Tyson Fury will remain the best heavyweight in British boxing even if Anthony Joshua knocks out Daniel Dubois this weekend, according to former world champion Ricky Hatton.
The 2012 Olympian is seeking to become a three-time world champion when he takes on IBF king Dubois at Wembley Stadium.
Since back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua has reeled off four wins in the last 18 months against Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin before his destructive knockout win over Francis Ngannou in March.
Dubois is also a fighter in the ascendancy, recovering from his defeat to Usyk with two thrilling wins over Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic – leaving the Croatian battered and bloodied with a career-best performance in June.
Fury meanwhile is coming off his first defeat against Usyk – who has beaten every British opponent he has ever come up against. While ‘The Gypsy King’ may still be licking his wounds ahead of their rematch, British boxing legend Hatton says he is still the man at the top of the pile.
‘I don’t think a victory for AJ sees him climb to the top, he would still be just behind Tyson Fury for me,’ Hatton told Metro.co.uk courtesy of Prime Casino.
‘Tyson didn’t put in his peak performance against Usyk, but I think it was closer than a lot of people give him credit for. Out of all of the fights that Usyk has had against British opposition, Tyson ran him the closest.
‘Tyson deserves the benefit of the doubt. I hope I’m wrong when I say this, but there is a concern that perhaps Tyson is getting too many miles on the clock now. He’s been in some wars, has Tyson, he’s taken some big hits.
‘Wilder’s one of the biggest heavyweight hitters in history, and you wonder, how much did that trilogy take out of him.
‘If you look back and think about some of the problems he had away from the ring, to come back and do what he did, it’s got to be one of the greatest stories in boxing history. For those reasons, you have to put Tyson at the top.’
Hatton believes Dubois has proven many of his doubters wrong having previously been labelled a ‘quitter’ in the aftermath of his defeat to Joe Joyce. But he still backs Joshua to get the job done on the night.
‘I make AJ the slight favourite in this fight, simply because of his pedigree,’ Hatton said.
‘If AJ catches him with a big right, it’s lights out. Game over. If you asked me who I would put my last pound on in this fight, I’d stick it on AJ, but I’m expecting a war. I think it’s going to be a special occasion for British boxing.’
Tony Bellew makes prediction for Joshua vs Dubois
Fromer cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew meanwhile is also going for a Joshua win, backing his old stablemate to get the knockout inside four rounds.
‘I think he’s getting knocked out within four rounds,’ Bellew told AceOdds. ‘With everything he’s good at, I think AJ is a little bit better. He’s a little bit faster, he’s a little bit stronger, he’s got better footwork, and he’s got better hands.
‘Everything Daniel’s good at, AJ is better. The only thing that you have to then look at is whether he can outlast him? That’s the biggest question for me. Can Daniel outlast AJ? That is one question we’re going to find out.
Carl Froch makes prediction for Joshua vs Dubois
‘At the minute I can’t separate them, but the smart money is on Anthony Joshua to beat him because Dubois is quite easy to hit. He gets hit with big shots. I think Dubois is going to feel the pressure when the spotlights hit him.’
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