‘I’m just ready to fight,” Anthony Joshua declared earlier this month as he anticipated his upcoming bout against Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night. Dubois, seated across from Joshua in a television studio, mirrored the contrived tension typical of pre-fight shows, coolly addressing his more renowned opponent: “Let’s go.” Frank Warren, Dubois’ promoter, seated beside him, attempted to temper the sudden intensity with a caveat: “But let’s wait until the 21st.” Ignoring Warren, Dubois persisted: “If he wants to swing, let’s go now.” Joshua retorted sharply: “Shaddup. Relax.” Dubois, appearing calm but unyielding, continued: “If you want to go now, let’s go.”

Joshua, often criticized for his overly polished public persona, responded with unexpected force and profanity: “I’ll put this fucking chair across your face. Don’t disrespect me.” Dubois shot back: “You can’t intimidate me. Who do you think you are?” Joshua, suddenly menacing in his white vest, stood up and approached his younger rival. Dubois, dressed in a crisp white shirt and black waistcoat, quickly rose as well. A burly security guard intervened as Warren and Eddie Hearn, another promoter, tried to defuse the situation.

Before being escorted away, Joshua addressed Dubois seriously: “Dan, I don’t take disrespect lightly. Don’t sit at the table telling me we can go now, trying to call me out.” Such minor skirmishes often feel scripted, as television producers orchestrate boxers’ interactions to create “content” that boosts pay-per-view sales. However, Joshua’s reaction was unusual, suggesting he might feel pressure facing an opponent he cannot afford to lose against.

Joshua has lost three of his 31 professional fights since his career began in 2013. Despite being a two-time world champion and the highest-earning British boxer, his defeats have left scars. At 34, he is driven to end his career on a high, aiming to become an undisputed world champion and erase lingering disappointment. Oleksandr Usyk, the true champion, won all major belts by defeating Tyson Fury in May but was stripped of his IBF title for refusing to rematch Fury. The IBF appointed Dubois as their new ‘world’ champion, setting up a bout against Joshua.

Despite their recent tension, Joshua is in a more amiable mood now. He explains his confrontation with Dubois: “I’ll give you the gist behind it. I was in the pub the week before [the face-off with Dubois]. One little kid – well, I’m 35 [next month] and he’s probably 30-something – thought he could say something. I felt that disrespect [because] you can’t let anyone think they can speak to you in a certain way. At the pub, there are other people who are looking at this person talking to me like that. So don’t ever think you can disrespect me – because it won’t end well for you. So, we drew a line under that.

“Then, the week after, I’m doing a face-off and [Dubois] tried to get mouthy. So I’m still in the same mindset. What happens if Jarrell Miller or Deontay Wilder starts thinking they can talk to me like that? So, Dan, I’m gonna put a stop to you there and listen: ‘I will smash this fucking chair across your face, and I’ll ram the pole down your throat.’ You have to let someone know that you’re not fucking about, and hopefully that will ripple out to everyone else.” Joshua smiles, indicating his threat to Dubois was not personal.

In his last two fights, decisive stoppage wins over Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou, Joshua was more aggressive and brutally clinical. Asked if his renewed edge, sharpened by new trainer Ben Davison, is still overlooked, Joshua leans forward: “I’m a nice person, but honestly, I’ll switch as well. So, you pick what side of the fence you want to sit on. Most people are all right with me, but I will definitely go to extremes that I don’t think they’re ready for. It’s up to them which way they wanna do it. With Dan there’s no problem. I like Dan, there’s nothing wrong with him, he’s a good guy. We’ll shake hands after. But it was the fact that someone thought they were OK to say: ‘We can fight now.’ Am I gonna say: ‘Nah, let’s not go now, I’m not ready’? Are you crazy? I’m gonna give it back to you.”

Joshua’s hardened experience will be crucial amid the charged atmosphere of an all-British clash in front of 96,000 spectators. Some doubt Dubois, who poses a real threat to Joshua, will handle the raucous occasion well. But Joshua, understanding boxing’s highs and lows better than most, is surprisingly supportive of Dubois: “I think he’s gonna be fine, honestly. You have no other choice but to rise to the occasion, unfortunately. You’ve come this far. He’s walked out at Tottenham [Hotspur Stadium], he’s walked out in Poland [where he fought Usyk in another stadium bout]. He’ll walk out at Wembley.”

That show of respect contrasts sharply with their recent spat. Joshua adds, with quiet certainty: “Once that first bell goes you’re in the fight, and it doesn’t matter any more about anything.”