FORMER world middleweight champion and esteemed trainer Andy Lee believes that his charge, Joseph Parker, holds a psychological advantage over Daniel Dubois.
The pair will collide in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 22, featuring on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2.
Ahead of their showdown, however, a lot has been made of Dubois, 22-2 (21 KOs), calling out Oleksandr Usyk immediately after the Ukrainian’s second victory over Tyson Fury last year.
The Brit has, of course, already squared off against the bona fide heavyweight king, suffering a ninth-round stoppage defeat back in 2023.
But still, this new and improved version of the IBF titlist is clearly gleaming with confidence, firmly believing that a rematch with Usyk would be vastly different.
At the same time, though, Dubois has given the impression that he is overlooking Parker, 35-3 (23 KOs), a former world champion who comes off two stellar victories over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang.
But regardless of the champion’s approach, Parker’s head coach, Lee, insists that the New Zealander’s boxing IQ will ultimately prove too much for the 27-year-old.
“What Joe has is intelligence,” Lee said on DAZN’s Face Off between Dubois and Parker. “He’s a clever, clever fighter, and that’s how he diffused the power of Deontay Wilder; that’s how he outfought and outsmarted Zhang.
“And now what he has, which people underestimate as well, is added size. I’ve felt it every day on the pads.”
Since linking up with Lee, Parker’s career has only gone from strength to strength, with the 33-year-old producing some of his most assertive performances in recent years.
That said, Dubois is coming off a career-best win over Anthony Joshua, halting the two-time heavyweight champion with a stunning fifth-round finish last year.
And so, with both fighters enjoying a fine run of form, it would appear that their clash, now less than a month away, can only deliver fireworks.
