Much of the build-up to Anthony Joshua’s fight with Daniel Dubois has centred around a now infamous sparring session between the pair, which took place seven years ago.
There are conflicting reports regarding what actually happened that day, which range from Dubois knocking Joshua out cold to merely buzzing the former unified world champion.
However, there are fresh rumblings this morning of ‘AJ’ being sent to the canvas by another sparring partner.
According to former team GB member Anthony Fowler, who gave details of the Joshua – Dubois spar earlier last week, the Watford man was dropped by Kazakh heavyweight Ivan Dychko whilst preparing for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Fowler also referenced David Price “badly hurting” Joshua, though this has long been widely known.
“I remember Ivan Dychko dropped Joshua.
“It was sparring before the Olympics. Joshua was loading up and I think he got caught with a one-two and it was a flash knockdown.
“And David Price knocked Joshua down really heavily, he really hurt Joshua.
“That Kazakh lad [Dychko] dropped him once, but it was more of a flash knockdown. And Dubois hurt him as well.
“So I’ve seen him hurt three times, but it is heavyweight boxing so it doesn’t matter who you are, if you get hit flush on the chin you could go over.”
🗣️ Anthony Joshua on Daniel Dubois: “I’m not expecting someone to just crumble under pressure. I’m expecting someone that’s going to try and test my manhood and I’m going to be there ready.”#Boxing #JoshuaDubois (via @DAZNBoxing) pic.twitter.com/qFc37aKqRN
— Pro Boxing Fans (@ProBoxingFans) September 20, 2024
The Brit would soon exact his revenge over the 6’9 behemoth, defeating him in the semi-finals on route to Olympic gold.
Though the emerging of a story like this a day out from a mega fight is less than ideal for any boxer, one would imagine that Joshua is more than experienced to block out the noise.
Yesterday’s press conference was very reserved with little from either man – a far cry to a face-to-face interview over the summer that nearly ended in fisticuffs.
