Ricky Hatton breaks down Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois in detail
British boxing royalty Ricky Hatton has predicted a Wembley War when British heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois enter the ring on Saturday night, September 21, live on DAZN.
The Hitman couldn’t contain his excitement about the showpiece event and claims that it could go down as “one of the best fights of all time”, he revealed exclusively to Prime Casino.
A Wembley war!
The Hitman thinks the AJ-Dubois Wembley clash could be one of the best heavyweight fights ever, he excitedly revealed, “It could be one of the best fights of all-time. I don’t think AJ will shy away and, form, looking at what we’ve seen from Dubois, I don’t think he’ll shy away either.
“Everyone knows that it only takes one punch to end a fight, and that’s particularly true in the heavyweight game. Neither of them are going to want to get beat to a fellow Brit, they’ll have to dig in.
“There’s so much at stake in this fight. It’s a history-making fight. Two British fighters fighting in front of 90,000-plus at the national stadium.
“Obviously, whoever wins will have their eyes on Usyk or Fury in the future. This is the fight that Daniel Dubois has probably been dreaming about ever since his days on the amateur circuit. Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium, defending a world heavyweight title. It doesn’t get much bigger than that in boxing.
“I think this could be one of them fights that goes deep. Sometimes, fights come along where one fighter is up, then he’s down, then he’s up again and you’re watching it in disbelief. Whoever wins the fight, the other boxer is going to have to be nailed to the floor. If you asked me who I would put my last pound on in this fight, I’d stick it on AJ, but I’m expecting a war. I think it’s going to be a special occasion for British boxing. I think it’s going to be a real slugfest.”
No ‘Wembley advantage’ for AJ
45-year-old Hatton dismissed the widely discussed AJ ‘big occasion’ advantage, educating fight fans that Dubois, still just 27, can handle the Wembley stage, even though he has never fought at the England FC home before, “I think AJ will handle the occasion a bit better because he’s been there and done it. He’s more familiar with the big occasion because of the events that he’s been involved in.
“Will that give him an advantage in the fight? I don’t think it will, when the two guys get in the ring, you forget about the size of the crowd.
“Dubois is a confident fighter; he’s looked confident in the build-up. I can read fighters pretty well, and you can always tell when a fighter seems daunted by the task in front of him, but I wouldn’t put Daniel in that category. He’s got a look in his eyes that tells me he’s ready.
“This isn’t a payday for him – he’s going to go in there with the belief that he can beat AJ. If you think about Dubois’ best performance, he went into the Lion’s Den and went toe-to-toe in Warsaw [against Oleksandr Usyk], and he wasn’t fazed by that in the slightest.
“He boxed Usyk extremely well on the night, and if it wasn’t for an iffy below the belt call, who knows what could have happened. The occasion won’t get to Dubois.
“I make Joshua slight favourite but that has nothing to do with his experience in terms of fighting in front of a full house at Wembley Stadium.”
Ben Davison is the perfect trainer for AJ
Trainer Ben Davison has been hugely instrumental in improving AJ and rebuilding his confidence after back to back defeats to Usyk.
Hatton agrees that there’s been a marked change in the man from Watford, “I’m looking at AJ and I see a man at total ease with himself. He looks at peace and completely assured of who he is and what he wants to do. It’s a complete transformation from when he had that wobble after Usyk beat him and he got on the mic afterwards – that was difficult to watch.
“He’s got a brilliant team around him and an unbelievable trainer in Ben Davison. I can’t speak more highly of Ben Davidson. I saw him in action when he used to train Tyson Fury back in my gym in Manchester before Tyson got his own gym in Morecambe.
“Ben’s good fun to be around, he’s a thinking trainer, he’s very knowledgeable. He’s the perfect trainer for AJ and he looks like he’s never been happier. He looks like he’s relaxed, he’s got a little bit more rhythm to his game.
Form card means nothing in a clash of the titans
Hatton, a former two-weight world champion, refused to consider the opponents’ previous performances, similarly to when there’s a local derby between rival football teams – form, value, quality doesn’t factor in, instead all comes down to the passion and who wants it more.
“I don’t think you can read anything into a heavyweight fight from both boxers previous opponents. In the heavyweight division, it only takes one punch and its game over. For that reason, it’s hard to look at previous performances and to say confidently that AJ or Dubois is going to knock the other one out.
“A lot of people are saying that it could be over with one big punch, and that is true, but that doesn’t consider the determination and the pride that both fighters have. There’s so much at stake for both of these guys. Previous performances don’t carry that much sway for an occasion and a fight of this size.
“You know that whoever comes out on top is going to have to nail the other to the canvas.
“A lot of people questioned Daniel Dubois’ heart when he fought Joe Joyce after he went down on one knee. That criticism was unwarranted in my opinion, and in the fights since, Dubois has proven he’s got a massive heart.
“It’s going to be an unbelievable fight. I’m expecting a war. I do think AJ has the slightest advantage though.”