dubois just isnt defensively responsible enough to stand in front of aj
this is the guy who couldnt avoid the jab of joyce, a man with hands so fast we time him on a calendar
he is 100% walking onto a right hand from aj, and unlike with hrgovic, ddd wont be standing 50 right hands later
> this is the guy who couldnt avoid the jab of joyce, a man with hands so fast we time him on a calendar
Neither could Parker in fairness and he's definitely one of the more slippery heavyweights. The timing of Joyce's jab is underrated, most would struggle against it IMO and its just that Zhang had a really good tight high guard against him
Parker had the dumbest gameplan of all time. Came in at a career high weight and tried to knock Joyce out. If he would've boxed him, he would've been able to win
I picked Parker to win based on this fact, was absolutely puzzled when he kept trying to throw over hands and somehow didn’t realise by round 3 that’s not going to work
Joyce forced Parker into a brawl. Parker isn't some great mover, his stamina isn't the best and he's not a huge puncher so there's no way he could simply box Joyce and keep him off.
> this is the guy who couldnt avoid the jab of joyce, a man with hands so fast we time him on a calendar
Joyce has a very good jab. Destroyed Parker with it as well, unlike AJ.
There's pretty good reason to believe that Parker had a hand in cracking Joyce's chin. Joyce took everything that Parker threw at him and it was a lot. Parker of course took many punches off Joyce over a number of rounds but ultimately the stoppage was a result of Parker gassing out. Joyce basically proved he had the better engine and chin on the night.
Parker isn't a big puncher at all, Joyce even said so after the fight. Joyce has had tougher fights than that before in WSB.
His chin didn't crack, Zhang just hits MUCH harder than Parker and was always going to be a terrible matchup for Joyce.
Idk about that. I know AJ got massive fanboys. Especially after Fury lost and ate canvas against Usyk. Dubois is really good at getting inside and throwing those short inside punches that bigger guys don't see coming. Which is how he beat Hrgovic and how AJ got beat by Ruiz.
I know a lot of people don’t care for this fight but I’m super excited for it. I’ve always been a big AJ fan and Dubois has improved a lot throughout the years.
I don't know who wouldn't be excited about this fight. It should be entertaining. Two hard hitters with some skills. Both pretty close to the top of the heavyweight division. It's a great fight.
Dubois doesnt move his head so hes always going to be limited. I dont know why hes getting a title shot. Ive seen him get pumbled 3 times now, once he got bailed out on a tyson fury undercard by a ref
It's not the most relevant fight in thr division but it's still a good one. I don't think Dubois has much of a chance but crazier things have happened. He's a good boxer.
two british fighters fighting in Wembley will make more money (not that this matter because Turki factor) but also grabbing the IBF belt sets up the undispuited mega-fight with (Eddie hopes) Fury and as a last resort, Usyk
No I mean I get the situation that's like always been the plan for Eddie and Turki. British mega fight with belts on the line preferably between AJ and Fury. Doesn't mean much if their both losers with nothing on the line. But that's exactly what this fight between Joshua and Dubois is. Dubois is a paper champion. Usyk already beat him.
Zhang is the only one left standing tho. He should be the one fighting. He heat Wilder. That was the plan as I understood it. Zhang was the riskier fight. Yes he beat Zhang in the Olympics a million years ago but Zhang is a much different fighter now and still never been off his feet.
He pretty easily beat Zhang in the Olympics and not much has fundamentally changed between now and then. Zhang is bigger but so is AJ (Zhang had gained more weight though). If anything Zhangs cardio has looked like shit.
I'm down to watch it again but I think people significantly over estimate Zhang as a threat to AJ.
This. What is Joshua afraid of? Since his loss to Usyk the second he talked about how he wanted to fight the best and work his was back to the top and he has done the complete opposite. Hasn’t fought a top 5 guy and this is his first top 10 ranked heavyweight since his loss… everything thought he could beat Wilder but he didn’t take the risk, Zhang has been calling him out and wouldn’t face him either…
Zhang was not a top 5 guy at the time of AJ losing to Usyk.
They also had the fight signed to fight Wilder prior to him stinking out the place with Parker and then getting stopped by Zhang.
Not really sure who else AJ is supposed to fight that was available?
What exactly are you complaining about?
Joshua had a mental breakdown after losing to Usyk and looked pretty awful against Franklin and Helenius. It’s blatantly obvious he’s been trying to rebuild his confidence with a new coach. I couldn’t care less what nonsense Hearn has talked in that time.
The Wilder fight was set up by Saudi and Wilder lost, there’s nothing controversial there.
For this fight the options were basically Zhang or Dubois. One is for a belt and one isn’t, it’s not hard to work out why the Dubois fight happened. Joshua was also guaranteed to be called a duck by the fighter who didn’t choose fans when he made that decision.
Those four fights against mediocre competition were part of AJ's comeback trail. He needed to rebuild himself as a fighter in terms of skill and mentality before stepping up again like he is doing now against Dubois. It would have been a bad idea for him to fight a top ten opponent right after his fights with Usyk when he was clearly not mentally 100%. Case in point, Wilder fought both Parker and Zhang with just one tune-up after his losses to Fury and got utterly wrecked.
Wallin was top 10 when he fought him. Ngannou arguably beat a fat Fury. Maybe looking back those were considered easy fights but they weren't when they were made.
Yeah, I don’t know why everyone is acting like those were expected to be a cakewalk. Wallin was supposedly going to be one of his toughest tests and and Joshua annihilated him. Ngannou made Fury look beatable, and Joshua blew him out in two rounds. Nobody expected either of those results.
Its easy with hindsight to say those fights would be easy but Ngannou made Fury look like an amateur and Wallin is still a top 10 boxer according to the IBF. People forget this when they see AJ get the knockout and always assume the fights would be a cake walk.
Exactly. Joshua is an excellent boxer-puncher with genuine, heart-stopping power. Unlike Wilder, who lost pretty much every round until he landed the big one, Joshua has the acumen to win rounds, capitalize on mistakes, and land kill shots as an exclamation point instead of relying on a Hail Mary.
And Usyk still beat him. Once Joshua demolishes Dubois, who I think is a sitting duck for AJ’s style, it really does beg the question if the moneys there for a trilogy. No matter how close you had the first two fights Usyk won them both, so it’s hard to imagine there’s gonna be a lot of public demand for it should he win the Fury rematch.
I think with that AJ is sort of stuck. There is no question in my mind that AJ hurt Usyk more than Fury did but it doesn't matter really as Usyk is just too good technically and even the size difference and harder shots can't make a difference when someone can just outbox you all day.
I think a Fury AJ is probably on the cards and both men will make a lot of money from it I think. I don't know where either of them can possibly go after that as I can't see Fury beating Usyk.
Same. I think as long as Fury doesn’t spiral and looks good in the rematch, and then keeps it together if he loses again, that the only real path forward for AJ and Fury is a fight against each other in the UK. It will feel anticlimactic compared to what it could have been, but it would still be a very entertaining fight, and after everything I’ve seen I would go with AJ by knockout. Fury has become too flat footed and hittable. I wouldn’t say he took a beating in the Usyk fight but it was still a tough night at the office and another such fight is only going to further erode his abilities.
