The elterweight Paddy Donovan believes teammate Joseph Parker will defeat Daniel Dubois.
Parker faces IBF titleholder Dubois on February 22 in Kingdom Area in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The bout is part of a star-studded pay-per-view card that includes numerous hotly anticipated fights.
Donovan, 26, has his personal huge combat per week later in opposition to Lewis Crocker on March 1 in Belfast, Northern Eire. Donovan, who calls himself a realist, believes Parker will maintain one other title in a number of days. The 2 spent coaching camp collectively in Saudi Arabia, sharing the identical coach in Andy Lee.
“Look, I am honest and really sincere,” Donovan informed BoxingScene. “Even when he is part of our camp, if I do not assume he’ll win, I’d be straight up and sincere. I believe Joe goes to beat him.”
Donovan, 26, from Limerick, Eire, believes that for many of Parker’s profession he received away with dangerous habits as a result of his expertise. Now, Donovan says, Parker is continuous to enhance primarily based on adjustments Donovan has witnessed first-hand.
“He turned a world champion at age 24, however he by no means lived the life,” Donovan stated. “He by no means was constant. He was simply working off pure expertise. I believe Joe Parker wasn’t disciplined. He wasn’t actually giving it his all in coaching. He had plenty of errors, however for the final 4 to 5 fights beneath Andy [Lee], he is modified his sport fully.”
Donovan additionally famous that George Lockhart, a well known nutritionist, is working with Parker. Since being stopped by Joe Joyce in 2022, Parker, 35-3 (23 KOs), has gained 5 consecutive fights – together with spectacular performances in wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang.
For his half, Dubois, 27, has additionally reinvented himself. After being stopped by Joyce in 2020, London’s Dubois gained 4 straight fights – after which was stopped by Oleksandr Usyk. In that combat, a questionable low blow was dominated to be a foul and, after the decision, Dubois by no means mentally re-entered the combat.
However for the reason that loss to Usyk, Dubois, 22-2 (21 KOs), has stopped Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua. After his most up-to-date stretch of fights, Dubois might maintain the declare for being the hardest-hitting energetic heavyweight.
“I imagine folks assume they’ve seen the perfect of Joe Parker, however I don’t,” Donovan stated. “Actually, I believe Joe is definitely getting higher. I believe that is going to be the distinction between him and Dubois. I believe Dubois thinks that Joe’s been there. He has fought Joshua. He is fought Chisora. They assume he is fought all these fighters and he’s on the decline. I believe he is not. Joe is on the rise in his profession.”
Lucas Ketelle took an unconventional path to boxing, finally discovering his stride in gyms and media. For the previous decade, he has hosted the “Lukie Boxing” podcast, filmed coaching camps for fighters like Arnold Barboza Jnr, Mikey Garcia and Caleb Plant, and labored with prime professionals similar to Mike Bazzel. Ketelle can also be an creator of “Contained in the Ropes of Boxing,” a information for younger fighters, a author for ProBox TV, BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Affiliation of America. Discover him on X at @LukieBoxing.
