Former featherweight world champion Barry McGuigan has insisted that Daniel Dubois can exploit a ‘chink in Anthony Joshua’s armour’.
The 26-year-old is the frontrunner to box Joshua in his next fight on September 21 at Wembley Stadium.
Queensberry chief Frank Warren recently informed talkSPORT that the pair are currently in talks to face each other later this year in a fight that could be for the IBF heavyweight title.
Dubois defeated Filip Hrgovic on the unprecedented Queensberry-Matchroom 5 vs 5 card two weeks ago to pick up the IBF ‘interim’ belt and may end up being elevated to full champion if the major sanctioning body strips Oleksandr Usyk.
This is dependent on the IBF’s ruling over Usyk’s request for an exception to allow him to hold onto the belt for the Tyson Fury rematch on December 21, rather than face his mandatory challenger next.
Regardless of whether the all-British showdown is for a title or not, Dubois will feel like a world champion if he topples AJ.
‘Triple D’ opens up as a heavy underdog with the bookies, but McGuigan insists that if he can land flush on Joshua’s chin, then it could be ‘Goodnight Irene’.
“If he gets through to Joshua’s chin then its game on,” wrote McGuigan in his column with the Mirror.
“Joshua is the more complete fighter, marginally quicker. And he has rebuilt impressively since he lost for the second time to Usyk.
“There is, however, still a chink in his armour first exposed by Andy Ruiz that makes him vulnerable to the kind of power packed by Dubois.
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“Most would still take Joshua to win. But nothing is a given if Dubois can back up his Hrgovic victory with another mature performance.”
Joshua’s chin has regularly been called into question since his knockout defeat to Andy Ruiz in 2019.
The two-time unified world heavyweight champion was decked four times en route to one of the biggest upsets of the 21st century at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Yet it remains the sole stoppage loss on his 28-3 record.
There have been multiple instances of Joshua being hurt over the years – most notably against Dillian Whyte and Wladimir Klitschko.
But he has also proved time and time again that he can recover and come back firing.
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