LENNOX LEWIS BACKS DANIEL DUBOIS TO LAUNCH CAREER WITH ANTHONY JOSHUA FIGHT

Lennox Lewis has backed Daniel Dubois to do to Anthony Joshua what he did to Frank Bruno.

Dubois and Joshua will clash 31 years after their predecessors met in the first all-British heavyweight world title fight. On that occasion, in front of more than 25,000 fans in Cardiff, Lewis defended his belt by stopping Bruno in the seventh round, denying the darling of British boxing a world title triumph at his third attempt. And while Joshua will bring a more decorated CV to the Wembley ring on Saturday night, Lewis believes Dubois can launch his career into superstardom the same way he did three decades ago.

"I took his fans and made them believe in me," said Lewis. "I was proving the point on the way to becoming undisputed champion. "Beating Frank was big, it was just like what Daniel has to do in his era of boxing. There is a point where you have to fight the top British guy. "This is what he has been fighting for, to get to this point. Now he is here, he knows what it takes. He has done all the work to get there, is he a finisher and can he complete his goal?"

Lewis went on to become one of just five three-time heavyweight world champions - but was gifted his first belt when Riddick Bowe dumped it in the bin instead of facing his mandatory challenger. Similarly, Dubois was crowned champion when Oleksandr Usyk gave up his IBF belt having already agreed to rematch Tyson Fury rather than do likewise with Dubois, whom he stopped last year. And Lewis doubts Dubois will feel like a champion until he defends his belt.

"I didn't feel like a champion because I wanted to prove it in the ring and I didn't want that opportunity for people to say, 'Well he didn't win, they gave it to him'," he added. "Who wants to win a title that they give to you? "I'm glad they awarded it to me, but as far as going into the ring, you've got to prove it. Daniel's got a belt and he's got to go in there and defend it. It's hard to get a belt, but it's even harder to keep it.

"I think he has a great chance against Joshua. "He has to go out there and not be over-hyped or over-exerted and throw these heavy punches. Both guys are going to be wary of each other's power because they both have that knockout power. It's going to be an interesting fight and will come down to whoever can last."

Watch Riyadh Season Card: Joshua v Dubois, live on TNT Sports Box Office from 4pm on Saturday. Find out more at tntsports.co.uk/boxoffice

2024-09-18T16:03:41Z dg43tfdfdgfd