British boxing icon Ricky Hatton has told Genting Casino that Daniel Dubois has got a “great chance” of beating current WBA, IBF and WBO Heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk when the two boxers meet on Saturday night in Poland.
Speaking about the Brit’s chances, Hatton said: “When you think about the difference in size between the two fighters… I know you could say the same thing when Usyk fought AJ, but Dubois only needs one shot given his size.”
Dubois only needs to land one big punch: Are you trying to tell me that people will be shocked if Dubois knocks him out with the power that Dubois has? Come on! Sort yourselves out! If you were betting your last pound, your money is going to go on Usyk. To write off Dubois like he’s being written off, like the fight is a forgone conclusion, I disagree with that massively.
Dubois deserves more respect than he’s being shown, don’t write him off vs Usyk: Dubois deserves credit and a little bit more respect being shown. Let’s give him the credit he deserves. He’s battled up to number one contender. He’s worked hard after that defeat by Joe Joyce, took that on the chin and got himself back to where he is today. I think it’s a little bit disrespectful to write him off – people have been moving a little bit too quickly on that. We know Usyk is an unbelievable talent. He is an Olympic gold medallist, undisputed cruiserweight champion, undisputed heavyweight champion. A talent like that doesn’t come around that often. Of course, Usuyk will be the favourite, but to write off Dubois is mightily unfair.
Hatton urges Dubois to follow his lead: He isn’t a big name in the category of an AJ or Tyson because he hasn’t been a world champion, but he’s been given an opportunity with this fight. Don’t get me wrong, this is a difficult opportunity fighting someone of Usyk’s class. Let’s have it right, the guy he is fighting has beaten AJ twice, so it will be a tough ask for Dubois to win, but upsets can happen all the time and they are even more likely to happen in the heavyweight division. There was a little fat Mancunian who fought Kostya Tszyu a few years ago and nobody gave him a chance! In this game, you should never write anyone off, especially in the heavyweight division. When you can punch like Daniel Dubois, he’s got a great chance.