Ring great Lennox Lewis has his say on Daniel Dubois-Joyce Joyce heavyweight clash

BY MATT VERRI

Lennox Lewis predicts Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce will put on a show for the fans this weekend.

The three-time world heavyweight champion is better placed than most to comment on tomorrow’s showdown.

Lewis knocked out Frank Bruno in 1993 in his own big all-domestic clash.

Dubois, 23, is intent on proving he is the future in the division.

“It’s a terrific fight, it should be a barnburner,” Lewis told BT Sport.

“Dubois is a serious boxer, he comes in on a search and destroy mission and he’s trying to knock you out.

“The only problem with that is you feel so confident in your knockout power you have nothing to slow you down and tell you to watch out for the opponent.

“They can then hit you and stop you in your tracks, and that happened to me a couple of times.

“Joyce is more of a thinking boxer and I like the way he moves, he waits for the right opportunity. He knows Dubois is coming with that right hand – he’s not silly. He’ll be watching out for that, so Dubois better come with something different.”

And Lewis, a two-time Olympian himself, believes Joyce’s amateur background will put him in good stead for this fight and beyond.

“It’s very vital to have a great amateur background behind you, and if you go to the Olympics it’s even better,” he said.

“I wouldn’t put Joe as too much of an underdog. Most guys that go to the Olympics end up being world-class fighters and champions. Joyce has that experience, he knows how to prepare well – he’ll bring that into this fight with him.”