Daniel Dubois has earned his shot at some big fights, according to former super-middleweight champion Carl Froch. The British heavyweight has come a long way from his early days as a raw prospect with knockout power.
Dubois faced criticism for taking 10 counts in two major fights. He lost to Joe Joyce, though an eye injury played a role. Later, Oleksandr Usyk stopped him in the 9th round. But Dubois has shown he's toughened up since then.
He weathered big shots from Filip Hrgovic and got the stoppage win. Against Jarrell Miller, he overcame early pressure to stop his opponent in the final round. His biggest win came recently when he knocked out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round to defend his IBF world title for the first time.
Froch shared his thoughts on Dubois' next move on his YouTube channel:
"The AJ rematch is the big money fight but does AJ deserve it? Dubois is going to fancy it but does 'AJ' deserve it? I think there are other people in line that deserve it more, Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang just to be a couple of them."
Froch feels Dubois has proven himself as the rightful IBF world champion. He beat a two-time world champion in Joshua and deserves credit for that performance.
Tony Bellew agrees with Froch. He thinks Joseph Parker should get the shot. Parker, a former WBO champion, has looked good lately with wins over Zhang and Widler.
Joshua, a two-time world champion himself, will likely want an immediate rematch. But Froch and Bellew believe he might have to wait his turn.
Dubois has shown he can handle tough fights now. His recent performances have put him in a position to call the shots. We'll have to wait and see who he picks for his next big challenge.
