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WE’RE all aware by now that heavyweight prospect Daniel Dubois is a man of few words. But when he has just spent a few days sparring Alexander Povetkin in Moscow, Russia, it’s worth listening to what the Londoner has got to say.
Povetkin, after all, is due in London imminently ahead of a WBA, IBF and WBO world heavyweight title showdown with Anthony Joshua next Saturday (September 22). He’s also a man, for a variety of reasons, shrouded in mystery and controversy.
Anyway, here’s what Dubois was able to glean from his time spent in ‘Sasha’s company.
“He feels strong, and he’s a good technical fighter,” Dubois told Metro.co.uk. “He’s very clever and savvy in the ring and you can see he’s very experienced.
“He’s a very technical fighter. He’s been in the game a long, long time. He’s got a lot knowledge about boxing, and he’s got good ring craft.”
On the subject of knowledge, there’s every chance Povetkin and his team believed Dubois, based on nationality and a similar background, would provide them with a Joshua insight they would have been unable to gather from any other sparring partner. This, however, simply wasn’t the case, says Dubois. At least as far as he could tell.
‘Oh no, I don’t think so,’ Dubois said. ‘He’s very professional. They know themselves how they’re going to approach the fight. They don’t need me [to help].’
He added: ‘[Povetkin brought me] in mainly for my youth. I’m young and strong.
‘My speed, too. I’ve got a lot more to learn, experience-wise, but I’ve youth, power and speed on my side.’
The Povetkin opportunity opened up for Dubois after Joe Joyce, another undefeated British heavyweight, rebuffed the chance to spend a few days in Moscow sizing up Joshua’s next foe. It was, we’re led to believe, a decision Joyce made out of loyalty to his old GB amateur team-mate.
“As a fighter I don’t think like that,” Dubois said. “At the end of the day it’s about you and being professional about your job. This is your job and I approach it as such.
“Learn wherever I can. I don’t get a lot of work in England, sparring-wise. This is perfect for me to come out here and get more experience.”
As Joshua and Povetkin get set to contest three of the world’s four major heavyweight titles, Dubois, just 8-0 (8), prepares to fight 43-fight veteran Kevin Johnson, a man squashed by Joshua inside two rounds in 2015, on October 6.
Struggling for forward momentum in his professional boxing career, Adrien Broner will now find it just as difficult getting from A to B in his personal life, thanks to a lifetime ban from Uber.
The ban, reported by showbiz site TMZ, comes as a result of his conduct during a recent ride; conduct deemed “unacceptable” by the taxi cab company.
During the ride, much of which was captured on Instagram, Broner, 29, yelled at his poor driver when the Drake and Travis Scott song ‘Sicko Mode’ came on the radio and then took it upon himself to crank up the volume and dance around.
In the end, the shaken driver, presumably taking inspiration from Marcos Maidana, said enough was enough, pulled over and booted Broner and his cronies out of the vehicle.
Regrettably, the incident marks yet another blemish on a record that nowadays lacks standout boxing wins. Indeed, Broner, a titleholder in four different weight classes, hasn’t scored a ring victory since conquering Adrian Granados via split-decision in February 2017.
In April, Broner, 33-3-1 (24), was held to a draw by Jessie Vargas, and now, in this latest tussle, he has ultimately succumbed to a cab driver who, like the great Howard Beale, said, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!”
Where Adrien Broner is concerned, a win for the working man is a win for mankind.
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