By Kenneth Friedman: Daniel Dubois is saying he’ll knockout highly ranked heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte when the two of them square off in the future after he picks up a little more experience first.
In the meantime, the unbeaten #3 WBO, #7 WBC Dubois (14-0, 13 KOs), needs an opponent for his August 29 match at the BT Sport Studio, in Stratford.
Dubois, 22, was supposed to be facing Erik Pfeifer (7-0, 5 KOs) in a 12-round fight, but he pulled out of the match on Monday.
Since this is a tune-up bout for Dubois to get him ready to take on Joe Joyce (11-0, 10 KOs), he’s not going to take on a dangerous opponent like Michael Hunter or any of the other top-rated contenders in the division.
Dubois focused on Joyce
“I’m ready to take over and take them all on,” said Dubois to IFL TV. “Starting with this next one next week and then hopefully get Joe [Joyce]. It’s good to talk,” said Dubois the mention of him and Dillian Whyte].
“My big fight now is going to be Joe. All eyes are on that one, but down the line, Dillian Whyte will be a great fight. After I break through after Joe, it has to be these guys. I don’t want to go backward.
“We can throw names around and match them up. It’s all good, you know?” said Dubois in reacting to comments from his promoter being interested in having him face Whyte.
“As far as fighting him, we have to wait and see. I’m busy. I’ve got a schedule now, and my focus is on Joe. We’ll get this next week out of the way, and then we’ll go for Joe,” said Dubois.
Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren likes the idea of matching him against WBC mandatory Whyte (27-1, 18 KOs), and he sees as a great fight for boxing fans. Whyte is in the holding pattern anyway right now, waiting for a title shot against WBC champion Tyson Fury.
Whyte vs. Dubois would interest a lot of people, and the winner could take on the likes of Fury or Anthony Joshua. Dillian doesn’t seem nearly as keen to take on the dangerous 6’5″ Dubois, and it’s not likely he’ll want to risk it.
Dubois would likely be the favorite against Whyte, and even if he weren’t, he’d be in an excellent position to win that fight.
Whyte’s promoter Eddie Hearn was praising him earlier today, talking about his bravery in choosing to fight heavyweights like Povetkin, Joseph Parker, Oscar Rivas, and Dereck Chisora.
It would take a lot more courage on Whyte’s part to agree to a fight against Dubois, and thus far, he hasn’t spoken up about wanting to make that kind of risk.
Daniel picks Dillian to beat Povetkin
“I think Dillian should have too much youth and determination, but who knows?” said Dubois when asked about his thoughts on Whyte’s fight this Saturday night against Alexander Povetkin.
“I known Povetkin is a tough, talented Olympian, and he’s an excellent amateur fighter. He’s a warrior too, s it’s going to be a good clash. They’ve both got good left hooks, so it’s going to be interesting.
“Yeah, a couple of years ago,” said Dubois when asked if he’d sparred Povetkin a couple of years ago. “It’s gone now, but it should be a good fight.”
If Whyte loses to the 40-year-old Povetkin (35-2-1, 24 KOs), that would be a shock and a disappointment as well for a lot of boxing fans. Povetkin already challenged for a world title two years ago in losing a 7th round knockout to IBF/WBA/WBO champion Anthony Joshua.
Although Povetkin has never fought the 6’9″ Fury, he did beat Hughie Fury last year by a reasonably close 12 round unanimous decision, and he didn’t look great. Tyson Fury would likely beat Povetkin quite handily if those two were to fight right now.
Whyte has a better shot at beating Fury, and it’s been said that Dillian got the better of him during a sparring session in the past.
The winner of the Whyte vs. Povetkin contest will be fighting for a world title in 2021 against the Fury vs. Deontary Wilder 3 winner.
It’s too bad the winner of the Dubois vs. Joyce fight doesn’t face the winner of the Whyte vs. Povetkin match. That would set up a situation where the winners of those two fights could face each other in a semifinal type of contest.
Dubois believes he’d stop Dillian
“I do believe,” said Dubois when asked if he thinks he’ll play knockout, Whyte. “And I do believe I’ll knock anyone out if I hit him. I need to land first obviously, and I think I’ve got the power to knock out anyone.
“But it comes out to a lot more than that. I’ve got to build up and prove myself first,” said Dubois.
There’s a perfect chance that Dubois would knock out Whyte, but unfortunately, we probably won’t see them fight anytime soon if ever. If Whyte takes on Joshua or Fury, then he’ll likely lose to both.
If Whyte gets beaten, his promoter Eddie hearn will build him back up by matching him against guys that he knows he can beat like Parker, Povetkin, and Lucas Browne. Hearn won’t take risks with Whyte because he makes him money on Sky Box Office.