DANIEL DUBOIS left Frazer Clarke flat on his back and stunned in sparring – in what will be a stark warning for Anthony Joshua.
Joshua is expected to face Dubois in a homecoming fight at Wembley in September.
But it won’t be the first time they’ve shared the ring after dozens of sparring sessions at Team GB HQ in Sheffield.
Also involved in these sessions was the undefeated Clarke – who admitted that Dubois even abandoned him.
He said Seconds Out: “I’m not ashamed to say this, Daniel Dubois put me down with a left hook years ago.
“I thought, ‘Oh my God, this fucking kid is something else.’ Obviously, we got up and continued the sparring that takes place in our category.
“But yeah, I’ve been ringside where those two actually had some good exchanges and stuff.”
Rumors have circulated for years that a the teenage Dubois also surprised AJ.
Clarke remained tight-lipped about the speculation, but backed Joshua as the favorite in the fight despite Dubois’ big win over Filip Hrgovic.
He said: “Anthony was always a little bit further ahead, but yes, father time happened and Daniel has matured and grown as a fighter and that makes the fight intriguing.
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“I still have AJ as the favorite just because of experience and I feel like if Daniel hit the same 30 shots on AJ as he did on Hrgovic, we would be having a different conversation right now.
“He will have to reinforce his defenses, but he and the team are not naive, they will know that, but he has shown a different side of himself. I’m looking forward to it.”
Clarke, 32, is coming off a contender of the year fight against British champion Fabio Wardley, 29, which ended in a draw with rematch talks ongoing.
Meanwhile, Dubois, 26, stopped Hrgovic, 32, in Saudi Arabia to claim the “interim” IBF belt.
Oleksandr Usyk, 37, still holds the full world title following his undisputed decision victory over Tyson Fury, 35, in May.
But due to the rematch scheduled for December 21st, he could be stripped of the IBF belt as he is unable to fight challenger Dubois.
Therefore, promoters hope Joshua, 34, can face Dubois for the title at Wembley.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
