By Jim Calfa: Daniel Dubois says he views unbeaten Oleksandr Usyk as an “old man,” and he intends to “rip” his three heavyweight world titles away from him this Saturday night at the Tarczyński Arena Wrocław in Wroclaw, Poland.
Dubois (19-1, 18 KOs) already lost to a fighter that is equally as old as Usyk when he was beaten by Joe Joyce, who is 37.
Given how that fight ended, with Dubois quitting on one knee, it is important that he not get too caught up on the age issue with his contest against Usyk.
The outcome of Saturday’s fight could have much to do with the improvements the 25-year-old Dubois has made in his game since his tougher-than-expected fight against Kevin Lerena last December.
Dubois and his trainer Don Charles, have put in a lot of work tinkering with his fighting style and coming up with aa good game plan that they can use to deal with the speed and movement from Usyk.
We’ll see if the changes that have been made in Dubois’ style will work on Saturday night against Usyk because it’s sometimes difficult for fighters to make drastic changes in camp without getting a couple of fights in between to try out the things they’ve learned.
“He’s an old man to me, and I’ve got to put it on him. Break them bones down and take it away from him, rip them belts off of him,” said Daniel Dubois to Boxing King Media about his intentions towards IBF, WBA & WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk ahead of Saturday’s fight.
Usyk-Dubois card can be seen live on ESPN+ this Saturday night at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.
“Prepared me, definitely,” said Duboi about his trainer Don Charles. “Prepared me for sure. It’s been a hard graft. Let’s go and get it. Whatever else, this is the moment. This is the moment to go out and take it and bring it.
“You’re going to see. Tune in and watch,” said Dubois when asked if he’d be a tougher opponent for Usyk than Anthony Joshua was. “A win for sure,” Daniel said on how his fight with Oleksandr will end on Saturday night.
“Another world [where a win over Usyk will lead him]. It’s all on the line; it’s all on the night. Let’s go. Before the storm, there’s a calm. That’s what it is.
“Let them talk. People have a lot of things to say,” Dubois said about boxing fans believing he’s over his head taking on the more experienced Usyk. “For me, it’s go through him. It’s now or never, this is it.
“Forget all the other talk and what’s going on. This is it for me. Of course, that’s the only way through it. That’s the only way to fight him,” said Dubois about him needing to get in Usyuk’s face and start slugging.
“He likes to move around the ring a lot, so we’ve got to cut it off. We’ve worked hard in training camp. Let’s get. It’s mind games,” said Dubois in reacting to being told that Usyk said that his fight with Dereck Chisora was competitive because he was trying to lure Anthony Joshua into fighting him.
