Don Charles has advised Anthony Joshua to ‘grow a pair and step up’ before facing Daniel Dubois next.

Joshua sat in the front row when Dubois defeated Filip Hrgovic to become the ‘interim’ IBF heavyweight world champion last weekend in Saudi Arabia.

Dubois upset Hrgovic with Joshua watching at ringside.

If Oleksandr Usyk’s request for an exception to rematch Tyson Fury on December 21 is refused, Dubois might soon become the full IBF heavyweight world champion.

Joshua is scheduled to headline a mega event at Wembley Stadium on September 21, with ‘DDD’ being his opponent currently under consideration.

“It’s very unclear at the moment,” Charles explained to talkSPORT.

“Daniel’s [IBF] status is now mandatory in that position. AJ wants to be a three-time world champion. What better time for him [to face Dubois]? They should not even contemplate alternative choices.”

As one of boxing’s top stars, Joshua has plenty of eager opponents, but Charles believes his boxer’s nationality and the possibility of a world title on the line make him the best option.

He added, “AJ defeated Joseph Parker. Zhilei Zhang contributes nothing to the spectator, as this is a British battle between two British boxers.

“Doing this is a no-brainer. This is going to AJ and Eddie Hearn. It isn’t complicated. Do not deny the British people what will undoubtedly be a major fight for Britain.

“Come on, Wembley, there must be two British fighters.

Charles is the man who helped Dubois to his biggest win yet.

He implored Joshua and Hearn to agree to fight Dubois next.

“Come on AJ. Come on Eddie. Stop playing silly buggers. Get on with it. The most obvious thing to do is bring that fight to Wembley for the British audience. They deserve it.

“If you want to become a three-time world champion, this is a great opportunity. Usyk has beaten you twice, Fury has lost, [Deontay] Wilder is out of the picture.”

Charles signed off his message to Joshua and his long-time promoter by imploring them to ‘grow a pair’ and sign to fight Dubois later this year.

“Don’t kid us and cheat the British public,” he said.

“Hopefully, the IBF will do the right thing and make the title vacant for AJ to contest my guy, Daniel Dubois.

“We haven’t got any God-given right that we are going to beat him, nor has he.

“The public are entitled to their opinions, of course. But grow a pair and step up.”