Daniel Dubois is at the top of his game just now and wants all-comers.
Bouncing back from questions about his heart and determination earlier in his career, the 28-year-old is now IBF Heavyweight World Champion coming off a career-best win over former ruler Anthony Joshua.
That fifth round stoppage capped off a run of three impressive wins for Dubois, having previously handed both Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic their first career defeats.
Dubois looked like nothing could deny him at Wembley Stadium against ‘AJ’, however one heavyweight rival is absolutely certain he has the beating of the young Brit. That is Martin Bakole, who has dined out on his stories from sparring sessions, including stopping Dubois, breaking his nose and ‘making him quit.’
Speaking to the Ring Magazine, Dubois said there were two sides to the story.
“They’ve got to remember what really happened in sparring. I know they love to talk about sparring, but I remember him jumping out the ring when I was sparring him. Yeah, he jumped out the ring many times. We sent him back to Scotland many times. In due time, we’ll see about that.”
Fans may see this debate settled inside the ropes sooner rather than later. Dubois makes another defence of his title later this month against Joseph Parker. Should he retain the belt, his mandatory challenger will be determined by a May final eliminator fought between Bakole and Efe Ajagba.
Bakole is confident of winning with ease, and will look to push ahead for his world title shot if that is the case.
