Joshua vs Dubois: Heavyweight champ Dubois relishes shot at boxing stardom | Boxing | The Round Table

Joshua vs Dubois Heavyweight champ Dubois relishes shot at boxing stardom  Boxing  The Round Table
Joshua vs Dubois: Heavyweight champ Dubois relishes shot at boxing stardom | Boxing | The Round Table
Daniel Dubois did not have to dethrone anyone to become a world heavyweight champion, so he has something to prove when he makes his first title defence before one of the biggest crowds in British boxing history.



This also trended:

Do Lebanon explosions violate the laws of war? | Hezbollah News | The Round Table

Experts say blasts potentially violate international humanitarian law including ban on indiscriminate attacks


If he successfully defends his IBF belt on Saturday by beating fellow Briton Anthony Joshua in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, Dubois might just transform himself into boxing’s next big thing.

“I’m getting used to the idea that I’m the world champion but I think I need to legitimise it by beating AJ,” Dubois told The Associated Press in an interview. “That’s the way I do it and cement my name, cement my legacy in the sport of boxing.”

The 27-year-old Dubois was awarded the belt in late June after then-undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine relinquished it.

He knows that most boxing fans – the British ones in particular – want to see Joshua become a three-time champion to set up a long-anticipated showdown with Tyson Fury.


But the hard-punching Dubois – a South London native who has been boxing since the age of seven – has plans of his own.

“Make him quit, break him down, unleash hell on him,” Dubois said of his strategy for fight night.

Nicknamed “Dynamite,” the six-foot-five-inch (1.95-metre) Dubois has had obstacles to overcome on his path to Wembley.

He hopes to make the 34-year-old Joshua quit but Dubois himself had to answer questions about quitting after he took a knee and was counted out in the 10th round against Joe Joyce in November 2020. That was his first professional loss.



This also trended:

Battered by typhoons: Why aren’t Philippine flood control projects working? | Floods News | The Round Table

Manila has spent billions of dollars on flood mitigation projects but few have been completed


Dubois’ left eye had been swollen shut – there was an orbital bone fracture and nerve damage.

He bounced back by winning four straight bouts to earn a title shot at Usyk last summer. The fight was held in Poland, where many Ukrainians have taken refuge because of the Russia-Ukraine war.

With huge support from his compatriots, Usyk stopped Dubois in the ninth round. Boxing is never far from controversy and this fight had its share: Dubois had dropped the champion in the fifth round but the referee ruled it a low blow and allowed Usyk several minutes to recover.

Dubois responded to the loss against Usyk with two knockout victories. Despite being comfortably ahead of 333-pound (151kg) Jarrell Miller, Dubois piled on the pressure in the final round, getting the stoppage in the final seconds of the bout. Dubois bloodied Filip Hrgovic early and stopped the Croatian in the eighth round.



This also trended:

Germany has stopped approving war weapons exports to Israel: Report | Israel-Palestine conflict News | The Round Table

Germany faces mounting pressure from legal cases arguing that German weapons exports to Israel breach humanitarian law


The impressive win over Hrgovic in early June gave Dubois the “interim” title weeks before Usyk relinquished the belt. It also means 20 of his 21 wins have come via knockouts. The only time he went to points was six years ago in his eighth professional fight.

Back in 2017, it was then 27-year-old Joshua who spectacularly knocked out Wladimir Klitschko in a title fight at Wembley in front of 90,000 fans.

Dubois says it’s his turn.

“This is my time now, and I’m ready to take it with both hands, show the world what I’m all about,” he said, pointing to a Usyk rematch as his next goal even though the Ukrainian has talked about returning to cruiserweight after his December 21 rematch with Tyson Fury.


He also wants to make his family proud. His father, Dave Dubois, raised 11 children in a household where sports and music dominated. Dubois says he doesn’t play any instruments or sing, though. His younger sister Caroline Dubois is also a successful pro boxer.

Officially, it’s the first time they’ll square off but Dubois and Joshua had a much-debated sparring session about a decade ago. It seems clear that Dubois caught Joshua – who two years earlier had won gold for Britain at the London Olympics – with a good punch, but beyond that, it’s just rumours. Promoter Frank Warren has said that sparring session led him to sign Dubois.

“Sparring is sparring, this is a fight. It bears no relevance to today,” Dubois said. “It was good for me at the time, but I’m a new man, a new fighter now. I’ve put that behind me. I’m the man of the future.”

He suspects most of the crowd will be on AJ’s side.

“They probably will be overlooking me,” he said. “It’s up to me to prove them wrong.”


Category: World-News
Tag: Joshua vs Dubois Heavyweight champ Dubois relishes shot at boxing stardom Boxing The Round Table
Written by Author
Published 9/19/2024

Join us on:
Facebook | WhatsApp Community
| Twitter| WhatsApp Channel
How would you react to this story?
Thump Up Thumb Down
Thumb Up Thumb Up
0 0

Hey!
You cannot submit comment on this topic because you are not currently login. You can choose to Login or Create an Account then you are good to join the discussion.


0     0     - 0 Replies    

Most Recent Comments         Load More Comments

Trending Now

Load More

Local News


Load More

World News


Load More

Sport News


Load More

Entertainment News


Load More

Tech News


Load More

Free CBT Exams
Take Exam