Daniel Dubois rejects Joseph Parker for having had his day

IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois dismissed challenger Joseph Parker for “having his day” during his face-to-face interview with DAZN ahead of their joint season fight in Riyadh next month on February 22 on the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 card.

Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) let Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) know the recently rejuvenated 33-year-old former WBO heavyweight champion that his five-fight winning streak will stop Parker and his team have made a big deal about his recent wins over 41-year-old Zhilei Zhang and 39-year-old Deontay Wilder.

The win over Zhang was questionable as Parker was knocked down twice in the fight, and it looked like it should have been a loss under the circumstances. Wilder looked like a ruined fighter after his three fights against Tyson Fury.

So it’s no surprise that Parker beat him because he looked like a classic example of an old fighter who just couldn’t pull the trigger anymore. The power was still there for Wilder, but the reflexes were 100% gone.

Dubois, 27, is coming off a career-best fifth-round knockout victory over former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on September 21 at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Surprisingly, AJ didn’t even try to avenge his loss by pushing for an immediate rematch, as he had done after his losses to Oleksandr Usyk and Andy Ruiz. Joshua’s refusal to take the rematch indicated that he or perhaps his promoters didn’t feel he was up to it.

Do you doubt too much?

Daniel Dubois: “He’s been fit for his last few fights but he’s had his day,” the IBF heavyweight champion told DAZN Boxingpromoting his title defense on February 22.

Joseph Parker: “I’ve just begun. My day is coming.”

Dubois: “And Joe Joyce? What happened?”

Parker: “I was sick. What about Joe Joyce for you?

Dubois: “It’s different.”

Parker: “I should have been knocked out in the first round. I was sick. I went 11 rounds.”

Dubois: “It’s up to the occasion. I will be better than him in every department. Strength and Speed”,

Coach Andy Lee: “We know what Daniel has. Big jab, big power and speed, a little bit. He’s not as fast as Joe, not as good footwork as Joe. What Joe has is intelligence. He’s a smart fighter ·smart. That’s how we disabled Deontay Wilder’s power, and that’s how we fought and got the better of Zhang. What people are underestimating is his added size, and you’ll see.”

Parker: “I’ve been quietly building for what’s to come, and now we have this man.”

Dubois: “I am ready to fight. It’s the same. It’s a different day.”

Frank Warren: “Neither of them take it lightly. It’s all about self-confidence.”