Daniel Dubois appears to be doing all he can to get under the skin of Anthony Joshua ahead of their world heavyweight title showdown in London on Saturday night.
Dubois defends his newly-acquired IBF belt in front of a record boxing crowd of 96,000 at the iconic Wembley Stadium, along with a massive global TV audience.
It’s the biggest night of Daniel’s career to date by a country mile, with the big question being whether he can handle the sheer size of the occasion.
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So far it appears to be all good, with the young British star really pushing some AJ buttons as the build-up draws closer to fight night on Saturday.
During a TV face-off earlier in the countdown, we had Joshua (28-3) talking about disrespect following Dubois antics. But now we have a bigger narrative – much bigger.
Dubois (21-2) remember is a man who knows what it is to be called a ‘quitter’ – many pundits (unfairly) threw that label at him after his losses to Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk. In the first of those fights he could hardly see thanks to a fractured orbital bone in his eye.
Dubois to make AJ quit?
So with all that mind, it’s especially interesting to see Dubois this week saying that he wants to make Joshua ‘quit’ during Saturday night’s blockbuster showdown.
He told Sky Sports: “I’ve got to make him quit, break him down, That’s my mindset going into this. Making him quit, breaking him. I believe I can.”
READ MORE: Latest heavyweight rankings ahead of Joshua vs Dubois
“I’m turning it round now at this stage of my career. I’ve come through my ups and downs, just turning it round.
“Enjoy the moment, let all the talking be done, let all the statements be made. I’m in a good place right now and I’m ready to fight.”
No fear for ‘Dynamite’
Dubois is full of new-found confidence on the back of his two most recent wins – brutal stoppage successes against Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller and previously unbeaten Croatian star Filip Hrgovic.
He has no fear of Joshua, despite his compatriot’s devastating knockout power, saying: “I looked into his eyes, and I don’t know, I’m so used to it now. It’s part of the game.”
One thing that Dubois is utterly convinced of, is that Team Joshua are underestimating him.
“Of course they are, he’s going to be in for the shock of his life.”
With two days to go, we will find out soon if this Dubois rhetoric is for real, or just bravado. Either way, it will absolutely be box office. Get the popcorn, fight fans.
