As Daniel Dubois prepares for his upcoming IBF title defense against Joseph Parker on Feb. 22, he tells Sky Sports that he’s entering the prime of his career and expects to demonstrate that he’ll be a fixture atop the heavyweight division for years to come. Dubois says he’s pretty much the full package now and is eager to make his case against the best fighters in the division.
“You’ve got to put some respect on my name!” Dubois added. “I proved you wrong there, and I’m going to continue doing it. I’m the number one now. At the time I felt this [the Joshua victory] is massive. It’s opened the door for me… I’m going to continue to reign as a champ.”
Getting to this point the culmination of his life’s work and once Dubois takes care of business against Parker, he aims to avenge his loss to Oleksandr Usyk as well as take on Tyson Fury, with whom he’s familiar with from their past sparring sessions. Dubois says he’s now ready for those kind of challenges.
“Before I made a few mistakes, but I feel ready now to become the top dog, the top dog of the division.”
Of course one slip up against Parker and Dubois can see his aspirations disappear in the short term so he insists that he’s not overlooking Parker, but he’s also not overestimating Parker’s ability either. Dubois will have to continue to prove out his quality as he works his way to the bigger fights he desires.