Dubois' astir explosive knockout moments
Fabio Wardley
British heavyweight champion
Daniel Dubois v Joseph Parker
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Date: Saturday, 22 February
BBC Coverage: Follow vigor sum connected BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds from 14:30 GMT, and unrecorded substance commentary from 18:30 connected Saturday connected the BBC Sport website and app
If Daniel Dubois continues with the momentum helium is on, helium tin decidedly execute the heights of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Dubois is inactive comparatively young astatine 27 years old, has fought astatine the highest level and is 1 of the fewer British fighters successful contention to beryllium the caller look of boxing.
We sparred a batch successful our aboriginal days. We made our nonrecreational debuts connected the aforesaid day, though our erstwhile boxing acquisition was vastly antithetic with maine coming done the unlicensed white-collar country and Dubois done the much accepted amateur set-up.
It has been a bully 3 years oregon truthful since we past sparred and helium was a antithetic Dubois backmost then.
He seems similar helium has matured, recovered his footing and recovered his self-confidence.
Winning does person a wont of doing that to you. All his experiences, the wins, the losses, the hard times and the bully times, person built a level of self-belief.
There are immoderate areas wherever helium is inactive not astatine AJ oregon Fury's level, though.
Yes, you request to bash the occupation successful the ringing and sound radical retired successful emphatic manner and each of the rest, but determination is simply a level of prowess and code - the prima powerfulness - that you request to go the caput of the division, a rubric Fury and AJ person some held implicit the past fewer years.
AJ and Fury are polar opposites successful presumption of however their prima powerfulness works oregon however they behave. With AJ it's that calm, cool, confident, down-to-earth chilled guy. With Fury, he's louder, braggadocious, entertaining.
Dubois is simply a quiescent feline but helium is becoming a spot of a quality with his one-liners. He volition make his ain mentation of what that prima powerfulness looks like, due to the fact that that property tin travel successful truthful galore antithetic shapes and sizes.
In bid to get to that level, though, helium needs to get past a pugnacious Joseph Parker - which is nary casual task.
There is simply a lawsuit to beryllium made for some fighters. Dubois' assurance and power, and his willingness to propulsion down against a resurgent combatant who has seen it and done it all.
Dubois faces gangly task of Usyk if helium beats Parker
Dad told maine erstwhile I was six that I'd beryllium satellite champion - Dubois
In boxing, determination is ever a constituent to beryllium with someone. There volition beryllium immoderate radical who volition inactive look astatine Dubois' nonaccomplishment to Joe Joyce successful 2020 and accidental determination are flaws there.
Dubois' decision by Oleksandr Usyk is not 1 to beryllium ashamed of successful immoderate way, though determination volition beryllium radical who volition prime singular actions from that nonaccomplishment and spot however they transportation into the Parker fight.
But determination are truthful galore positives to instrumentality from Dubois' vocation too. Just look astatine his performances against Filip Hrgovic, Jarrell Miller and Joshua.
A triumph for Dubois would acceptable up the rematch with Usyk, this clip for each 4 satellite titles.
To stake against Usyk successful immoderate infinitesimal close present feels silly. He has proven himself against AJ and Fury twice. It would not beryllium excessively overmuch of a agelong to accidental helium tin beryllium himself against Dubois doubly over.
Usyk conscionable ever finds a mode to triumph and helium tin larn adjacent successful the mediate of a fight. I americium not saying Dubois would person nary accidental whatsoever, but I bash deliberation it would beryllium a gangly task.
Before we adjacent statesman entertaining those undisputed rubric conversations, though, Dubois indispensable get past a precise assured Parker who is hopeless to go a two-time satellite champion.
Resurgent Parker 1 of boxing's bully guys
Image source, Getty Images
Former satellite champion Parker (right) has won 35 fights and mislaid three. The New Zealander outpointed Zhilei Zhang successful March.
There was speech of maine challenging Dubois successful Riyadh. Boxing is simply a comic crippled and things bash not ever travel together. There are ever discussions of each enactment going connected successful the background.
I americium a precise crippled and up-for-it benignant of guy. If the accidental had presented itself afloat I would person grabbed it with some hands.
It wasn't my spell this clip but I americium truthful blessed to spot Parker get his shot. He's decidedly 1 of the bully guys successful boxing - a large laughter and amusive to beryllium around.
Even earlier I was making immoderate waves connected the large signifier successful boxing, erstwhile I was warring little connected cards, he'd ever stop, marque clip and accidental hello.
He is connected a rotation with wins implicit Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang, and truthful overmuch of that is down to his trainer Andy Lee. It shows what a bully narration with a large manager tin do.
I besides similar however Parker has handled himself successful the build-up, showing Dubois respect but besides letting him cognize that helium is simply a seasoned pro who has weathered storms successful the past.
It is going to beryllium a large fight. Both of them had a spot of a drop-off successful their careers and past a monolithic rise. Right present they are some connected a tremendous precocious and it is excessively hard to confidently prime a winner.
Fabio Wardley was speaking to BBC Sport's Kal Sajad.