Commentator Steve Bunce thinks Anthony Joshua won’t have the same type of belief that he can defeat Daniel Dubois in a rematch as he did after losing to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Joshua (28-4, 23 KOs) is now five years older at 34, and Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) is much younger at 27. He’s a much bigger puncher than Andy Ruiz was, and he’s not going to party and easy his way to 280+ lbs.
It’s unknown if Joshua will choose to fight Dubois again because it’s risky, and he can make more money fighting Tyson Fury next. If his promoter, Eddie Hearn, can devise a good excuse to tell the public why AJ isn’t fighting Dubois again, they’ll believe him.
Joshua and Hearn found it much easier to activate the rematch clause and fight Ruiz Jr. again because he’d put on much weight. He was never a great talent. He was just a regular fringe contender that Joshua used as a replacement opponent when Jarrell Miller was popped on a drug test in 2019.
“He’s a bit older and he’s got to be wondering about how many he’s got left. He was so convinced after the [Andy] Ruiz fight that he would win the rematch,” said Steve Bunce to iFL TV about whether Anthony Joshua will want a rematch with Daniel Dubois in the same way he did after his loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019.
If Joshua worries about how fans will perceive him by ducking the rematch, he’ll push past his fear and fight Dubois again. But Hearn or someone from his team may talk him out of fighting Dubois again.
“I’m not sure he would have the same confidence. He had total belief that if he got Ruiz again, he was going to beat him. It was total belief. He’s not stupid. I don’t think he would have total belief that he would beat Dubois in a rematch. He might say it, but it’s feeling it,” said Bunce.
Joshua will not have the confidence to beat Dubois as he did with Ruiz, but that goes without saying. Against Ruiz, Joshua wasn’t getting beaten up in the first round, and he was fighting well until he got clipped after dropping him in the third round on June 1, 2019,
“It would have been stopped a few rounds earlier. He seemed to be overthinking things,” said Diallian Whyte to iFL TV about Joshua thinking too much and not letting his hands go. “Sometimes, AJ can be an over-thinker. AJ was thinking instead of throwing his hands. Dubois was throwing his hands. Dubois was sharp. Credit to him, his dad, and Don Charles.
AJ’s trainer, Ben Davison, wouldn’t pull him out of the Dubois fight and risk angering him. We’ve seen Joshua change trainers several times, and it would be too risky for Ben to pull him out of the Dubois fight in the second or third round to save him.
For trainers who are confident they wouldn’t be fired for pulling their fighters out when they’re getting beaten, it wouldn’t be an issue; given how many times Joshua has swapped out trainers, Ben would be putting himself at risk of being fired if he threw in the towel in the first two or three rounds last Saturday.
“Joshua has made a lot of money and did big things. He can come back and still have good fights. He’s made a lot of money and achieved a lot of fame. Maybe that spark isn’t there,” said Whyte.
Dubois hurt Joshua not because of the wealth that AJ has achieved in recent years. Joshua was hurt because he couldn’t take Dubois’ power or any fighter that hit hard. Joshua’s chin has been vulnerable since his fight against Wladimir Klitschko in 2017, and he’s been stunned numerous times since.
Fighters that have Hurt Joshua:
– Daniel Dubois
– Carlos Takam
– Alexandr Povetkin
– Andy Ruiz Jr.
– Oleksandr Usyk
– Kubrat Pulev
– Wladimir Klitschko
– Dillian Whyte
“That’s not an easy fight for Tyson Fury,” said Whyte, reacting to being told that Fury wants to beat Oleksandr Usyk on December 21st and then beat Dubois to become the undisputed champion. “Fury needs to be careful because Dubois has got that Ngannou type of power. Dubois can box a lot better than Ngannou. So, he’s got to be careful.
“Fury can tie Dubois up to keep him from fighting because Dubois let AJ tie him up so easily. It was crazy,” said Whyte.
Dubois would still be a lot of problems for Fury because he can’t hold and lean his way to victory against him like he did against Deontay Wilder. Fury’s chin isn’t as good as it once was, and Dubois will hit him with harder shots than the ones Oleksandr Usyk hurt him with.
Dubois’s body punching will give Fury problems because he tends to lean against the ropes to avoid getting hit with headshots. His body is always unprotected when he does that.
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