Daniel Dubois could have had the “wake up call” he needed to beat Anthony Joshua, suggests top trainer and boxing expert Adam Booth.
Dubois will fight Joshua for the IBF world heavyweight championship at Wembley stadium on September 21, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Now upgraded to world champion, after Usyk had to vacate the title, Dubois was the IBF's Interim belt-holder after his June victory over Croatia's Filip Hrgovic.
It wasn't an entirely routine victory for Dubois, but Adam Booth believes that could make him more dangerous in his fight with Joshua.
"The fact that Hrgovic found the right hand so many times could be the wake up call for Daniel that he needed to make that adjustment. You'd have to be a fool not to realise that you need to take Anthony Joshua's right hand away from him," Booth told Sky Sports.
There is a factor that both Joshua and Dubois do share, as well as their respective punch power. Both boxers are settling in with new trainers, Joshua with Ben Davison and Dubois with Don Charles.
Joshua has looked impressive in consecutive stoppage wins over Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou, as has Dubois who ground down both Jarrell Miller and Hrgovic.
Their new-look corners do make them unpredictable.
"Although we know more about AJ at that level, because there's much more of a body of work, working with a new coach there's always going to be a slight change. I think that Dubois is actually on the up because his last two performances I think are going to make him a much better fighter," Booth said.
Booth, renowned for his work with David Haye, understands high-profile heavyweight fights from the inside.
"In the heavyweights with a big rivalry and a big stadium sometimes it's the one that can keep their head when these little moments of the firefight kick off or when the dangerous shots are being looked for, it'll be the one that keeps their head," he said.
"AJ has proven that he can make the mistakes but still keep his head and that's still for Daniel to prove."
Watch Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois live on Sky Sports Box Office on September 21.
