Billy Joe Saunders has weighed in on the upcoming contest between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois.
The all-British clash for world heavyweight honours is high stakes for both men, in particular 34-year-old Joshua.
After four wins to in a little over a year to bounce back from two losses to Oleksandr Usyk, ‘AJ’ now has a chance to become a three-time world champion as he aims to dethrone newly-elevated IBF king Dubois.
Dubois has also lost to Usyk and Joe Joyce before him but he is on an impressive run of form right now having stopped two big names in his last two contests – American Jarrell Miller and the experienced Fillip Hrgovic, both of whom tested the Brit’s chin.
Speaking to Boxnation, two-weight world champion Saunders mentioned improvements he has seen in Dubois and credits new coach Don Charles.
“With Daniel, it’s a case of he has never had to confidence to do what I’ve seen in his last couple of fights. He’s working with Don Charles now and Don Charles is very good at getting that out of someone. Don’s done a very good job with him. Working with Don you have to say it’s not a given for ‘AJ’. They’re heavyweights at the end of the day and they both posses stupid power.”
He also said he had seen Joshua in the gym with Ben Davison and Lee Wylie, also relatively new additions to the team, was extremely impressed.
“I watched ‘AJ’ recently training up close at Ben Davison’s camp. I pop in now and then and have a look and it seems to me that he has a new lease of life, he seems reborn, he’s believing in what he’s doing and he’s going to be a very dangerous opponent for anyone in the heavyweight division.
Up close, watching him throw a right hand is very scary. It’s like a car doing 100 miles an hour into a wall. But I thought Daniel was up against it with Hrgovic and the determination he needed to win, he needs to bring that again.”
He then says the fight only ends one way.
“Some’s getting knocked out, it’s not going the distance.”
