Heavyweights give their predictions for Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois
Former two-time world champion Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25KO) and IBF World heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20KO) lock horns this Saturday night, on September 21, at Wembley Stadium, live on DAZN.
It’s an all-British battle between two foes who have shared hundreds or rounds sparring together, but now they face each other with 8oz gloves on in front of 96,000 live spectators.
And who better to ask for their predictions on this mega-fight than fellow heavyweights, a division where one punch can change everything.
Dillian Whyte: “It’s a great fight and there is pressure on both men. Daniel is a new world champion and AJ has been world champion before obviously. AJ has been the man in British boxing for some time now and Daniel is probably in the best place he’s ever been in his career, so in terms of pressure I think it’s pretty much 50/50.
“Dubois took a lot of damage against Filip Hrgović and didn’t make the changes to counteract that as quickly as he should have. He showed he can overcome a lot in that fight, though. He showed he can take plenty of shots and still keep going, but it has to be a worry about the punches he took.
“If you’re an AJ fan or in his camp, you’ve got to take that as a positive. There are only so many right hands you can take off him before one puts you down and Dubois will know that.
“I don’t know how much you can take from AJ’s recent fights as Dubois is on a whole other level – the only thing we really still know is that he’s got that right hand and it’s still a serious weapon.
“We haven’t really seen someone come at him. Robert Helenius did for a little bit in the opening rounds and there were some worrying signs as he did cause Joshua a few problems.
“The [Oleksandr] Usyk fight would be a worry for me for Dubois. Having hurt him the way he did, he should have pushed on and tried to put it on him again. However, he quit a couple of rounds later which I couldn’t understand.
“He might be one of those fighters who is great on one day and can be terrible on the other – there are fighters like that.
“I really hope he shows up and is willing to take AJ on because that will make AJ come out. Daniel will be prepared to take some leather and, if he can absorb some shots early and stick it out, then I think, with age on his side, he can cause AJ big problems.”
Johnny Fisher: “I’ve sparred Daniel Dubois for many rounds, many times. One thing’s for sure, he can seriously punch, probably the hardest puncher I’ve been in with. So when he fights Anthony Joshua, that’s something he’s got to look out for.
“If I’m thinking about it with a tactical mind, I think Anthony Joshua’s the favourite. He’s got that bit more tactical nous. We know how good he is with his counter right hand from fighting people like – I know he’s a southpaw – but Charles Martin, even [against] Ngannou he showed how powerful his right hand is and how well he can time it, so that’s something Dubois has got to look out for.
“But, who knows? If Dubois turns up and catches him early, he can get a few of them feelings back a year, two years ago when Joshua was [in] with [Andy] Ruiz, it can affect you them sort of things, you know.”
Tony Bellew: “AJ is technically better than him. He’s more fluid than him. He’s quicker than him. He hits harder than him.
“Everything that Daniel Dubois is good at, AJ is a bit better at. And he also has a defence.
“As long as Joshua goes in with the same attitude he went in with against Francis Ngannou, it’s over in two rounds. I don’t see any other outcome.”
David Haye: “I never thought Anthony Joshua was finished, some people just need to learn from getting it wrong – not everyone is like Oleksandr Usyk, who gets it right every time.
“Stylistically and technically, Joshua is superior but, up until he started working with Ben Davison, he didn’t mould his style around his strengths. He’s now got some pre-determined punch sequences that are absolutely devastating, he just waits for the right time until he needs to pull the trigger – then people go to sleep.
“AJ is a much better fighter now having lost those two fights than he would’ve been if he’d won – he’s learnt from his mistakes. The new Anthony Joshua would smoke the old Anthony Joshua in one round, plain and simple. Everything is strategised and sequenced now, and that’s the Ben Davison effect. He’s starting to understand his strengths and implement them.
“If the version of Daniel Dubois who fought Filip Hrgović turns up against AJ on Saturday who was eating right hands all night, I think he’ll have a really tough time. He’s got a great chin though, no one can question that.”
Frazer Clarke: “Daniel is young and hungry, but I feel if he gets hit half as much by AJ as he did by Hrgovic, it’s a different fight, different power. You don’t get hit by 30 backhands from AJ and live to tell the tale, you are asleep on the floor.
“But Dubois is strong, confident and fit. He thrives on a bit of pressure. When people expect you to lose, you find a reason to be better than you have ever been. Anthony Joshua at Wembley, it does not get much bigger than that.”
Jeremiah Milton: “Things could go south pretty quickly [for either]. Dubois is young, Joshua determined. Dubois has developed more willingness to stay in there. He’s a lot stronger mentally and tougher. They are both on the upswing [form]. It’s heavyweight boxing. We just gotta see it.”