Joshua vs Dubois fight format: rounds, weigh-in, rules...

A hugely anticipated clash between British heavyweights is right around the corner as Anthony Joshua goes up against Daniel Dubois for his IBF world heavyweight title, with the undercard set to get going at 11 a.m. ET.

The belt, which was once held by Joshua, was most recently claimed by Oleksandr Usyk, who became the undisputed heavyweight champion after defeating Tyson Fury in May. However, the 37-year-old was forced to relinquish the title after opting for a rematch with Fury instead of facing the mandatory challenger.

Dubois, the holder, won the IBF’s Interim title in his last bout. When Usyk agreed the rematch with Fury, the Interim strap was upgraded to the full world championship.

It’s now between Joshua and Dubois, who will face off at Wembley in London, as the stadium hosts its first fight since 2022.

Joshua - Dubois: Weigh-in

The weigh-in for the fight will take place on Friday, September 20 and will start at around 1pm ET.

Fight format, rules and number of rounds

The fight format is set to be the same for any major professional boxing match. It will be twelve rounds lasting 3 minutes each, with a one minute break in between.

If a fighter is knocked to the ground and counted out to ten, they lose; if they go to ground three times, they lose; if they remain on their feet but the referee deems them unfit to fight, they lose. Anyone of the corner team or medical staff can also pull the fighter out of the fight before the end.

The ring ropes cannot be used for leverage and punches below the belt or the back of the opponent’s head and neck are not allowed either.

If the fight goes the twelve rounds and both fighters are still in the game, the decision goes to the judges’ scorecards. The three judges sit ringside and award scores out of ten to each fighter, with the scores usually being 10 for the winner of the round and 9 for who they deem to be the loser (getting knocked to the ground may see the scores drop to 8 or even 7).

If all three officials agree on the winner, it’s known as a unanimous decision; a split decision is awarded if two judges score the fight in a boxer’s favour.