Anthony Joshua still has a chink in his armour – and Daniel Dubois has the power to exploit it

Daniel Dubois was given a bruising examination by Oleksandr Usyk last year but has fought back and now has a real chance to stop Anthony Joshua but there are still problems to overcome

Daniel Dubois celebrates his win against Filip Hrgovic (
Image: Getty Images)

Daniel Dubois did not look destined for heavyweight glory when counted out in the ninth round against Oleksandr Usyk in Poland last year.

Ten months and two wins later he is once more looking to etch his name amongst the elite. As we know Dubois has the power to trouble any, but now he is adding experience to the mix.

The truth is there aren’t many super stars in the heavyweight division in terms of pure talent, that’s why Oleksandr Usyk is at the top of the pile.

Usyk is clearly very special, but in this era he is really a blown-up cruiserweight. He acknowledged this himself by expressing a desire to return to the division after the Tyson Fury rematch.

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Take Usyk out of the equation and anyone can beat anyone, it seems to me. Filip Hrgovic was winning the fight in Saudi Arabia last week until he got cut.

But Dubois took his shots well and never looked hurt. He beat the guy without being spectacular, which showed a certain degree of improvement.

Boxing is more than brute force. It’s a chess game played with fists. Dubois always had a tendency to be too eager. He throws bombs like he’s on a mission. Effective against lesser opponents, but against the top guys that can be a recipe for disaster.

Daniel Dubois impressed during his bout with Filip Hrgovic ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
 

We saw this against Joe Joyce, a fight Dubois was expected to win. He went in all guns blazing, leaving himself wide open to Joyce’s relentless forward movement. It wasn’t a pretty sight, and it served as a stark reminder that Dubois needed to refine his approach.

Though he was stopped against Usyk he will have learned something, and that helped in the Hrgovic fight. He took some blows but was never downhearted and worked out a way to win.

Now he is in line for a shot at Anthony Joshua. And if he gets through to Joshua’s chin then its game on. Joshua is the more complete fighter, marginally quicker. And he has rebuilt impressively since he lost for the second time to Usyk.

There is, however, still a chink in his armour first exposed by Andy Ruiz that makes him vulnerable to the kind of power packed by Dubois.