Daniel Dubois’ defence of his IBF heavyweight world championship against Joseph Parker is amongst the most heavily debated fights on the stacked Last Crescendo card this weekend.
Dubois and Parker are two of the most in-form fighters in their division, and come into the contest off the back of underdog wins over Anthony Joshua and Zhilei Zhang respectively.
Many observers had written ‘DDD’ off not so long ago, after he appeared to allow himself to be counted out in fights against Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk, which saw him labelled a ‘quitter’ on social media.
The 27-year-old has shown much more resolve in his recent outings, particularly against heavy-handed Croat Filip Hrgovic, who landed scores of clean right hands before wilting under the Londoner’s aggression.
However, in an interview with The Stomping Ground, Parker explained why he believes Dubois “may revert back to type” when they lock horns this Saturday night at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
“Listen, he’s shown quit before. And if it does get too hard for him, he may revert back to type.
“He quit in the Joe Joyce fight, I’m not sure what problem he had with his eye. Then in the Usyk fight he went down off a jab.
“These fighters were able to make him find a way out, or maybe it got too hard for him.
“Or he has shown the ability to overcome hard times in fights. So you never know what you’re going to get with Daniel.
“You know you’re going to get a well prepared fighter, who is champion of the world and wants to remain champion of the world.
🥊 After Saturday night, @joeboxerparker would have fought:
🇬🇧 Daniel Dubois
🇬🇧 Anthony Joshua
🇬🇧 Joe Joyce
🇬🇧 Dillian Whyte
🇬🇧 Derek Chisora
🇬🇧 Hughie Fury
🇺🇸 Deontay Wilder
🇺🇸 Andy Ruiz
🇨🇳 Zhilei Zhang
🇫🇷 Carlos TakamWarrior 👏#DuboisParker pic.twitter.com/fb3KDHpVd0
— Pro Boxing Fans (@ProBoxingFans) February 18, 2025
“But my goal is to take that away from him, and become champion myself.”
Dubois vs Parker has huge ramifications for both men, with the winner seemingly in line for an undisputed showdown against Usyk later in the year.
