Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker are just days away from facing off in the ring.
It will mark Dubois’ second defence of his IBF World Heavyweight Title, a belt he gained by being upgraded from Interim to Full champion when Oleksandr Usyk vacated.
Any questions about his legitimacy as one of the top dogs in the division were answered emphatically when he then demolished Anthony Joshua inside five rounds.
Parker, a former WBO Champion, has beaten both Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang to earn his shot, and has entered fight week extremely confident of causing the upset once more.
Tensions are rising in the lead-up, with just a press conference and weigh-in to take place before the pair of heavyweights exchange blows on Saturday night.
It was awkward, then, when the competitors were put just inches away to conduct an interview, as documented on Parker’s YouTube channel. His trainer, Andy Lee, said the set-up could lead to issues.
“These guys are gonna fight in a few days, it’s not very nice them talking to each other like this … let’s leave the personal questions, cause they’re gonna fight and they’re sitting here beside each other. It’s not gonna be good for them.”
Parker did try to make the most of it, greeting the champion but being blanked entirely.
The interview then started, with Parker doing nothing to do defuse the situation when answering ‘true’ to the statement ‘Dubois will look for a way out in this fight.’ He has previously told The Stomping Ground that his opponent has ‘shown quit’ before and may revert to type if the going gets tough.
The young Brit faced such questions in his maiden world title challenge against Usyk in which he failed to rise for the referee’s count despite seeming able, losing by stoppage in the ninth. However, Dubois has answered questions about his heart since then, particularly in his gritty wins over Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic.
Regardless, it is a line Team Parker seem content on following in an attempt to get into Dubois’ head. In an earlier face off with the fighters, Lee and promoter Frank Warren, Lee probed:
“There is a lot of talk of Daniel fighting Usyk, and you fought him already. In that fight, you went down with a jab. The fight ended off a jab. What was going through your mind at the time? If you’re in the same position with Joe, how are you going to face that?”
Dubois was left speechless before claiming it was ‘a completely different situation.’ Warren stepped in and responded saying it was ‘a valid point’ but telling Dubois they were just ‘trying to get under your skin.’ All questions will be answered come fight night.
