Daniel Dubois has it all to do against undefeated unified heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk, come August 26 in Wroclaw, Poland.
The 25-year-old Brit has bounced back from a sole career loss against Joe Joyce with four straight knockout wins to find himself as the WBA’s mandatory challenger.
It will be Usyk’s second defence of the belts following a rematch victory over Anthony Joshua, and the former undisputed cruiserweight champion enters the ring a heavy favourite.
Many fighters and pundits give ‘DDD’ just a puncher’s chance to upset the odds – and heavyweight contender, Filip Hrgovic, is in the camp.
Speaking to Wasserman, ‘El Animal’ said it should be a ‘pretty easy job’ for the Ukrainian.
“I think Usyk is big favourite to win that fight. I give him much, much bigger edge. Dubois, he’s a big guy, a good puncher, and anything can happen in boxing. I give him a puncher’s chance.
I don’t give him any chance to outbox Usyk. I think he will be too slow. Usyk needs to be cautious to stay away from his right hand, and I think it will be pretty easy job for Usyk.”
Hrgovic hasn’t been shy in the past about claiming that he got the better of Dubois in sparring.
The Croatian is number one in the IBF rankings, and thus next in line for Usyk should he best the Brit. It’s a fight Hrgovic will be angling for should he come through his next test – undefeated Australian southpaw, Demsey McKean, on August 12.
Dubois challenges Usyk just two weeks later – the fourth fighter from the UK in the last five years to do so, and he’ll hope to be the first to make it a success.