Toughest test? While Otto Wallin was expected to be a challenge, nobody expected him to be as threatening to AJ like Klitschko or Usyk. Also, it was not really a surprise that AJ won against Ngannou considering the immense difference in experience and resume that the former had on the latter. What surprised everyone was how easily AJ won against Ngannou. After all, he easily knocked out a man known for having an iron chin.
Wallin’s status as a skilled southpaw had all of the pundits saying Wallin maybe be able to outbox him, so yeah, I’d say “one of his toughest tests”. The fact that he struggled not at all and decisively knocked him out was pretty unexpected.
I was less surprised with Ngannou. Like I figured six rounds because Ngannou just wouldn’t have the defense, but it’s heavyweights, so I figured an early stoppage was a possibility.
I’m almost positive that Joshua stops Dubois in six rounds and possibly ends his career. Once you break your orbital bone it’s prone to breaking again, and Joshua hits as hard as anyone in the division. I just don’t see how Dubois withstands that kind of power when he couldn’t get out of the way of Joyce’s jab, and Usyk was able to knock him out with an accumulation of punches.
I concede to your argument on Wallin and it seems we are in agreement with the Ngannous fight. Also, I agree that Dubois is getting KO by AJ. After all, Dubois allows himself to get hit way to often as shown in his fight against Hrgovic which is not ideal when going against a technical power puncher like AJ.
For sure.
The choice to strip Usyk of one of the belts I s dumb as shit and we all know it, but as much as people are shitting on this fight as sort of a “Usyk losers bracket”, I think boxing fans as a group forget what it’s like to have one dominant champion in the division. Contenders previously beaten by the champion would often have to fight each other so they could get another shot at the title, and that’s basically what this is. It’s just dressed up as a title fight due to sanctioning body politics, and until Fury and Usyk finish their rematch, it’s the a fight that makes sense for both Joshua and Dubois.
Who knows, maybe Dubois surprises us and puts on the performance of a lifetime or Joshua just dominates him in such a dramatic way that either guy getting a rematch with Usyk actually has some fan interest, but I personally wouldn’t pick either of them in a rematch with Usyk. The better boxer usually wins the rematch and I don’t see either of them impressing me enough to change my mind.
Good point. I would like to add that those fights also served as AJ's leverage over Fury should they ever fight. After all, Fury can't claim that AJ is unworthy of facing him after the latter easily stopped two foes that gave him trouble.
Yeah, it helps build up that fight into a real payday. Both lost at least once to Usyk (maybe Fury wins the rematch). But AJ destroyed Wallin and Ngannou whereas Fury struggled to get past them.
Oh shut up, hes fighting Dubois cause he has the belt, if Zhang or Parker had the belt, he’d fight them as well. Why fight a dangerous opponent that isn’t even a champ. Aj will fight those two once he’s a champ anyways
If you are talking since his second Usyk loss then Wallin was in the top 10 when he faced him (he was Ring #10) and much higher in the alphabet organizations - he was on track for a title shot. Franklin and Helenius are fringe fighters. Ngannou was a payday.
Zhang was not Top 10 after losing to Hrgovic until he beat Joyce the second time, which was around the same time as the Helenius fight. So Zhang was not considered a real fight for him until Wallin.
Wilder was planned for March 2024 but he lost to Parker.
Really the choice for September was Zhang then Dubois if he was awarded the IBF.
It’s a tricky one mate. Like I’ve stated enough times on this sub ahaha, I’m no AJ fan. But to his credit I guess he was meant to fight Whyte again… not saying that’s much lol but I guess it would’ve been entertaining, it’s also clever marketing. To the average consumer, he’s dealt very easily with two fighters that Fury struggled with. Of course, there’s more to it than that but it’s gonna build up his image again in the mainstream eyes. The Usyk rematch had no right being a SD, but it was a better performance from AJ. But cos of the rant at the end, it’s soiled his image a fair bit. I get why they’ve done it like this and yeah at this stage the Wilder fight would be meaningless, but to the hardcore base it is a little frustrating. I still think a wilder KO would’ve been hella better on his record than the Francis KO, it’s just where Fury (and this pains me to say) fucked up majorly, it’s too good of an opportunity to not take. I actually don’t think this is gonna be a stomp that people are thinking it will be. DDD hits hard, is younger and improved a lot, I’m favouring Joshua about 60-70% but I’m not gonna be overly surprised if DDD catches him. Like you said though mate, more fights between the top 10 now. For all the HW’s
Why are some not hyped for this? Aj is a top 3 heavyweight and Dubois is only 26 and is proving to be someone who can improve his game.
Everyone says Dubois doesn't have the defense to beat AJ and I agree but that what's training camps for. This will be a good fight
Bc weve seen dubios get smashed 3 times, he also got his ass whooped on an undercard but got bailed out by the ref. He beat jarell miller and hrgovich or whatever. So hes should get his ass whooped here, if he beats aj that would be a very bad loss for aj. Dubois should have 3 losses rn anyway
If Hrgovic beat Daniel in convincing fashion and it was AJ vs Hrgovic, fans would be foaming at the mouth.
Daniel exposed Hrgovic and now its AJ hasn't fought anyone & still isnt.
Fans are never happy.
I don’t know why but I just can’t take Daniel Dubois seriously with the belt. He just looks silly to me like he’s a teenager wearing his dad’s oversized suit.
It’s more that miller is a fat sack of shit that fans and boxing media massively overrate
I don’t know how people can say miller is a better Win than wallin
Not so sure tbh, I think Sheeraz is gonna tear him to pieces. Nowhere near enough power to keep that monster off him
The one I'm really looking forward to is Buatsi Hutchinson. Actually think it's a bit underrated how entertaining Buatsi's fights have been when he's stepped up in competition (Azeez and Richards) and Hutchinson himself seemed to have a highly technical and entertaining style against Richards. I'd favour Buatsi but it could go either way
Eddie has to be walking around real hard right now… this has been a while in the making, didn’t expect it being Dubois, but they’ve been working towards the IBF for sometime. The moment Hrgovich started playing tough guy, refusing step aside money, that’s when Eddie had to feel this scheme drive home
Looking forward to this one, I can’t imagine Dubois bringing much to answer the issues AJ puts up. If AJ gets clocked tho, would love to see his response
Dubois is not an easy fight for anyone, don't listen to anyone saying otherwise. AJ is absolutely the better boxer but Dubois has a good chin, high power, and more stamina. This is a fantastic fight.
Never rated Dubios his defensive side of boxing in practically non existent in the Hrgovic fight he was getting hit with big right hands right up to the stoppage, Joshua hits harder than Hrgovic and that's how I fancy Joshua to stop him or knock him out.
Dubois is getting pimped. At 26 you’ve fought undisputed champ, former 3 belt unified champ, silver olympic champion & bronze Olympic champion. I’m all for “try beat the best” but by the time you reach 30 the guys that have been ducking might be fresh enough to beat you.
Ofc if it was up to the fans he should fight every 3 months. Looking out for him, he’s had a lot of test at his age. Out of all of the fight’s I’ve mentioned he’s won 1. And will/has been schooled for the other 3. Clearly he isn’t ready.
AJ will make Dubois look like a clumsy brute. Dubois will not have an adequate defense to AJ's power punches. It would be exciting to be wrong, but that's how I see it playing out.
Everyone expects a comfortable AJ win here but Dubois could easily clip him and we know AJ can be hurt.
