Joseph Parker is confident that his punch resistance will withstand the test he is anticipating from Daniel Dubois.
On Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the undercard of the rematch and undisputed light-heavyweight title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, Dubois makes the second defence of his IBF heavyweight title against Parker, 33.
They fight to potentially secure an undisputed title showdown against the WBA, WBO and WBC champion Oleksandr Usyk – in Dubois’ case, following a defeat in 2023, a date with Usyk would represent a rematch – and what, for Parker, would be a victory capable of rivalling that over Deontay Wilder.
Dubois impressively stopped Anthony Joshua in September when he was fighting as the champion for the first time, after, in successive fights, he also admirably defeated Filip Hrgovic and Jarrell Miller inside the distance.
The volume-punching Joe Joyce, in 2022, is the only fighter to have stopped Parker previously. Between them Wilder, Joshua, Zhilei Zhang, Dillian Whyte and Andy Ruiz have all tried and failed but, Wilder aside – and Wilder had declined by the time of his fight with Parker in 2023 – Dubois is perhaps the biggest puncher Parker will have faced.
Saturday’s contest is expected to prove a battle between Parker’s industry and Dubois’ explosiveness, but Parker told The Stomping Ground: “I don’t want to be getting hit with all these big shots, but if it does happen, I have a good chin. I’ve shown it in the past and I’ll show it again.
“It’s not so much about taking these punches, it’s about going out there and performing, and hitting and not getting hit.
“That’s the name of the game.”
Relevant ahead of the fight with the 27-year-old Dubois is that Parker has shown increased defensive awareness since being trained by Andy Lee.