Joseph Parker’s trainer Andy Lee has been trying to create self-doubt in the mind of Daniel Dubois ahead of the defense of his IBF heavyweight belt in their co-fight on February 22 in Riyadh.
Lee reminded Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) that he was stopped by a punch from Oleksandr Usyk in the ninth round of their fight two years ago on Aug. 26, 2023, in Wroclaw, Poland. Andy thinks he’ll stop Dubois one day that way “return to type” when he finds himself in the same high-pressure situation against Parker (35-3, 23 KOs).
Dubois did not explain why he went down after hitting Usyk and was unable to return. Daniel could only turn saying former middleweight champion Lee might have quit under those circumstances during his career, but he won’t.
It would be a disaster for Dubois to drop out against Parker because this is a winnable fight for him. Although former WBO champion Parker has recently scored some good wins against 41-year-old Zhilei Zhang and 39-year-old Deontay Wilder, he remains vulnerable.
Stinged and problematic
Andy Lee: “There is a lot of talk about Daniel’s fight against Usyk, and you already fought him. In that fight you fell with a blow. The fight ended with a blow. What was going through your head then? If you were in the same position as Joe, how would you deal with it?
Frank Warren: “I hear what you’re saying, and it’s a valid point. They try to get under your skin. So that’s a valid point. I get that and I understand, but you know what? You must view the form at the moment.
Daniel Dubois: “It was a completely different situation. You saw what I did to my last three opponents.”
Lee: “When you’re in the same position and under the same position, you’re going to go back to typing. Let’s see the fights.”
Dubois: “Maybe you should go back to typing.”
Read: “Ha-ha-ha.”
Dubois: “I’ve seen your career. I saw you fight. You probably would, but not me. “
Lee: “Any doubts people had about Daniel, he proved them wrong. He cleaned them out, and we’re going with the best fighter. I would say the best fit fighter in the world. So when Joe wins, we’ll take all the credit.”
Who was better than this exchange?! 🤔#BetterbievBivol2 | #RiyadhSeason | February 22, live on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/HdHDh4C0nE
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) January 24, 2025