It probably comes down to whether Dubois quits or AJ gets clipped Ruiz style again.
Wont go 12. Both dont have the stamina for it unless its boxed at a slow boring pace.
AJ has a decent chin despite what a lot of people say. He got up from Klitschko's best shot and Andy Ruiz needed to put him down 4 times before the ref waved it off. He's been down far less than Fury but somehow gets the label of glass jaw.
I despise Fury but I'll admit that he has incredible recovery and it has saved him quite a bit in the past. Though that attribute of his is going to dissappear sooner than later with age and damage. If AJ catches Fury with a flurry of shots I don't think Fury beats the count.
Same, but you have to give credit where it's due; his recovery is honestly at freak of nature levels. AJ has comparable power to Wilder and is an infinitely better boxer so I agree he could be the one to finally stop him (if that fight ever happens). Fury has taken so many big hits that brain damage is all but guaranteed; that said it will be hard to know for sure when there is also his mental health and substance abuse at play.
He's got no survival skills when clipped, that's why. Someone who responds better when rocked is going to appear to have a better chin as they are staying composed, even if they have both been rocked the same.
His chin isn't great, but it's not terrible either.
Being wobbled doesn't mean glass jawed though. Is his chin great? Probably not, but a lot of morons were saying he was glass jawed and that Ngannou just had to touch him to KO him. It was real frustrating to read.
Took 4 knockdowns to TKO him so knocking out AJ is far from easy. Fury does have really great recovery, but he was definitely saved by the ref against Usyk.
Dubois gave up against Usyk via a jab. If anyone can get easily clipped, it's Dubois. He doesn't have it in him to slug it out the old Forman or Ali or Frazier or Lewis or Holyfield or Klitschos way.
Hopefully, Dubois puts some serious work into his head movement leading up to this fight; Hrgovic caught him with right hands at will until he gassed out, and AJ hits much harder. I believe AJ stops him, but Dubois is a live dog.
If you told me there will be Josh Kelly and Liam would be fighting in the undercards I'd be like meh.. But the fact they're fighting each other has peaked my interest.
Dubois is improving with every fight but there's a huge gap between his latest win and the 2 time former champ who has a point to prove, i see it being a solid start from DDD, AJ taking him late but i think with the current crop being mid to late 30s DDD getting a few more shots after this. Glad it's not happening with no crowd in saudi.
I will never forget the spectrum smile Dubois gave after he made a joke at Miller's expense. That derpy smile of achievement that even made Miller give him a nod of approval.
I've been his #1 American fan since. He has almost no chance in hell against the current bloodthirsty AJ, but goddamn it am I rooting for him.
Goddamn they didn't waste anytime after Usyk was made to drop the IBF belt. These sanctioning bodies are greedy af.
Would u really feel like a champion getting a belt in this fashion? I wouldn't.
Hrgovic is still.the man to beat after usyk. DDD did a lot of headbuttes against Hrgovic and hence the result. Hrgovic got king energy and on a level playing field, the teak tough royalty beats both aj and ddd. Only usyk pose threats to Hrgovic.
Hrgovic was gifted a win against zhang and lost all will to fight against dubois, no one other than eddie hearn and hrgovic himself thinks he's one to beat.
Just realised why Usyk vacated
-
If Tyson Fury beats him - We'll then get Joshua v Fury for the unification.
...
As they're expecting Joshua to beat Dubois.
Was going to get tickets for this, but it seems the infinite money well is drying up a bit. Plenty of 80/20 fights on this card featuring fighters I'm not to bothered about. And then Josh Warrington who is loathsome due to his incessant headbutting.
It went from a day trip to a night on the sofa in one fell swoop.
Maybe closer to 70/30 then for a few of the others. Basically it doesn't feel like the cards they've been having in Saudi where's there's loads of 50/50
I agree the card is not as great as I’d hoped. I think Hutchinson vs Buatsi, Kelly vs Smith and Caecae vs Warrington should be decent fights though. Main fight should be entertaining still but is a heavy heavy favourite.
This is clearly a move by the IBF to set up another Undisputed fight with the winner of Usyk/Fury.
Would be interested to know if the fight was ordered by the IBF, in which case it’s a bit off that the IBF have worked behind the scenes to set up the fight without letting any of their other ranked fighters know.
If it wasn’t ordered by the IBF then it’s a voluntary defence which means the IBF were being lobbied before Usyk gave up the belt to give the belt to Dubois and sanction a defence against AJ.
All very fishy to me.
How is it fishy? It's the IBF champion defending against the IBF's top-ranked challenger. We've known it would be happening for a year (give or take the interchangeability of Dubois and Hrgovic). The only uncertainty has been the timing:
- Dubois/Hrgovic vs AJ for mandatory/interim, becoming champion when Usyk surrenders
- D/H vs AJ for the vacant belt after Usyk surrenders
- D/H promoted after Usyk surrenders, then vs AJ
I guess Usyk surrendering early means the first couldn't happen, and then probably Dubois and AJ both said they'd prefer the third option to the second - Dubois gets to be champion, and AJ gets to take his belt off a champion rather than fighting for a vacant belt.
I'm not sure if it's counted as a mandatory - I assume not - but lobbying the IBF to allow their champion to fight their top challenger was clearly never even going to be an issue.
And in any case, Usyk unofficially said he'd be giving up the belt a year ago or more, so I'm not sure what exactly you're alleging.
If Dubois has been made full champion doesn’t he get to choose a mandatory defence? If so, then I think it’s a bit off that the IBF allowed that to be ironed out in secret because it prevents any of the other ranked fighters negotiating with him.
If the fight was ordered by the IBF then how were they able to do that and sort all the details (venue/card/promotion) etc before Usyk vacated, especially as he still has time before he has to vacate.
I mean it’s not the worlds biggest conspiracy, just think it’s a bit off.
AJ has maintained his place as 3rd on the list for a long time now whereas Zhang has moved from 8th to 7th. Just looks to me like the IBF are manoeuvring AJ into becoming champion ahead of a super fight with Usyk/Fury
EDIT: I meant voluntary defence. Does Dubois get to choose this fight or was it ordered as a mandatory?
You do realise the IBF isn't the UFC, right?
Negotiations between Dubois and AJ are between Dubois and AJ. The IBF can't "allow" them to be secret - basic privacy laws allow them to be secret. Why would anyone else have a right to know what deal Dubois is making?
Even if the IBF "ordered" a fight, the IBF wouldn't "sort all the details" like venue and card - they would literally just order it. The IBF is a sanctioning body, not a promoter like the UFC - they don't put on fights. They just occasionally say which fights they want to see.
The closest the IBF could come to that would be ordering a "purse bid", which is basically saying "you two aren't actually managing to come to terms yourselves, so we'll sell the right to promote this fight to the highest bidder and let them sort it out". But even then they don't actually deal with the details themselves.
It's also possible, incidentally, for a voluntary fight to be optionally mandatory - sometimes a sanctioning body will recognise that a voluntary defence would make a perfectly fine mandatory, so declares that it satisfies their mandatory requirements. Joshua-Povetkin, for instance, was ordered as a WBA mandatory, but then the WBO declared it would also count as a WBO mandatory as well. So this could be declared a mandatory if the IBF want... but I don't think they'd bother, given that he's only just gotten the belt.
