Dubois Ready To Upset Joshua – ‘Now Is My Time’
Daniel Dubois says it is his time as he prepares to face Anthony Joshua on September 21.
Dubois is the IBF Heavyweight Champion, a belt he acquired after being elevated once Oleksandr Usyk vacated his belts. He has two wins on the bounce since losing to Usyk. The Brit stopped Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic in impressive fashion. Now, Dubois has the chance to beat a former two-time Unified Heavyweight Champion. The task will not be easy since Joshua is also in great form.
He has been working with Ben Davidson since his split from Derrick James. Their two fights together have seen stoppage wins against Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou. The fight is seen as a possible change of the guard. Dubois is 26 years old and entering his prime.
Dubois Reacts
Meanwhile, AJ is 34 as he enters the latter part of his career. Joshua has said he will likely retire within two years. The winner knows they become mandatory for the winner of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk. That gives the victor a shot at undisputed. After having experienced a world title loss, Dubois is confident he can now pull off a win.
“I’m not here to talk foolishness, but I want to make a fool out of AJ by knocking him out and put all the doubters and the critics to sleep…this is definitely bigger than the Usyk fight. This is definitely the lion’s den, this one. So he’s been the king for a long time, and now is my time,” Dubois said
Dubois was arguably prevented from beating Usyk. He knocked the Ukrainian down in round five with a body shot. But the shot was ruled a low blow as Usyk was given up to five minutes to recover. The Ukrainian would then stop Dubois in round nine. Frank Warren filed an appeal to the WBA to get the decision overturned. The result was upheld, leaving Dubois to ponder over the loss.
Joshua’s Aim
Joshua’s last title fight was against Usyk. He lost both of those fights, meaning that Joshua has not had a successful defense since beating Kubrat Pulev in 2020. Although AJ is the more experienced fighter, the pressure is on him to deliver. He was close to becoming undisputed before.
Talks with Deontay Wilder broke down. He would then face Andy Ruiz Jr. on his American debut. Joshua was stopped in a shock defeat. Although he won the rematch, Wilder would face Tyson Fury. Joshua and Wilder then lost their belts, as the undisputed fight never happened. Dubois will want to avoid something similar if he wins.
“That is what I am going to have to do again, break Joshua up, break down what is in front of me and get the victory by any means necessary. Could he [Joshua] take them shots that Hrgovic was throwing? Everyone has got an opinion. Let them get on with it. Now it is time to do the work and see what they [the naysayers] say after this one,” Dubois stated
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