Anthony Joshua’s world title hopes have been dealt a blow as his next fight for the belt has yet to be sanctioned.
After three wins in Saudi Arabia, AJ is set to return to front of the 90,000 capacity Wembley Stadium in September.
And British rival Daniel Dubois is leading the charge in welcoming Joshua back to the UK.
Dubois recently stunned Filip Hrgovic to win the interim IBF title and earn his next opportunity to challenge for Oleksandr Usyk’s permanent title.
However, Usyk is unavailable to face number one contender Dubois as he is set to face Tyson Fury in a rematch following his historic win in May.
There was therefore an expectation that the IBF would strip the unbeaten Ukrainian champion of his title, allowing AJ and Dubois to challenge for the vacant belt.
However, the IBF told Sky Sports: no They requested that a bout between British fighters for the belt be sanctioned.
The 37-year-old Usyk’s victory over the 35-year-old Fury made him the first undefeated heavyweight champion to hold four belts.
Now the two are scheduled to rematch on December 21st in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the 34-year-old Joshua is approaching a fight at Wembley for the first time since 2018, with the 26-year-old Dubois the favourite to face him.
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AJ recently posted on social media, “Negotiations almost complete for my next fight! I’m motivated!”
Joshua beat Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin to win world titles and sold out Wembley Stadium twice.
He also beat Carlos Takam and Joseph Parker at Cardiff’s 75,000-seat Principality Stadium.
His most recent bouts in the UK have come at the O2, with two losses to Usyk followed by wins over Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius.
Deontay Wilder was a favorite to fight AJ but failed twice, losing to the 32-year-old Parker and the 41-year-old Zhang Zilei.
Dubois was in the running to fight Joshua after his win over the 32-year-old Hrgovic.