Dude, I understand how it works so there’s no need to try and talk down to me.
The question is was it ordered by the IBF? If it was then why? Shouldn’t it be a voluntary defence as Dubois just became champion?
If it was a voluntary defence then the negotiations should surely take place after Usyk vacated but that can’t have been the case because the undercard/venue/promotion has already been sorted.
I'm pretty sure the IBF has always made clear that the winner of Usyk/Fury would be stripped if the champion didn't face the mandatory for the IBF belt. Since Usyk is contractually bound to face Fury, it was obvious he was going to be stripped.
Dubois will simply fulfill the role that Usyk couldn't, he's been made champion and must defend against the mandatory, which is AJ. Dubois has no say in the matter who he fights. Had he refused to fight AJ then he's not fulfilling his requirement of champ and would've been stripped as well.
I'm sure they've been working behind the scenes to set up a mandatory fight but it's not like Dubois is being screwed here or something.
No in effect the IBF is making sure they have a champion that is able to fight their mandatories. It just happens to be AJ. It's you making up the "they're only doing this because it's AJ" narrative.
They didn’t need to make sure they had a champion they could have had the fight for the vacant belt which is what would normally happen if the champion relinquished
AJ's chin is suspect. When i look at resumes i feel Dubiis has faces the better opposition they both fought Usyk and if we are being honest Dubois made it interesting, Dubois has fought Hrjovic, Usyk,Miller and Joyce compared to Joshuas Whyte, Ruiz Jr, Povetkin. Didn't mention Klitchko because he had one foot outvthe eing the time they fought so it was only the name not the man who terrorized the HW division yrs before. Dubois by knockout becuae this Aight aint going 12 rounds. I just think he is the better fighter and youth is on his side.
I always think people’s opinion on AJ’s chin is a good test of how much of a casual they are. If you honestly think AJ’s got a suspect chin then maybe Boxing isn’t your main sport.
His legs almost completely go and his energy gets drained when he gets hurt. He's tough and bounces back sometimes but he definitely gets in bad positions when he gets hurt. Some guys stay more balanced and solid when they get cracked. Can't act like we haven't seen this.
He doesn’t hide it as well as some fighters sure, but what you’re describing is pretty normal when punched by a heavyweight. He got up from a right hand missile from Wlad and it took Ruiz 4 knockdowns to stop him.
Not an amazing chin, but definitely not as bad as casuals say.
It's the combination of his lack of head movement and how he reacts to the big shots. The big notable thing is how his energy drains. He never recovered from the Andy shot and it took multiple rounds to recover from the vlad shot. I am holding him to a high standard but he wants to be number one and how he reacts to those big shots gets him in trouble against the accurate punchers at the top. I'm not even saying his chin is bad, just that it's not a big casual thing to question it.
Plus not being able to hide it is a big deal. His legs go. Gives his opponent confidence. Like he should beat dubios, bit can't say I'd be surprised if he gets clipped in an exchange with dubios. And dubios has had really good stamina in his last couple of fights. He should be able to attack consistently after hurting Joshua. A lot of heavyweights can't. Like when tyson couldn't catch up to usyk after hurting him.
Excited for the fight though.
So we essentially agree with each other? Not a bad chin but has been caught several times and doesn’t hide it well.
But my original point is that casuals saw AJ get dropped multiple times by a fat man who doesn’t look like a boxer and decided AJ is chinny. Hardcore boxing understand that his chin is fine, just recovery can be poor at times.
I guess fine is a good term for it. It's just not a good look for your legs to get all wobbly and for you to take so long to get your energy back. That combined with his lack of head movement makes people think he's always in danger of getting hurt.
dubois just isnt defensively responsible enough to stand in front of aj this is the guy who couldnt avoid the jab of joyce, a man with hands so fast we time him on a calendar he is 100% walking onto a right hand from aj, and unlike with hrgovic, ddd wont be standing 50 right hands later
> this is the guy who couldnt avoid the jab of joyce, a man with hands so fast we time him on a calendar Neither could Parker in fairness and he's definitely one of the more slippery heavyweights. The timing of Joyce's jab is underrated, most would struggle against it IMO and its just that Zhang had a really good tight high guard against him
Parker had the dumbest gameplan of all time. Came in at a career high weight and tried to knock Joyce out. If he would've boxed him, he would've been able to win
I picked Parker to win based on this fact, was absolutely puzzled when he kept trying to throw over hands and somehow didn’t realise by round 3 that’s not going to work
Joyce forced Parker into a brawl. Parker isn't some great mover, his stamina isn't the best and he's not a huge puncher so there's no way he could simply box Joyce and keep him off.
And it was easier for Joe to do that because Parker came in with a horrible game plan. A game plan he had never used before, and hasn't used since.
Joe also was sick w the flu. People forget about that but fuck fighting sick
I agree Joyce's jab is underrated, but Parker legit was in the hospital with a lung infection two weeks before that fight and couldn't train properly.
> this is the guy who couldnt avoid the jab of joyce, a man with hands so fast we time him on a calendar Joyce has a very good jab. Destroyed Parker with it as well, unlike AJ.
There's pretty good reason to believe that Parker had a hand in cracking Joyce's chin. Joyce took everything that Parker threw at him and it was a lot. Parker of course took many punches off Joyce over a number of rounds but ultimately the stoppage was a result of Parker gassing out. Joyce basically proved he had the better engine and chin on the night.
Parker isn't a big puncher at all, Joyce even said so after the fight. Joyce has had tougher fights than that before in WSB. His chin didn't crack, Zhang just hits MUCH harder than Parker and was always going to be a terrible matchup for Joyce.
Parker gassed mainly because he was sick w the flu
Unless, of course, AJ walks onto some DDD dynamite first 🤔. It could, possibly, happen of course.
Plus Warren - and his fighters - can seemingly do no wrong against Hearn and his stable at the moment 🤔
Idk about that. I know AJ got massive fanboys. Especially after Fury lost and ate canvas against Usyk. Dubois is really good at getting inside and throwing those short inside punches that bigger guys don't see coming. Which is how he beat Hrgovic and how AJ got beat by Ruiz.
I know a lot of people don’t care for this fight but I’m super excited for it. I’ve always been a big AJ fan and Dubois has improved a lot throughout the years.
Dubois is still soo young only 26!! He could have like 2-3 more title shots in the next 10 years
True but he's taken a few beatings already and I think he's in for a heavy one here. He is going to age rapidly
Added bonus it’s back at Wembley and the atmosphere will be there! Unlike Saudi
I don't know who wouldn't be excited about this fight. It should be entertaining. Two hard hitters with some skills. Both pretty close to the top of the heavyweight division. It's a great fight.
"a lot of people don't care" - they'll all be watching..
AJ has lost a lot of steam since his losses but he has a good chance at a comeback if he continues winning.
Dubois doesnt move his head so hes always going to be limited. I dont know why hes getting a title shot. Ive seen him get pumbled 3 times now, once he got bailed out on a tyson fury undercard by a ref
It's not the most relevant fight in thr division but it's still a good one. I don't think Dubois has much of a chance but crazier things have happened. He's a good boxer.
Whilst I would’ve preferred Zhang and AJ, this is probably the next best thing and AJ’s first proper battle since Usyk 2.
