Andy Lee: Joseph Parker Is Ready For Daniel Dubois

Coach Andy Lee says his fighter Joseph Parker will likely be able to face Daniel Dubois subsequent in February if he doesn’t rematch Anthony Joshua, who nonetheless hasn’t determined whether or not to take the combat.

If the Dubois vs. Parker combat occurs, it’s anticipated to be staged on February twenty second within the huge Riyadh Season occasion that promoter Eddie Hearn has talked about being an enormous one.

Many followers imagine that Parker can have an excessive amount of for Dubois and can ship him right down to his third profession defeat. Nevertheless, different followers see the 27-year-old Dubois as too highly effective for Parker, who has proven to have a chin drawback. That’s why he reinvented his combating fashion to change into a pure boxer with the assistance of Andy Lee.

Dubois can be making his second protection of his IBF heavyweight title. He not too long ago knocked out Joshua in 5 rounds on September twenty first at Wembley Stadium in London.

The 32-year-old former WBO heavyweight champion Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) has earned his shot at a world title by defeating Zhilei Zhang and Deontay Wilder in back-to-back fights. They weren’t notably entertaining performances by Parker, who has modified his fashion to change into a defensive fighter, however he obtained the job executed.

Within the case of Zhang, Parker barely beat him after being dropped twice in a combat that he appeared to lose six rounds on March eighth in Riyadh. Parker ought to have misplaced with the 2 knockdowns, however the judges surprisingly gave him a 12-round majority choice. It wasn’t the perfect manner for Parker to get a title shot, however he received’t flip it down.

Dubois has regarded excellent in his final three fights, knocking out Joshua, Filip Hrgovic, and Jarrell Miller. Earlier than that, he gave heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk a scare, dropping him within the fifth spherical with a physique shot final 12 months in August.

Nevertheless, the referee dominated it a low blow. The replay confirmed it was on the beltline, which meant that Dubois ought to have been given a fifth-round knockout. As a substitute, he was later stopped within the ninth spherical.