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‘A punch like a horse kick’ – Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois predicted by Joe Joyce, Frank Warren, Carl Frampton and more
Daniel Dubois has a mountain to climb on Saturday night in the form of unified heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk.
The Brit will travel to Poland in an attempt to claim the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight world titles, which Usyk currently holds.
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The Ukrainian is unbeaten as a professional, having won the undisputed cruiserweight world titles, before moving up to heavyweight and becoming champion once again.
This will be Usyk's fifth fight in boxing's glamour division and he has previously beaten Chazz Witherspoon, Derek Chisora and Anthony Joshua twice, but he has never come up against a young, hungry, powerful heavyweight quite like Dubois.
'Dynamite' Dubois' huge punch has not been able to carry him through every fight, as he suffered one loss as a pro against Joe Joyce.
Here's how 'The Juggernaut' himself and others think it will play out on Saturday.
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Joe Joyce: Fought Dubois in the pros and Usyk in the amateurs
"I think Usyk is going to dance round him, Dubois won’t be able to hit him, he certainly couldn’t hit me when we fought, so he’s not going to be able to hit Usyk," Joyce told talkSPORT.
"Dubois hits hard but you can’t hit someone who is going to be moving and he’s going to dance rings around him, peppering him with shots.
"There’s a small chance Dubois hits him with a big shot, but I can’t see it."
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David Haye: Former cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion
“[Dubois] has a huge chance. He’s a heavyweight, he’s young, fresh and big. He packs a punch.
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“Oleksandr Usyk, if you want to play the boxing game with him, as Anthony Joshua tried to do on two occasions, you will come off second best.
“I feel like Dubois’ chance and opportunity is to watch the Derek Chisora fight. What Chisora did was use what he had, which was size and a good chin.
“He got close to Usyk and didn’t want to play the long range game. Got inside, the back of the head, the kidneys. There was a break in the action and Usyk’s legs were slower.
“If Dubois is willing to go through those first two rounds where he may get peppered, may get dropped. He’s got to not put himself in that Usyk zone, which is at the end of his punches."
Alex Krassyuk - Oleksandr Usyk's promoter
Krassyuk is backing his man, but he is not writing Dubois off, as he recalled one notable boxing upset.
"Everyone can knock the guy out when he comes to the ring," Krassyuk told talkSPORT.
"Just remember when Hasim Rahman fought Lennox Lewis for the first time. Who could imagine? No-one could, and the same thing could happen in this fight.
"But, Usyk is really professional and he takes it really seriously no matter who his opponent is, the training camp is the same, same exercises, same discipline, same regime, getting up at 5am, it's the same.
"The thing that can differ is the motivation, because when you're supposed to fight Tyson Fury you have in your mind that you're going to overcome a substantial challenge in your life.
"But, when it comes to Daniel Dubois, who is the underdog in the fight, it swaps the mindset, but for Usyk it is absolutely manageable."
Shane McGuigan - Dubois' former trainer
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There are few people who know Dubois' ability better than McGuigan having trained him for years and he believes 'Dynamite' will provide a tougher fight for Usyk than Anthony Joshua did.
“It’s a more rugged fight [than Anthony Joshua].
"I think he’s a harder puncher. I think he’s more fearless, but more hittable and not as technically sound and not boxed anywhere near that level.
"Puncher’s chance? 100 per cent he’s got a puncher’s chance. He’s dangerous as hell for the first four, five rounds.
"Once Usyk starts getting his rhythm – if he starts getting his rhythm, if he hasn’t been caught in the first three or four rounds – then it’s definitely favoured to an Usyk win.
"But, you cannot write that man [Dubois] off. I’ve never seen people get knocked out like the way he knocks people out. He’s a phenomenal puncher. But you have to land.
“If [Usyk] can adopt that style as he did with AJ, have that moving style and not let Dan set his feet, I think it will be a one-sided fight."
Carl Frampton - former two-weight world champion
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Look at his fights at heavyweight against Witherspoon and then Chisora, who he didn't look great against," Frampton told talkSPORT.
"I thought he won the fight but there are people who make the argument that Chisora won it.
"And then there were the two fights with AJ, he was kind of caught in the middle of styles and I don't know if he knew what style he wanted to fight. Certainly in the first fight he got it completely wrong.
"This potentially could be [Usyk's] toughest fight at heavyweight and I have been thinking about that.
"I still have a clear favourite in the fight, which is Usyk, but... it wouldn't surprise me as much if they pull off an upset here."
Frank Warren - Dubois' promoter
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“[Dubois] is still going to knock him out. I think he wins it. I’ve said that from day one. He will win it; I wouldn’t have made the fight otherwise.
“He’s got to control the fight early on. We can’t do what Joshua did, and that’s show too much respect [to Usyk] and was getting out-jabbed and out-boxed by a smaller guy.
“He’s got to get on. As soon as that bell gets on, he’s got to impose himself and use all his physical attributes against Usyk.”
Frazer Clarke - Heavyweight prospect
Clarke says Dubois and David Price are the hardest punchers he's faced.
"He can punch like a horse can kick, he can whack."
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"Go and leave it all in the ring, Daniel, you've been fighting for a long time. Remember, this guy, I don't think he's gonna hurt you with one punch, so obviously just get in there and do your thing, listen to Don Charles.
"I'm rooting for him and I think everyone in Britain should be. This country's a bit mad when it comes to supporting their own.
"I'm picking Usyk, I'm a fan of Usyk, but I'd love to see Daniel Dubois win, throw a spanner in the works, he's a fellow Brit, he was on Team GB with me back in the day, he's a good guy, quiet guy, I hope he wins, fingers crossed for him."
Johnny Nelson - Former cruiserweight world champion
“I’d love to give Dubois a massive chance, I’d love to be able to say that ’cause I always back the Brit but in reality, I don’t give him a chance.
“In reality, I’ve seen chinks in him as a fighter at this stage. I always back the Brit but if you ask me a question I’m going to give you the answer.
"In reality, I think there’s a chink in his armour that actually for him, at this stage, if he fights somebody like Usyk, will not work for him.
“Usyk will find him out, Usyk will break his heart, Usyk will break him down. Dubois has got a puncher’s chance.
"This might not sound nice to his fans, his family and all those around him, Dubois is a good fighter, but there is a chink in Dubois’ armour that Usyk will expose and take advantage of.
"He’s far too smart to let him off the hook. Yeah, he has a puncher’s chance and that’s it.”
Gerald Washington - Heavyweight who has sparred both Usyk and Dubois
“Who’s harder to hit," Washington questioned while speaking to
"It’s not about who hits hard. Everybody’s big and strong, everybody can hit hard. Usyk's got everything. Usyk all the way.
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“I see him having his way, I think he can get a late stoppage.”
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