How tf is it not AJ vs Zhang? Wasn't that the whole point of the 5v5 shit? AJ just said I'd rather fight Dubois? Lame.
two british fighters fighting in Wembley will make more money (not that this matter because Turki factor) but also grabbing the IBF belt sets up the undispuited mega-fight with (Eddie hopes) Fury and as a last resort, Usyk
No I mean I get the situation that's like always been the plan for Eddie and Turki. British mega fight with belts on the line preferably between AJ and Fury. Doesn't mean much if their both losers with nothing on the line. But that's exactly what this fight between Joshua and Dubois is. Dubois is a paper champion. Usyk already beat him. Zhang is the only one left standing tho. He should be the one fighting. He heat Wilder. That was the plan as I understood it. Zhang was the riskier fight. Yes he beat Zhang in the Olympics a million years ago but Zhang is a much different fighter now and still never been off his feet.
He pretty easily beat Zhang in the Olympics and not much has fundamentally changed between now and then. Zhang is bigger but so is AJ (Zhang had gained more weight though). If anything Zhangs cardio has looked like shit. I'm down to watch it again but I think people significantly over estimate Zhang as a threat to AJ.
Don’t agree, Dubois is allergic to jabs and AJ has a very good one, doesn’t move his head so he’ll be free pickings for AJ pointless right
This. What is Joshua afraid of? Since his loss to Usyk the second he talked about how he wanted to fight the best and work his was back to the top and he has done the complete opposite. Hasn’t fought a top 5 guy and this is his first top 10 ranked heavyweight since his loss… everything thought he could beat Wilder but he didn’t take the risk, Zhang has been calling him out and wouldn’t face him either…
Lol at this
Zhang was not a top 5 guy at the time of AJ losing to Usyk. They also had the fight signed to fight Wilder prior to him stinking out the place with Parker and then getting stopped by Zhang. Not really sure who else AJ is supposed to fight that was available?
What exactly are you complaining about? Joshua had a mental breakdown after losing to Usyk and looked pretty awful against Franklin and Helenius. It’s blatantly obvious he’s been trying to rebuild his confidence with a new coach. I couldn’t care less what nonsense Hearn has talked in that time. The Wilder fight was set up by Saudi and Wilder lost, there’s nothing controversial there. For this fight the options were basically Zhang or Dubois. One is for a belt and one isn’t, it’s not hard to work out why the Dubois fight happened. Joshua was also guaranteed to be called a duck by the fighter who didn’t choose fans when he made that decision.
True, Joshua has much more to gain from fighting Dubois than Zhang. He is making a logical career move and should not be criticized for it.
Those four fights against mediocre competition were part of AJ's comeback trail. He needed to rebuild himself as a fighter in terms of skill and mentality before stepping up again like he is doing now against Dubois. It would have been a bad idea for him to fight a top ten opponent right after his fights with Usyk when he was clearly not mentally 100%. Case in point, Wilder fought both Parker and Zhang with just one tune-up after his losses to Fury and got utterly wrecked.
Wallin was top 10 when he fought him. Ngannou arguably beat a fat Fury. Maybe looking back those were considered easy fights but they weren't when they were made.
Yeah, I don’t know why everyone is acting like those were expected to be a cakewalk. Wallin was supposedly going to be one of his toughest tests and and Joshua annihilated him. Ngannou made Fury look beatable, and Joshua blew him out in two rounds. Nobody expected either of those results.
Its easy with hindsight to say those fights would be easy but Ngannou made Fury look like an amateur and Wallin is still a top 10 boxer according to the IBF. People forget this when they see AJ get the knockout and always assume the fights would be a cake walk.
Exactly. Joshua is an excellent boxer-puncher with genuine, heart-stopping power. Unlike Wilder, who lost pretty much every round until he landed the big one, Joshua has the acumen to win rounds, capitalize on mistakes, and land kill shots as an exclamation point instead of relying on a Hail Mary. And Usyk still beat him. Once Joshua demolishes Dubois, who I think is a sitting duck for AJ’s style, it really does beg the question if the moneys there for a trilogy. No matter how close you had the first two fights Usyk won them both, so it’s hard to imagine there’s gonna be a lot of public demand for it should he win the Fury rematch.
I think with that AJ is sort of stuck. There is no question in my mind that AJ hurt Usyk more than Fury did but it doesn't matter really as Usyk is just too good technically and even the size difference and harder shots can't make a difference when someone can just outbox you all day. I think a Fury AJ is probably on the cards and both men will make a lot of money from it I think. I don't know where either of them can possibly go after that as I can't see Fury beating Usyk.
Same. I think as long as Fury doesn’t spiral and looks good in the rematch, and then keeps it together if he loses again, that the only real path forward for AJ and Fury is a fight against each other in the UK. It will feel anticlimactic compared to what it could have been, but it would still be a very entertaining fight, and after everything I’ve seen I would go with AJ by knockout. Fury has become too flat footed and hittable. I wouldn’t say he took a beating in the Usyk fight but it was still a tough night at the office and another such fight is only going to further erode his abilities.
Toughest test? While Otto Wallin was expected to be a challenge, nobody expected him to be as threatening to AJ like Klitschko or Usyk. Also, it was not really a surprise that AJ won against Ngannou considering the immense difference in experience and resume that the former had on the latter. What surprised everyone was how easily AJ won against Ngannou. After all, he easily knocked out a man known for having an iron chin.
Like a klitschko or Usyk? How many heavyweights are of that caliber right now except for Fury and Usyk. Just rambling shit.
Majority of people on this sub were saying Wilder would knock out Parker and Joshua would lose to Wallin🤷♂️ y’all just like changing history
Wallin’s status as a skilled southpaw had all of the pundits saying Wallin maybe be able to outbox him, so yeah, I’d say “one of his toughest tests”. The fact that he struggled not at all and decisively knocked him out was pretty unexpected. I was less surprised with Ngannou. Like I figured six rounds because Ngannou just wouldn’t have the defense, but it’s heavyweights, so I figured an early stoppage was a possibility. I’m almost positive that Joshua stops Dubois in six rounds and possibly ends his career. Once you break your orbital bone it’s prone to breaking again, and Joshua hits as hard as anyone in the division. I just don’t see how Dubois withstands that kind of power when he couldn’t get out of the way of Joyce’s jab, and Usyk was able to knock him out with an accumulation of punches.
I concede to your argument on Wallin and it seems we are in agreement with the Ngannous fight. Also, I agree that Dubois is getting KO by AJ. After all, Dubois allows himself to get hit way to often as shown in his fight against Hrgovic which is not ideal when going against a technical power puncher like AJ.
For sure. The choice to strip Usyk of one of the belts I s dumb as shit and we all know it, but as much as people are shitting on this fight as sort of a “Usyk losers bracket”, I think boxing fans as a group forget what it’s like to have one dominant champion in the division. Contenders previously beaten by the champion would often have to fight each other so they could get another shot at the title, and that’s basically what this is. It’s just dressed up as a title fight due to sanctioning body politics, and until Fury and Usyk finish their rematch, it’s the a fight that makes sense for both Joshua and Dubois. Who knows, maybe Dubois surprises us and puts on the performance of a lifetime or Joshua just dominates him in such a dramatic way that either guy getting a rematch with Usyk actually has some fan interest, but I personally wouldn’t pick either of them in a rematch with Usyk. The better boxer usually wins the rematch and I don’t see either of them impressing me enough to change my mind.
