Bridgerweight champion Lawrence Okolie feels that Anthony Joshua must get to IBF interim champ Daniel Dubois early to knock him out or else he will have big problems on September 21st in their potential headliner at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
Eddie Hearn’s Hesitation: Is Joshua Just Shark Bait?
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, hasn’t decided whether his cash cow AJ will take the fight with the young ‘Megalodon’ shark Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) because there’s a lot to lose for the 35-year-old going up against this kind of fighter.
That gigantic payday against Tyson Fury would evaporate if Dubois destroys Joshua.
Hearn knows Joshua is an appetizer for this giant shark, so he isn’t chomping at the bit to make this fight like he was for AJ’s last two contests against Francis Ngannou and Otto Wallin.
With what’s at stake, Hearn is understandably hesitant to pull the trigger on the fight, knowing what could happen to his golden goose, Joshua, if his worse fears come true.
Hearn says Joshua will ‘probably’ fight Dubois if the full IBF title is at stake for the fight, but he’s not willing to confirm if they’ll agree to it even under that scenario.
Joshua’s Gotta Go for the Early KO
“You favor AJ because he’s vastly experienced, and has great speed and power. So, he might be able to get a shot off quicker,” said Lawrence Okolie to Secondsout, when asked how a fight between Anthony Joshua and IBF interim heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois plays out if they fight on September 21st.
It’s obvious that Joshua would be in a race against time if he fought Dubois. If he doesn’t get to him within a round or two, the younger fighter, who has a much better engine, will take him apart and chew him up.
“If AJ lands a right hand clean the way Hrgovic landed, AJ can put anyone out. The problem is, if he [Joshua] doesn’t get him out of there straight away, as we saw in his [Dubois] last fight [Hrgovic] and against [Jarrell] Miller.
“One thing is he’s [Dubois] going to do is grit down and throw two or three punches at a time. When he looks tired, he’s going to keep going. I don’t know how a man his size has that kind of engine, but he does.
“So, I think it’ll be up to AJ to get him out of there as quickly and as early as possible and establish himself in the fight and dominate. Otherwise, it’ll be a really hard night,” said Okolie about his belief that Joshua must knockout Dubois as fast as possible or else he’s going to be in deep, deep trouble.
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