Dubois Wants To Make Joshua Quit – ‘I Believe I Can’

Daniel Dubois hopes to make Anthony Joshua quit in their upcoming September 21 clash. 

Dubois defends his IBF Heavyweight Title, the first time he will do so after having become the champion once Oleksander Usyk vacated. Dubois is on a two-fight win streak following his own loss to Usyk, having beaten Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic in his last two bouts. Joshua, meanwhile, is looking to become a three-time world champion. 

He has stopped Francis Ngannou and Otto Wallin in his last two fights since working with Ben Davidson. This fight will see two power punches going up against each other. Dubois took several right hands against Hrgovic, something which he will have to be wary about when he faces Joshua.
Joshua, meanwhile, faces a step up in class as wins over Wallin and Ngannou are not against elite-level opposition. Both fighters have faced accusations that they have quit in the past.

Dubois Vs. Joshua

Dubois took a knee against Joe Joyce when he suffered a stoppage loss, but that was accompanied by the fact that he had a broken orbital bone. Had he continued fighting, there was a risk that he could have suffered permanent eye damage. Dubois faced further scrutiny when he lost to Usyk.

He dropped the Ukrainian in the fifth round with a body shot, which was declared a low blow. However, he ended up being dropped in the ninth round. Just as it appeared that Dubois would get up, he failed to do so, allowing the count to continue raising suggestions that he quit.

The sole time that Joshua has faced accusations of quitting was against Andy Ruiz Jr. Joshua was in talks to fight Jarrell Miller first, but the American failed numerous tests, meaning that Ruiz took the fight on short notice. It was Joshua’s American debut, but he ended up being stopped as he suffered his first career defeat.

Just before Joshua was stopped, he was hanging on the ropes, raising suggestions that he had quit after failing to come forward when the referee had asked him. Dubois hopes he can do something similar when they face off.

Dubois Reacts

“I’ve got to make him quit, break him down, that’s my mindset going into this. Making him quit, breaking him down. I believe I can. I’m turning it round now at this stage of my career. I’ve come through my ups and downs, just turning it round. I’m in a good place now and I’m ready to fight. Everyone wants to see the underdog come through and come out on top,” Dubois said

The advantage that Dubois has is that he has faced better opposition of late. He has also sparred with Joshua, stating that he had stopped him. While sparring is not fully reflective of what happens in a fight, it provides fighters with a boost of confidence in knowing what to expect. However, as Hrgovic found out, sparring is not the same as Dubois dominated him despite the Croatian getting the better of him in sparring. 

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