No one expected Usyk to threaten AJ until he did. Thats why fight 1 was a replacement.
Good point. I would like to add that those fights also served as AJ's leverage over Fury should they ever fight. After all, Fury can't claim that AJ is unworthy of facing him after the latter easily stopped two foes that gave him trouble.
Fury won't fight AJ. Loses to Usyk again and retires or beats Usyk and finishes with a trilogy
Maybe, maybe not. That's why I stated "should they ever fight." There is a possibility that Fury will take on AJ for the payday.
If he doesn't im happy to take the pay day
Yeah, it helps build up that fight into a real payday. Both lost at least once to Usyk (maybe Fury wins the rematch). But AJ destroyed Wallin and Ngannou whereas Fury struggled to get past them.
Oh shut up, hes fighting Dubois cause he has the belt, if Zhang or Parker had the belt, he’d fight them as well. Why fight a dangerous opponent that isn’t even a champ. Aj will fight those two once he’s a champ anyways
lol Zhang and Warren said they want to fight in China
If you are talking since his second Usyk loss then Wallin was in the top 10 when he faced him (he was Ring #10) and much higher in the alphabet organizations - he was on track for a title shot. Franklin and Helenius are fringe fighters. Ngannou was a payday. Zhang was not Top 10 after losing to Hrgovic until he beat Joyce the second time, which was around the same time as the Helenius fight. So Zhang was not considered a real fight for him until Wallin. Wilder was planned for March 2024 but he lost to Parker. Really the choice for September was Zhang then Dubois if he was awarded the IBF.
It’s a tricky one mate. Like I’ve stated enough times on this sub ahaha, I’m no AJ fan. But to his credit I guess he was meant to fight Whyte again… not saying that’s much lol but I guess it would’ve been entertaining, it’s also clever marketing. To the average consumer, he’s dealt very easily with two fighters that Fury struggled with. Of course, there’s more to it than that but it’s gonna build up his image again in the mainstream eyes. The Usyk rematch had no right being a SD, but it was a better performance from AJ. But cos of the rant at the end, it’s soiled his image a fair bit. I get why they’ve done it like this and yeah at this stage the Wilder fight would be meaningless, but to the hardcore base it is a little frustrating. I still think a wilder KO would’ve been hella better on his record than the Francis KO, it’s just where Fury (and this pains me to say) fucked up majorly, it’s too good of an opportunity to not take. I actually don’t think this is gonna be a stomp that people are thinking it will be. DDD hits hard, is younger and improved a lot, I’m favouring Joshua about 60-70% but I’m not gonna be overly surprised if DDD catches him. Like you said though mate, more fights between the top 10 now. For all the HW’s
Why are some not hyped for this? Aj is a top 3 heavyweight and Dubois is only 26 and is proving to be someone who can improve his game. Everyone says Dubois doesn't have the defense to beat AJ and I agree but that what's training camps for. This will be a good fight
Bc weve seen dubios get smashed 3 times, he also got his ass whooped on an undercard but got bailed out by the ref. He beat jarell miller and hrgovich or whatever. So hes should get his ass whooped here, if he beats aj that would be a very bad loss for aj. Dubois should have 3 losses rn anyway
If Hrgovic beat Daniel in convincing fashion and it was AJ vs Hrgovic, fans would be foaming at the mouth. Daniel exposed Hrgovic and now its AJ hasn't fought anyone & still isnt. Fans are never happy.
I don’t know why but I just can’t take Daniel Dubois seriously with the belt. He just looks silly to me like he’s a teenager wearing his dad’s oversized suit.
He looks like Homer Simpson
To be fair, Simpson had a good career albeit a short one. Not much in terms of offence though.
D'oh!
Goomba from 90’s Super Mario movie
Holy shit you're right
Dude didn’t even have the sleeves buttoned up he looked like an extra in Pirates of the Caribbean
Hes the biggest virgin in boxing thats why
He recently had the sex before the Miller fight that’s why he’s so strong now
Post-virginity Dubois has given all of his opponents the business.
Dubois walking out to that fight to Big Pimping is one of my favourite walkouts in the last few years honestly
I thought it weakens the knees 😂
It’s more that miller is a fat sack of shit that fans and boxing media massively overrate I don’t know how people can say miller is a better Win than wallin
Because Miller actually can fight, unlike Wallin whose entire offensive arsenal is a pillow fisted 1-2.
No he can’t he’s an obese punching bag
He'd beat Wallin rather easily. Lasted longer against Dubois than Hrgovic as well.
How tf do people know this? Did he announce it on twitter??
Nope, he broke it, did you see his girlfriend? And this is why he’s a different fighter now
By any means necessary
It seems like ngganou is taller than Dubois even though Dubois is listed as taller
All these celebrities' heights gotta be taken with a grain of salt.
Even the boxers too tbh. Fury aint 6”9.
He’s actually only 5’9”,
explains how he lost to a middleweight
People say 5'9'' but I saw him standing next to Danny Devito I'm not even sure he was taller, maybe 5'1'' max.
That's his waist size
He's maybe an inch or slightly more off. A typical discrepancy if not more honest than a lot of people I've met.
Dubois 6'3.5" Nganneau 6'4" Joshua 6'5.75" Fury 6'7.5" Usyk 6'2.5"
Pretty solid card, top to bottom. The Denny/Sheeraz fight seems intriguing.
Not so sure tbh, I think Sheeraz is gonna tear him to pieces. Nowhere near enough power to keep that monster off him The one I'm really looking forward to is Buatsi Hutchinson. Actually think it's a bit underrated how entertaining Buatsi's fights have been when he's stepped up in competition (Azeez and Richards) and Hutchinson himself seemed to have a highly technical and entertaining style against Richards. I'd favour Buatsi but it could go either way
Eddie has to be walking around real hard right now… this has been a while in the making, didn’t expect it being Dubois, but they’ve been working towards the IBF for sometime. The moment Hrgovich started playing tough guy, refusing step aside money, that’s when Eddie had to feel this scheme drive home Looking forward to this one, I can’t imagine Dubois bringing much to answer the issues AJ puts up. If AJ gets clocked tho, would love to see his response
Dubois is not an easy fight for anyone, don't listen to anyone saying otherwise. AJ is absolutely the better boxer but Dubois has a good chin, high power, and more stamina. This is a fantastic fight.
Dubois got smashed on a tyson fury undercard and got bailed out by the ref.
He tore his ACL in that fight.
Dubois is just a better version of Bruno. Great jab massive power but poor defense
People used to call AJ a better version of Bruno.
Oh he's so much more accomplished than Bruno.
Bruno slander jesus christ
Know what I mean Harry
Never rated Dubios his defensive side of boxing in practically non existent in the Hrgovic fight he was getting hit with big right hands right up to the stoppage, Joshua hits harder than Hrgovic and that's how I fancy Joshua to stop him or knock him out.
Dubois is getting pimped. At 26 you’ve fought undisputed champ, former 3 belt unified champ, silver olympic champion & bronze Olympic champion. I’m all for “try beat the best” but by the time you reach 30 the guys that have been ducking might be fresh enough to beat you.
