dubois has said this week he needed to justify his status as the IBF champion, which he claimed in June when Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title.

For Joshua, it marks a chance at redemption and he has said a victory would finally end the difficult period he endured since a 2019 loss to Andy Ruiz and a pair of defeats against Usyk.

17:00 - Opening the Riyadh Season, super lightweight fighters Mark Chamberlain and Josh Padley squared off at a rapidly filling Wembley Stadium.

With 96,000 due for the main event, those who were gathered for this first bout certainly made their voices heard.

Neither Chamberlain nor Padley had lost in their preceding respective 16 and 14 fights.

For Chamberlain, 12 of those victories had come by knock out, while Padley had landed knock outs in all of his.

This fight wasn’t to go that way, as chants of “Blue Army” - in reference to Chamberlain’s home city of Portsmouth - and “Padley” rang out.Indeed both pugilists seemed to recognise the quality of their opponent with the opening rounds proving tentative.

Of the two, Padley was the more aggressive, hurling a volley of shots.

Later, the stats would show Chamberlain had landed an ever so slightly higher percentage of his shots.

Eventually Padley’s determination would pay off, a left hook knocking chamberlain down halfway through the 8th round.

He was not down for long though.

And it seemed to spark some urgency in the Pompey lad.

But as the bell rang out to end the 10th round, Padley seemed far more assured he’d done enough to gain the judges favour.

And the audience agreed, with just 37 percent giving the win to Chamberlain. When the results were announced Padley had won unanimously, with the judges scoring it 95-93, 96-92, and 96-92 in his favour.

LONDON: London’s Trafalgar Square is a monument to the strong. Kings, generals, vast lions cast in bronze and stone, with the great admiral Lord Nelson perched high atop his column surveying all below. 

On Friday, it played host to two of the world’s greatest fighters, men who might as well be chiseled from rock and metal, as they met ahead of their eagerly anticipated showdown for one of the biggest prizes in boxing.

Anthony Joshua, 34, and Daniel Dubois, 27, face off at Wembley Stadium for the IBF world heavyweight title Saturday in the headline event of Riyadh Season’s card of bouts held across the British capital this week. It is set to be witnessed by a record-breaking sellout crowd of 96,000 spectators, with millions more tuning in from around the world — and a taste of the anticipation was felt in central London at the weigh in, which drew a healthy crowd of several thousand more baying fans.

Joshua, the challenger, garnered a rapturous reception when making his way to the stage, with his name ringing around the square to the tune of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” Clearly the favorite — and promoter Eddie Hearn felt the support was more than justified for his man.

“AJ can match him (Dubois) in every physical attribute,” he said, calling Joshua an “adonis who’s in the form of his life.”

He continued that he thought the fight was set to be a “heavyweight classic,” and that Joshua would look to put Dubois “to sleep nice and early,” adding: “I’m so proud of him, and when he becomes three-time world champion tomorrow night, there’ll be a tear in the eye, and it’ll be one of the great nights of British boxing.”

His opposite number, Frank Warren, countered that “there’ll be a lot of tears tomorrow night,” warning: “Daniel’s not coming to make up the numbers.

“He can punch, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s fast. AJ is going to have to be at the top of his game.”

Warren added: “These two guys are going to throw bombs at each other. You’re going to see something extra, extra special.”

He also praised the role played by Riyadh Season and the Saudi General Entertainment Authority in putting up the fight card, and special thanks were given to the Kingdom’s leadership, including King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as GEA Chairman Turki Alalshikh.

“Riyadh Season coming to London has made a major difference. Every day we’ve been at an iconic London venue promoting this fight. Its unbelievable,” Warren said. “This has happened because of Riyadh Season — His Excellency (Turki Alalshikh) and his team have enabled us not just to put this main event together, but also the fabulous undercard.”

At the weigh in, Joshua came in heavier than his opponent at 18 stone to fellow Londoner Dubois’ 17 stone, 10 pounds. The pair stared each other down as they came face to face, but there were no harsh words or throwing of hands, with each affixing the other with a steely, determined stare.

Dubois, the champion, was reticent when interviewed onstage afterwards. “I’m ready to fight,” he said three times. “I’m ready to go, talking’s done.”

Joshua, meanwhile, fed off the crowd’s support, saying he thought of himself “as a gladiator” about to “step into the arena.”

He added to the crowd: “I want to thank you for sticking with me through thick and thin. If I can ask you one favor, go home tonight and make a prayer for me, for success tomorrow, and I will become three-time heavyweight champion of the world.”