Joseph Parker was impressed with Daniel Dubois’ performance in stopping previously unbeaten Filip Hrgovic to claim the IBF interim heavyweight title last Saturday night in Riyadh.
Parker feels that Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) will be the underdog against Anthony Joshua if he faces him next September at Wembley and will need to fight a lot better to be victorious against the two-time former heavyweight champion.
Dubois might not need to fight better if Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) can’t handle his punching power. The punches that the 26-year-old Dubois hit Hrgovic (17-1, 14 KOs) with to bust him up and score an eighth-round technical knockout might be enough to defeat Joshua.
We’ve seen Joshua hurt in many of his fights against guys with less punching power than Dubois. If Joshua can’t get to Dubois early, there’s an excellent chance the younger fighter wins. Dubois is a slow starter, and he’s not at his best until the second half of his fights.
Parker is correct in saying that Dubois would be the underdog against Joshua because he lacks experience. However, he was the underdog against the 31-year-old Hrgovic, and we saw how that match ended.
The 34-year-old Joshua isn’t a spring chicken, and while he’s looked good lately, he’s done it against four consecutive limited heavyweights.
Joshua’s last four opponents:
– Francis Ngannou
– Otto Wallin
– Robert Helenius
– Jermaine Franklin
Dubois the Underdog Against Joshua
“For me, Daniel Dubois surprised me the most. I thought Hrgovic was the favorite going into the fight. He did start out very strong, but Dubois was very consistent, applied pressure, and got the win in the end. I think that was one of the biggest wins of his career,” said Joseph Parker to Secondsout, giving his view of who he felt surprised him the most during last Saturday’s 5 vs. 5 event in Riyadh.
Going into last Saturday’s contest, very few people believed that Dubois had any chance against the more experienced 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Hrgovic. The perception was that Dubois had quit twice in the past and would do the same when things got tough against Hrgovic, but proved everyone wrong. He might do the same against Joshua.
“If they do collide at Wembley Stadium in September, I see Dubois being the underdog,” said Parker about Dubois being the underdog if he faces Anthony Joshua in September. “He looked very good against Hrgovic, but Joshua is the favorite going into that fight.”
Joshua has looked so good lately that you’d have to make him the favorite against Dubois, but the same apply if AJ were facing Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk. Going off his recent performances, Joshua would be the favorite against any heavyweight in the division.
“We’ll see what he [Dubois] can bring to a bigger and a better challenge. I think he would need to bring more concentration, more variety of punches, and a bit more movement and a bit more punch variety,” said Parker.
“Joshua is a beast, and Joshua looked good in his last two fights, and I feel Dubois has to bring a lot more than he did against Hrgovic,” said Parker.
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