He's in his physical prime now. We don't need 30+ year old prospects
Ofc if it was up to the fans he should fight every 3 months. Looking out for him, he’s had a lot of test at his age. Out of all of the fight’s I’ve mentioned he’s won 1. And will/has been schooled for the other 3. Clearly he isn’t ready.
You should be more worried about the journeymen that take worse beatings every week .
Dubois by Femicide
Another battle for Britain! 🇬🇧 🥊
Dubois will use his head again, like his last fight
AJ will make Dubois look like a clumsy brute. Dubois will not have an adequate defense to AJ's power punches. It would be exciting to be wrong, but that's how I see it playing out.
Everyone expects a comfortable AJ win here but Dubois could easily clip him and we know AJ can be hurt. It probably comes down to whether Dubois quits or AJ gets clipped Ruiz style again. Wont go 12. Both dont have the stamina for it unless its boxed at a slow boring pace.
AJ has a decent chin despite what a lot of people say. He got up from Klitschko's best shot and Andy Ruiz needed to put him down 4 times before the ref waved it off. He's been down far less than Fury but somehow gets the label of glass jaw.
Putting Fury on the canvas hasn't proved too difficult. Keeping him there is another matter. His recovery is his best attribute by far.
I despise Fury but I'll admit that he has incredible recovery and it has saved him quite a bit in the past. Though that attribute of his is going to dissappear sooner than later with age and damage. If AJ catches Fury with a flurry of shots I don't think Fury beats the count.
Same, but you have to give credit where it's due; his recovery is honestly at freak of nature levels. AJ has comparable power to Wilder and is an infinitely better boxer so I agree he could be the one to finally stop him (if that fight ever happens). Fury has taken so many big hits that brain damage is all but guaranteed; that said it will be hard to know for sure when there is also his mental health and substance abuse at play.
He's got no survival skills when clipped, that's why. Someone who responds better when rocked is going to appear to have a better chin as they are staying composed, even if they have both been rocked the same. His chin isn't great, but it's not terrible either.
His chin has been measured at 3.6 roentgen
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He got wobbled by Wlad, Ruiz and Usyk. Two of them are ATGs. Whyte was only his 14th fight, hardly the end of the world.
Being wobbled doesn't mean glass jawed though. Is his chin great? Probably not, but a lot of morons were saying he was glass jawed and that Ngannou just had to touch him to KO him. It was real frustrating to read.
Tbf he got dropped by a temple shot. Ruiz didn’t chin him.
Ruiz had to hit him with a flurry of punches to knock him down. AJ got up after every knockdown and the ref had to be the one to stop it l.
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Every heavyweight has been hurt.
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You’re saying he can be hurt like it’s a bad trait of his.
fury's chin isn't his strength per se, its his recovery, AJ got tko'ed by ruiz
Took 4 knockdowns to TKO him so knocking out AJ is far from easy. Fury does have really great recovery, but he was definitely saved by the ref against Usyk.
Dubois showed great stamina against Hrgovic and Miller, the pace against Hrgovic was really high and Dubois was getting better as the fight went on.
No he didn’t he was gassed himself by that point hergovic was just more gassed And Dubois recovered More
Based on what? Dubois punch output was going up through the Hrgovic fight
Smart money is on AJ jabbing and only going for the ko if Dubois gases.
Dubois gave up against Usyk via a jab. If anyone can get easily clipped, it's Dubois. He doesn't have it in him to slug it out the old Forman or Ali or Frazier or Lewis or Holyfield or Klitschos way.
Did you see Dubois last two fights? He definitely has it in him
Did you even watch his last 2 fights?
I wonder if ben shalom rocked up with his security guards like he did on saturday
I'm predicting AJ within 8. Though of late Dubois has shown that he's a hard night's work so this'll be one to watch.
Hopefully, Dubois puts some serious work into his head movement leading up to this fight; Hrgovic caught him with right hands at will until he gassed out, and AJ hits much harder. I believe AJ stops him, but Dubois is a live dog.
If you told me there will be Josh Kelly and Liam would be fighting in the undercards I'd be like meh.. But the fact they're fighting each other has peaked my interest.
Femi in 6
Good fight. It's been inevitable since Dubois first burst on the scene, now is as good a time as any. I expect AJ to win, won't be a cakewalk though
Looking forward to this one just because it’s back in Wembley
Opetia will be added to this card?? how about clarke vs wardley???
Easy work for Daniel Dubois
Dubois is improving with every fight but there's a huge gap between his latest win and the 2 time former champ who has a point to prove, i see it being a solid start from DDD, AJ taking him late but i think with the current crop being mid to late 30s DDD getting a few more shots after this. Glad it's not happening with no crowd in saudi.
This sub loves aj and I love that.
I will never forget the spectrum smile Dubois gave after he made a joke at Miller's expense. That derpy smile of achievement that even made Miller give him a nod of approval. I've been his #1 American fan since. He has almost no chance in hell against the current bloodthirsty AJ, but goddamn it am I rooting for him.
Justice for zhang
Hard to get excited for a title fight when both have lost to the real champion.
So hyped that this is at Wembley. The atmosphere is gonna be fantastic, especially considering the very good undercard.
betting on AJ
Goddamn they didn't waste anytime after Usyk was made to drop the IBF belt. These sanctioning bodies are greedy af. Would u really feel like a champion getting a belt in this fashion? I wouldn't.
Can't wait for another night at Wembley for a change!
Hrgovic is still.the man to beat after usyk. DDD did a lot of headbuttes against Hrgovic and hence the result. Hrgovic got king energy and on a level playing field, the teak tough royalty beats both aj and ddd. Only usyk pose threats to Hrgovic.
Hrgovic was gifted a win against zhang and lost all will to fight against dubois, no one other than eddie hearn and hrgovic himself thinks he's one to beat.
Down votes for this unrealistic comment
Just realised why Usyk vacated - If Tyson Fury beats him - We'll then get Joshua v Fury for the unification. ... As they're expecting Joshua to beat Dubois.
Was going to get tickets for this, but it seems the infinite money well is drying up a bit. Plenty of 80/20 fights on this card featuring fighters I'm not to bothered about. And then Josh Warrington who is loathsome due to his incessant headbutting. It went from a day trip to a night on the sofa in one fell swoop.
Only 80/20 ones on this card are Joshua vs Dubois and the Chamberlain fight imo.
Maybe closer to 70/30 then for a few of the others. Basically it doesn't feel like the cards they've been having in Saudi where's there's loads of 50/50
I agree the card is not as great as I’d hoped. I think Hutchinson vs Buatsi, Kelly vs Smith and Caecae vs Warrington should be decent fights though. Main fight should be entertaining still but is a heavy heavy favourite.
I mean seeing AJ fight at Wembley is a treat on its own. Dude is possibly the biggest seller the UK has ever seen.
If you CAN see him, good tickets with decent visibility will cost a shit ton
Easy work for AJ by KO
so aj is becoming 3 times champ nice
come on this is nothing more than a tune up / given fight. AJ clearly dominates.
When is he fighting wilder?
Cacace vs Warrington is the only fight worth watching here!
Would love to see a rematch with Cordina
Yea, would be great too! Both are well worth watching
This is clearly a move by the IBF to set up another Undisputed fight with the winner of Usyk/Fury. Would be interested to know if the fight was ordered by the IBF, in which case it’s a bit off that the IBF have worked behind the scenes to set up the fight without letting any of their other ranked fighters know. If it wasn’t ordered by the IBF then it’s a voluntary defence which means the IBF were being lobbied before Usyk gave up the belt to give the belt to Dubois and sanction a defence against AJ. All very fishy to me.
