The legendary Cus D’Amato once said that fear can be a fighter’s best friend if he knows how to use it correctly. All fighters have fear when going into a big fight, or at least they should have. Heavyweight great George Foreman has often told how, against Muhammad Ali, he never had any fear; this was the sole time in his career, and of course, George lost.
Without fear as a motivational tool, a fighter is in real danger of being unable to perform anywhere near his best. Daniel Dubois understands this, as he made clear when speaking with Sky Sports. Dubois, ahead of his huge (96,000 fans) fight with Anthony Joshua, said he would carry some fear into the ring with him and that this was a good thing. “Fear is my friend when I’m in the ring,” he said.
“Even if you are scared, you’ve got to act brave,” Dubois said. “For a fighter, if you don’t have a bit of fear, then you’re crazy. But fear is good and it’s my friend when I’m in the ring.”
But as we have seen in fights, fear can overwhelm a fighter, making them ‘freeze’ on the big occasion. Will Dubois be able to control his fear and make it work for him, or will he be consumed by it and by the enormity of the whole event—the size of the crowd, the demanding build-up, the knowledge that this is the biggest fight of his career? Not even the fighter knows at this stage.
Dubois says he has been working on his mental game in training for September 21. He says he has “tunnel vision” about winning over his British rival.
“When I’m in training camp, I sharpen up my mind,” Dubois, who turns 27 tomorrow, said. “I play out the fight over and over, and just meditate and just visualise. I do a lot of that, and the sparring helps. We’ll see as it goes on, but I’m going to be in camp, locked in and focused. I’ll have tunnel vision about getting that victory.”
Dubois does sound about as motivated as possible for the fight, and maybe he will fight the fight of his career on the night. Then again, this being heavyweight boxing, with two huge punchers colliding, this fight could be over before either man has a chance to implement their game plan. Whoever lands a big bomb first could well win here. Or might both men be tentative in the early going, the pair even gulity of overthinking things?
The closer this fight gets, the more fascinating it becomes. One thing seems certain, though: it will end via knockout. Dubois obviously envisages himself landing the fight-ender.
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