ANTHONY JOSHUA and Daniel Dubois almost came to blows and had to be held back by security after a fiery face-off exchange.
The two London heavyweights meet for the IBF title on September 21 at Wembley Stadium.
But they came together three months beforehand to officially announce the all-British bout and went back and forth in a sitdown interview.
That was when things almost turned ugly as Dubois offered to get the fight started early.
He said: “If he wants to swing, let’s go now.”
Joshua, with a deathly stare back, sharply replied: “Oi, shut up. Relax.”
Dubois then said: “If you want to go now, let’s go.”
Joshua then hit back: “I’ll throw this f***ing chair across your face. Don’t disrespect me. Don’t disrespect me. Daniel, don’t disrespect me.”
Dubois refused to back down and said: “You can’t intimidate me. Who do you think you are?”
At that point, AJ stands up and warned: “Daniel, don’t disrespect me because I’ll put this chair around your f***ing face.”
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Security quickly stepped in with Dubois being restrained as Joshua added: “I don’t take disrespect lightly, Dan.
“Dan, I don’t take disrespect lightly you know. Don’t sit on the table telling me we can go now and do all of this and that and try call me out.”
Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren then brought it to a stop in a desperate attempt to cool things down.
Dubois, 26, is the newly-crowned champion after having his interim title won against Filip Hrgovic, 32, elevated to the full version.
It comes after undisputed king Oleksandr Usyk, 37, vacated the strap to rematch Tyson Fury, 35, on December 21 after his heroic May win.
Joshua, 34, profited as he now challenges for the same belt he won seven years ago in an attempt to become three-time champ.
The 2012 Olympic gold medallist talked the row with Dubois down when pressed on the heated war of words.
Dan, I don’t take disrespect lightly you know. Don’t sit on the table telling me we can go now and do all of this and that and try call me out.
Anthony Joshua to Daniel Dubois
He said: “Yeah we had a bit of aggro. It’s good.
“There are two aspects to it, the competitive side, the Queensberry Rules of boxing. But there is also the instinct that one has, as a fighter.
“And that is just how it is. Before I boxed, I was a good fighter, that’s an instinct you have when someone calls you out.
“He said ‘let’s go now’. And I said: ‘let’s go then’. No security, I just stepped away, I thought I would be the bigger man.”
Dubois put the tense situation down to the brutal jet lag he was suffering after a 12-hour flight back from Copacabana beach in Brazil.
He responded: “I was jet-lagged that was all.
“My mind was not in the right place, but it was all good and all part of the fun and getting into the groove.”