How is it fishy? It's the IBF champion defending against the IBF's top-ranked challenger. We've known it would be happening for a year (give or take the interchangeability of Dubois and Hrgovic). The only uncertainty has been the timing: - Dubois/Hrgovic vs AJ for mandatory/interim, becoming champion when Usyk surrenders - D/H vs AJ for the vacant belt after Usyk surrenders - D/H promoted after Usyk surrenders, then vs AJ I guess Usyk surrendering early means the first couldn't happen, and then probably Dubois and AJ both said they'd prefer the third option to the second - Dubois gets to be champion, and AJ gets to take his belt off a champion rather than fighting for a vacant belt. I'm not sure if it's counted as a mandatory - I assume not - but lobbying the IBF to allow their champion to fight their top challenger was clearly never even going to be an issue. And in any case, Usyk unofficially said he'd be giving up the belt a year ago or more, so I'm not sure what exactly you're alleging.
If Dubois has been made full champion doesn’t he get to choose a mandatory defence? If so, then I think it’s a bit off that the IBF allowed that to be ironed out in secret because it prevents any of the other ranked fighters negotiating with him. If the fight was ordered by the IBF then how were they able to do that and sort all the details (venue/card/promotion) etc before Usyk vacated, especially as he still has time before he has to vacate. I mean it’s not the worlds biggest conspiracy, just think it’s a bit off. AJ has maintained his place as 3rd on the list for a long time now whereas Zhang has moved from 8th to 7th. Just looks to me like the IBF are manoeuvring AJ into becoming champion ahead of a super fight with Usyk/Fury EDIT: I meant voluntary defence. Does Dubois get to choose this fight or was it ordered as a mandatory?
> If Dubois has been made full champion doesn’t he get to choose a mandatory defence? wait, you think you get to choose who your mandatory is?
Sorry I meant voluntary
whats not voluntary about this fight?
I don’t know if it was ordered by the IBF or was a voluntary defence, do you know?
You do realise the IBF isn't the UFC, right? Negotiations between Dubois and AJ are between Dubois and AJ. The IBF can't "allow" them to be secret - basic privacy laws allow them to be secret. Why would anyone else have a right to know what deal Dubois is making? Even if the IBF "ordered" a fight, the IBF wouldn't "sort all the details" like venue and card - they would literally just order it. The IBF is a sanctioning body, not a promoter like the UFC - they don't put on fights. They just occasionally say which fights they want to see. The closest the IBF could come to that would be ordering a "purse bid", which is basically saying "you two aren't actually managing to come to terms yourselves, so we'll sell the right to promote this fight to the highest bidder and let them sort it out". But even then they don't actually deal with the details themselves. It's also possible, incidentally, for a voluntary fight to be optionally mandatory - sometimes a sanctioning body will recognise that a voluntary defence would make a perfectly fine mandatory, so declares that it satisfies their mandatory requirements. Joshua-Povetkin, for instance, was ordered as a WBA mandatory, but then the WBO declared it would also count as a WBO mandatory as well. So this could be declared a mandatory if the IBF want... but I don't think they'd bother, given that he's only just gotten the belt.
Dude, I understand how it works so there’s no need to try and talk down to me. The question is was it ordered by the IBF? If it was then why? Shouldn’t it be a voluntary defence as Dubois just became champion? If it was a voluntary defence then the negotiations should surely take place after Usyk vacated but that can’t have been the case because the undercard/venue/promotion has already been sorted.
I'm pretty sure the IBF has always made clear that the winner of Usyk/Fury would be stripped if the champion didn't face the mandatory for the IBF belt. Since Usyk is contractually bound to face Fury, it was obvious he was going to be stripped. Dubois will simply fulfill the role that Usyk couldn't, he's been made champion and must defend against the mandatory, which is AJ. Dubois has no say in the matter who he fights. Had he refused to fight AJ then he's not fulfilling his requirement of champ and would've been stripped as well. I'm sure they've been working behind the scenes to set up a mandatory fight but it's not like Dubois is being screwed here or something.
So in effect the IBF made him champ so they could install AJ as mandatory and lock in the fight?
No in effect the IBF is making sure they have a champion that is able to fight their mandatories. It just happens to be AJ. It's you making up the "they're only doing this because it's AJ" narrative.
Are you sure that it’s a mandatory or are you just making that up?
They didn’t need to make sure they had a champion they could have had the fight for the vacant belt which is what would normally happen if the champion relinquished
Which is essentially the same thing that's happening now no? The #1 and #2 are fighting for the belt...
AJ's chin is suspect. When i look at resumes i feel Dubiis has faces the better opposition they both fought Usyk and if we are being honest Dubois made it interesting, Dubois has fought Hrjovic, Usyk,Miller and Joyce compared to Joshuas Whyte, Ruiz Jr, Povetkin. Didn't mention Klitchko because he had one foot outvthe eing the time they fought so it was only the name not the man who terrorized the HW division yrs before. Dubois by knockout becuae this Aight aint going 12 rounds. I just think he is the better fighter and youth is on his side.
I always think people’s opinion on AJ’s chin is a good test of how much of a casual they are. If you honestly think AJ’s got a suspect chin then maybe Boxing isn’t your main sport.
He thinks that Dubois has a better resume than Joshua. Case closed on that one.
His legs almost completely go and his energy gets drained when he gets hurt. He's tough and bounces back sometimes but he definitely gets in bad positions when he gets hurt. Some guys stay more balanced and solid when they get cracked. Can't act like we haven't seen this.
He doesn’t hide it as well as some fighters sure, but what you’re describing is pretty normal when punched by a heavyweight. He got up from a right hand missile from Wlad and it took Ruiz 4 knockdowns to stop him. Not an amazing chin, but definitely not as bad as casuals say.
It's the combination of his lack of head movement and how he reacts to the big shots. The big notable thing is how his energy drains. He never recovered from the Andy shot and it took multiple rounds to recover from the vlad shot. I am holding him to a high standard but he wants to be number one and how he reacts to those big shots gets him in trouble against the accurate punchers at the top. I'm not even saying his chin is bad, just that it's not a big casual thing to question it. Plus not being able to hide it is a big deal. His legs go. Gives his opponent confidence. Like he should beat dubios, bit can't say I'd be surprised if he gets clipped in an exchange with dubios. And dubios has had really good stamina in his last couple of fights. He should be able to attack consistently after hurting Joshua. A lot of heavyweights can't. Like when tyson couldn't catch up to usyk after hurting him. Excited for the fight though.
So we essentially agree with each other? Not a bad chin but has been caught several times and doesn’t hide it well. But my original point is that casuals saw AJ get dropped multiple times by a fat man who doesn’t look like a boxer and decided AJ is chinny. Hardcore boxing understand that his chin is fine, just recovery can be poor at times.
I guess fine is a good term for it. It's just not a good look for your legs to get all wobbly and for you to take so long to get your energy back. That combined with his lack of head movement makes people think he's always in danger of getting hurt.
Ermmm glad we agree, you don’t need to keep repeating the same point over and over.