Daniel Dubois’ thrilling seventh-round stoppage of the previously unbeaten Filip Hrgovic on Saturday has set the stage for a potential showdown with former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on September 21 at Wembley Stadium. Dubois’ promoter, Frank Warren, has confirmed that talks will begin.

Dubois, the 26-year-old IBF interim heavyweight champion, is seeking to face Joshua at Wembley, a venue where Joshua has fought four times, including his iconic stoppage of Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000 fans in 2017. However, it remains uncertain whether the International Boxing Federation (IBF) will sanction the fight as a full heavyweight title bout.

“I don’t want to speculate – I haven’t talked to anyone about the heavyweights moving forward,” IBF president Daryl Peoples said.

Also, before the Hrgovic-Dubois fight, Peoples stated that IBF rules prevent its champion from participating in a rematch when a mandatory defense is due. This rule could affect Oleksandr Usyk, who became the undisputed heavyweight champion after defeating Tyson Fury via split decision in Saudi Arabia in May.

Watch Usyk vs. Fury highlights: Watch

Hrgovic, the mandatory challenger at the time, was aiming for a fight with Joshua for the IBF title, forcing the organization to adhere to its rules after Hrgovic's two-year wait as the leading contender. Usyk then requested an exception to ensure that his scheduled rematch with Fury on December 21 remains an undisputed title fight. With Warren promoting both Fury and Dubois, it remains to be seen how strongly he will push for the full IBF belt to be on the line in the Joshua-Dubois bout.

Peoples confirmed that neither Warren nor Dubois has requested that the future bout with Joshua be considered an interim title defense. “[Dubois] is the interim champion and the new mandatory contender,” he said. Peoples also noted that it is “too early” to determine whether the IBF will order Joshua-Dubois for the full belt.

As negotiations continue, boxing fans eagerly await the final decision on whether the clash will have championship stakes.

Read more about how Dubois stopped Hrgovic here.

Image Credit: DAZN