Daniel Dubois was left stunned during a recent face-off (Image: undefined)
Daniel Dubois was taken aback when Joseph Parker’s trainer, Andy Lee, confronted him about his defeat to heavyweight champion .
‘Triple D’, who has been on a winning streak recently, is set to defend his IBF heavyweight title against Parker on February 22 in Saudi Arabia. After defeating Filip Hrgovic last June, Dubois surprised everyone by three months later.
And with the Parker fight just weeks away, there have been several verbal exchanges between the two fighters, and now even the trainers are getting involved. Lee brought up Dubois’ loss to Usyk two years ago, reminding him that he was defeated by a jab, and suggested that if ‘Triple D’ was stopped once like that, he’ll “revert to type” when faced with the same situation against his next opponent.
During the face-off on DAZN, Lee said: “There is a lot of talk of Daniel fighting Usyk, and you fought him already. In that fight, you went down with a jab. The fight ended off a jab. What was going through your mind at the time? If you’re in the same position with Joe, how are you going to face that? “.
The pointed inquiry sent Dubois into an awkward silence, prompting his promoter Frank Warren to swiftly intervene: “I hear what you’re saying, and it’s a valid point. They’re trying to get under your skin. So, it’s a valid point. I get that and understand, but do you know what? You’ve got to look at the form at the moment.” Eventually, Dubois found his voice, retorting: “That was a completely different situation. You saw what I did to my last three opponents.”
Unfazed, Lee shot back: “When you’re in the same position and under the same position, you’ll revert back to type. Let’s look at the fights.” ‘Triple D’ wasted no time in turning the focus onto Lee’s own ring history: “Maybe you would revert back to type. I’ve seen your career. I’ve seen you fight. You probably would, but not me.”
Despite the spiky exchange, Parker’s coach acknowledged Dubois’ recent achievements, while confidently predicting victory for his fighter: “All the doubts people have had about Daniel, he’s proved them wrong. He’s wiped them clean, and we’re going in with the best fighter. I would say the best in-form fighter in the world. So, when Joe wins, we’ll take all the credit.”
In a recent interview, promoter Warren was questioned about whether Dubois is too focused on a potential rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, overlooking his current opponent. Warren defended the strategy, stating: “We’re in the boxing business. And you just see a fight, he jumps in the ring and did what he had to do,” and added, “How many times over the years have you seen fighters do the same thing? “
When pressed by Ade Oladipo on whether this happens even when a fight is already scheduled, Warren replied: “Yeah! By doing that, everybody knows who he is. If they didn’t know who he is before, they do now. And the winner of this fight, I genuinely do believe will be fighting (Oleksandr) Usyk in a unification fight. It’s not a carrot, it’s a bag of carrots! That’s what’s on the table for the winner.”