Eddie Hearn predicts Daniel Dubois will not be able to stand up to Anthony Joshua’s Power on Saturday night if he starts landing right hands like Dubois’ previous opponent Filip Hrgovic did last June. Hearn believes Joshua’s power will be too much for Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs_) to take without getting knocked out.
The real question is, can Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) handle the power of Dubois once he starts to watch him in the first round? We’ve seen Joshua have a fragile chin many times, and he hasn’t fought a good opponent with power in many years. If Dubois gets off to a fast start on Saturday, he could destroy the 34-year-old Joshua.
The only puncher Joshua has fought with power since his two fights against Andy Ruiz in 2019 was 37-year-old Francis Ngannou, but that guy was a complete novice.
It was a joke that Joshua’s fight with Ngannou was sanctioned as a professional fight because he had only fought in a boxing match once, and that was against an out-of-shape, washed-out Tyson Fury. Joshua vs. Ngannou should have been an exhibition because it involved a non-boxer.
“I think it’s the first time in a long time that he really believes in what he’s doing and he believes in the game plan and the tactics,” Eddie Hearn said. Box Socialtalking about Anthony Joshua. “Ben (Davison) does a good job of showing the mistakes you made that that individual paid for.”
Hearn blows smoke on the back of Joshua’s head by saying his trainer, Ben Davison, makes him believe in his game plans. Joshua won again because his opposition was pedestrian.
“He did very well against (Otto) Wallin and very well against Ngannou,” Hearn said. “Dubois makes a lot of mistakes that AJ knows exactly how to punish. With AJ, he’s a smart guy. You can’t just bluff him. Dubois Is (also) dangerous. It’s a big fight.”
Otto Wallin was a traveling companion. So it is not surprising that Joshua did well against him. Joshua could have beaten him to training himself.
“If Dubois comes out hot like he did in the Hrgovic fight, he’s a handful, but there’s also a good chance he can get on his feet in three rounds,” says Hearn. “He won’t be able to stand up against AJ like he did against Hrgovic. He couldn’t miss him with the right hand, but he’s a handful.
“I do think it will happen, but it’s the size of the fight and the results,” Hearn said when asked if Joshua vs. Tyson Fury still will happen if one or both of them lose before then. “If Joshua wins against Dubois and Fury wins against Usyk, you have the biggest fight in the history of the sport.”
