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IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois dismissed challenger Joseph Parker as having “had his day” throughout their Face Off interview on DAZN forward of their Riyadh Season co-feature battle subsequent month on February twenty second on the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 card.
Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) let the 33-year-old lately rejuvenated former WBO heavyweight champion Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) know that his five-fight successful streak will come to a halt. Parker and his group have made a giant deal about his current wins over 41-year-old Zhilei Zhang and 39-year-old Deontay Wilder.
The win over Zhang was questionable, as Parker was dropped twice within the battle, and it seemed prefer it ought to have been a defeat beneath these circumstances. Wilder seemed like a ruined fighter after his three fights in opposition to Tyson Fury.
So, it’s not shocking that Parker beat him as a result of he seemed like a basic instance of an outdated fighter who might now not pull the set off. The facility was nonetheless there for Wilder, however reflexes had been 100% gone.
Dubois, 27, is coming off a career-best fifth-round knockout win over former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on September twenty first at Wembley Stadium in London.
Surprisingly, AJ didn’t even attempt to avenge his loss by pushing for a direct rematch, as he had completed after his defeats in opposition to Oleksandr Usyk and Andy Ruiz. Joshua’s refusal to take the rematch signaled that he or maybe his promoters didn’t really feel he was as much as the duty.
Dubois Too Robust?
Daniel Dubois: “He’s been on form for his last couple of fights, but he’s had his day,” stated the IBF heavyweight champion to DAZN Boxing, selling his title protection on February twenty second.
Joseph Parker: “I’ve only just started. My day is coming.”
Dubois: “What about Joe Joyce? What happened?”
Parker: “I was sick. What about Joe Joyce for you?”
Dubois: “It’s different.”
Parker: “He should have knocked me out in the first round. I was sick. I went 11 rounds.”
Dubois: “I’ll rise to the occasion. I’ll 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, somewhat. He’s not as fast as Joe, and not as good footwork as Joe. What Joe has is intelligence. He’s a clever fighter. That’s how we defused the power of Deontay Wilder, and that’s how we fought and outsmarted Zhang. What people are underestimating is his added size, and you’re going to see it.”
Parker: “I’ve been building away quietly for what’s going 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: “Neither of them are taking it lightly. It’s all about self-belief.”
