IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois dismissed challenger Joseph Parker as “having his day” during his Face Off interview on DAZN ahead of their Riyadh Season co-feature fight next month on the 22 February on the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 card.
Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) allowed the recently revived former WBO heavyweight champion Parker (35-3, 23 KOs), 33, knowing his five-fight winning streak was coming to an end. Parker and his team made a big deal about their recent wins over 41-year-old Zhilei Zhang and 39-year-old Deontay Wilder.
The win over Zhang was questionable, as Parker was dropped twice in the fight, and it looked like it should have been a loss under the circumstances. Wilder looked like a ruined fighter after his three fights against Tyson Fury.
So it’s not surprising that Parker beat him because he looked like a classic example of an old fighter who just couldn’t pull the trigger anymore. The power was still there for Wilder, but the reflexes were 100% gone.
Dubois, 27, is coming off a career fifth round knockout victory over former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on September 21 at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Surprisingly, AJ didn’t even try to avenge his loss by pushing for an immediate rematch, as he had done after his defeats against Oleksandr Usyk and Andy Ruiz. Joshua’s refusal to take the rematch signaled that he or perhaps his promoters did not feel he was up to the task.
Dubois Too Strong?
Daniel Dubois: “He’s been fit for the last two fights, but he’s had his day,” the IBF heavyweight champion told DAZN Boxingpromoting his title defense on February 22.
Joseph Parker: “I have just begun. My day has come.”
Dubois: “What about Joe Joyce? Who’s successful?”
Parker: “I was sick. What about you Joe Joyce?”
Dubois: “It’s different.”
Parker: “I should have knocked myself out in the first round. I was sick. I went 11 rounds.
Dubois: “I will rise to the occasion. I will be better than him in every department. Strength and speed,”
Coach Andy Lee: “We know what Daniel has. A great jab, great power, and speed, a little bit. He’s not as fast as Joe, and not as good as Joe. What Joe has is intelligence. He’s a smart fighter .That’s how we spread Deontay Wilder’s power, and that’s how we fought and overcame Zhang. What people underestimate is his added size, and you have to see it.
Parker: “I’ve been quietly building for what’s to come, and now we have this man.”
Dubois: “I’m ready to fight. It’s the same thing. It’s just a different day.”
Frank Warren: “None of them take it lightly. It’s all about self-belief.”
