Anthony Joshua versus Daniel Dubois is a fight between two of the heavyweight division’s biggest punchers.
Between them, these Brits have knocked out their last five opponents. Dubois stopped giant American Jarrell Miller at the end of last year and then bested strong Croatian Fillip Hrgovic in his last fight in June on the Matchroom versus Queensbury 5 on 5 card.
Anthony Joshua meanwhile ended contests early against Robert Helens, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou, making his current record 25 KOs from 28 wins, an 89.29% ratio to Dubois’s 95.24%, which is admittedly against lesser opponents.
Speaking on The Fight, former trainer turned pundit Teddy Atlas had plenty of praise for Dubois after his recent showings.
“I think Dubois has grown. I think that he has grown in the last two fights as a fighter, as a man, as a person, with confidence, belief in himself, to win the last two fights and overcome what he had to overcome. Dubois has done that.”
He then reckoned Joshua is also back to his best.
“Joshua is in the best place that he’s been since he beat Klitschko for the title, a young heavyweight champion after being an Olympic champion. I think he’s in a good place with his trainer Ben Davison.”
Atlas then predicted Dubois could do well if he lands some big shots on Joshua.
“Dubois was tremendous in his last fight with Hrgovic, he overcame, he broke him down, he evaporated him on a hot summer day with his toughness, his physicality. He’s strong, a puncher, he can impose his will now. If he hits Joshua he could hurt him.”
However, he also sounded alarms about Dubois’ defence and said the fight could end early if the younger man fought as he did in his last outing.
“But if he gets hit with the kind of right hand he overcame from Hrgovic, who doesn’t punch as hard or concisely as Joshua, if he gets hit with his right hands in the early part of the fight, he won’t be around to overcome it. He’ll get knocked out. Unless he’s improved his defence, his ability to get away from right hands which he did not do against Hrgovic, Joshua’s going to knock him out in one or two rounds.”
Whoever comes out on top will hold the IBF title and no doubt look to go into an undisputed fight with the winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in December.