BEATING Anthony Joshua has given Daniel Dubois greater confidence as he seeks to join the heavyweight elite in 2025.
This year the 27-year-old carried on the momentum from his win against Jarrell Miller 12 months ago by beating Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua. Both victories came inside the distance for Dubois, 22-2 (21 KOs), who is the current IBF heavyweight champion.
On February 22 Dubois will fight in Riyadh, for the third time in four fights, when he makes the second defence of his title against former WBO champion Joseph Parker, 35-3 (23 KOs). The challenger is also in fine form having beat Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang in his last two bouts.
Next weekend the heavyweights take centre stage in the boxing world once again when Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury meet in their rematch to determine the number one in the division. And Dubois wants the winner.
“I’m coming for their belts,” he told Sky Sports. “The top guys, I want them. I want them all.
“Just keep coming through them, then eventually I’ll be right up there, undisputed. That’s my goal.”
“But I’m not overlooking Parker,” he added. “He’ll be fighting just as hard as I am. Never overlook anyone. Deal with him first and then we can move on to that one.”
Dubois goes into the Parker fight at the peak of his powers and beyond February 22 the Londoner wants to continue the roll of big fights and not drop down a level.
“I feel ready to become a really elite fighter and fight all the best fights,” he said. “My last five or four fights have all been at the top level so why go back down? I need to keep climbing that mountain until I get to the stars. And to the moon. And to the universe.
“Seek and destroy, that’s my mindset. Go all guns blazing but prepare properly. He’s been up the mountain and he’s a veteran now. So I need to go out there and really clean him out. Be better than him in every department.”
