IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois believes he’s going to make short work of Joseph Parker in their fight on February 22nd, knocking him out in three rounds.
Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) says he’ll “run through” the former WBO champion Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) and make it look easy in their co-feature fight on the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event will be broadcast live on DAZN PPV.
Parker’s Adjustments
Parker, 32, has changed his fighting style in his last two fights, going from being a slugger to that of a crafty boxer. He focuses on out-boxing his opponents and winning decisions rather than looking for a knockout like he used to in his younger days.
In Parker’s last two fights, he boxed his way to a pair of 12-round decisions against Zhilei Zhang and Deontay Wilder. If Dubois wins this fight, he must chase Parker down and deal with his defensive tactics. He doesn’t care if he makes it ugly with movement, holding, and jabbing. He’s going to use any negative tactic he can to defeat Dubois.
“Of course, that’s what I need. I don’t need no easy tests now. I need the hardest guys around to bring the best out of me and get me up for a fight and a challenge,” said Daniel Dubois to BoxNation, talking about his title defense against Joseph Parker on February 22nd.
“Whatever Parker brings, I’m going to be ready for it. I’ll be ready to put him to sleep. I’m not overlooking anything, but I think I’ll be ready for it. Whatever he does, I’ll do better. I feel like I could go through these guys like a train now. Keep that momentum going. I’m on a roll.
“Who even knows what Usyk is going to do. He might retire. Right now, my attention is on Parker. I’ve got to make some noise,” said Dubois about why he went into the ring to call out Oleksandr Usyk after his win over Tyson Fury on December 21st. “It’s boxing. That’s why it happened.
Dubois, 27, is coming off a fifth-round knockout win over Anthony Joshua on September 21st at Wembley Stadium in London. He destroyed AJ, knocking him down four rounds and crushing the former two-time heavyweight champion in front of a crowd of over 90,000.
Dubois’s Prediction
“I definitely feel like I’ll go through him. I’ll shut him down and put him to sleep,” said Dubois about Parker. “I’ll do whatever I have to do. Yeah, I’ll finish him. In three rounds, I’ll finish him,” said Dubois when told that Zhilei Zhang dropped Parker twice but couldn’t knock him out.
“Publicity is good publicity. If they hate it or if they like it, I’ve been boxing long enough to understand it now. As long as they want to see you, that’s all that matters,” said Dubois about him going into the ring to call out Usyk after his win against Fury in their rematch.
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