“If AJ did that, they should definitely put Daniel Dubois in there now after he beat him,” Warren said on talkSport Boxing.
The comment immediately raises an awkward question about Joshua’s own resume. Joshua’s Hall of Fame status is often tied as much to his commercial success and event nights as the depth of his resume.
Dubois, meanwhile, now owns stoppage wins over Joshua, Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Fabio Wardley during his recent rebuild. That made Warren’s comparison less easy to dismiss than it might have sounded a year ago.
Joshua’s career was commercially massive and historically important to British boxing, but the actual list of elite victories has long divided fans. His biggest win remains the 2017 victory over Wladimir Klitschko, who was 41 years old and after a long layoff following his loss to Tyson Fury.
Joshua also owns wins over Joseph Parker, Alexander Povetkin, Dillian Whyte and Andy Ruiz Jr. in their rematch, but critics questioned how many of those wins came against opponents at their best. Parker fought Joshua for years in a heavily criticized tactical fight before becoming the more aggressive version seen today, while Povetkin is already nearing the end of his career.
Even the Ruiz rematch remained up for debate as Ruiz entered the second fight visibly heavier after months of partying and celebrity attention following his upset win in New York.
Therefore, Warren’s Hall of Fame comparison may say as much about the modern heavyweight era as it does about Dubois himself.
Dubois has losses to Joe Joyce and Usyk, but he also owns stoppage wins over Joshua and Wardley and has quickly rebuilt his position after many had written him off.
If Joshua’s resume is considered enough for eventual Hall of Fame recognition, some fans would argue that the standard itself might not be particularly high in this heavyweight generation.
