Daniel Dubois insists he will beat Anthony Joshua and achieve ‘full redemption’ in becoming the face of British boxing as heavyweight title bout is confirmed.
- Dubois’ IBF title fight against Joshua was confirmed for Wembley on Wednesday
- He has claimed his previous defeats helped him ‘grow as a man’ and ‘mature’
- Joshua, meanwhile, has pledged that he will knock his rival out in September
Daniel Dubois – ‘having resurrected my career’ – believes he will achieve ‘full redemption’ by knocking out Anthony Joshua in their IBF world heavyweight title fight at Wembley Stadium on September 21.
Dynamite Daniel has rebounded from losses to Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk with a hat trick of stoppage wins climaxed by the stunning KO of Filip Hrgovic which paved the way to him being elevated to full IBF world champion as well as giving Joshua the chance to become an historic three time heavyweight king.
Dubois reflects: ‘The defeats have helped me grow as a man. Mature. I’ve been fortunate to have my promoter Frank Warren keeping faith in me, always behind me in my journey out of darkness into the light. My father, too. We have the strongest bond possible.
‘In a way I’m glad about the losses because they’ve helped me become a better fighter.
‘That’s good for me going against Joshua. He’s a very good fighter and has been a great world champion. But I’m ready to be the future of British boxing because he will bring the best of me. I’m buzzing. Dubois knows this fight will test his readiness for a second shot at Usyk, next time for the undisputed title.
He says: ‘While I respect AJ as a good fighter I believe Usyk is something different. His punching and movement are smoother. He’s got something special.’
Despite their threatening verbal spat when they first crossed eyes at the media launch for their fight, Joshua said: ‘Daniel’s done well to bounce back from his defeats. From way back when we sparred I thought he was a youngster with a lot of potential.
‘It feels odd for me now facing the younger man in his 30s but I still feel fresh in my 30s. ‘He’s a good fighter with a big punch. And despite what people said about him when he was stopped by Joyce and Usyk he’s proved his character. Especially when taking all those huge right handers from Hrgovic. ‘Whether he can take a hundred huge right handers from me is another matter. We’ll find out when I knock him out.
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