It is my great pleasure to welcome for our podcast this week, it is the IBF Heavyweight Champion of the World, Daniel Duguap and Daniel, You've got a very very big fight coming up. You're gonna be taken on. You are the IDF champion, will be taken on the video champion and the unified champion, Alexander Rusik. You guys will be meeting for the undisputed heavyweight title. Will take place July nineteenth on his own pay per view at what will be a wild and packed Wembley Stadium in your hometown
of London. It's going to be a big one. Thank you very much for doing this, Daniel.
Yeah, no pumping, man, no pumbling.
I wanted to ask you before we get into your fight coming up with Alexander Russik. I want to talk a little bit about that incredibly impressive victory that you scored in September in your last fight against Anthony Joshua, a fighter that had been beaten two times by Alexander Russik, but certainly not in the manner that you did it. You didn't just beat Anthony Joshua, I mean you really destroyed him four knockdowns and a fourth round knockout that many viewed as the knockout of the year. Just a
spectacular performance. And I'm sure that you were confident going into that fight that you're gonna win defend your title. But in your wildest dreams, did you think you're gonna take him out the way you took him out, even easier than when Usak out pointed him twice and when Andy Ruis knocked him out the first time they fought.
Oh yeah, I mean, I'll bring the goods. You know.
My dad told me that this is that's the way, that's the way we'd have to fight. We would have to make a rule. And yeah, no, I've got a fire power. And yeah, it was all about.
Just see.
He's in a moment, and that's what we did. Says the moment and come out about bell.
Yeah, so when you when you are, you're gonna be taken on Usik in a rematch. Of course, anybody that follows boxing knows about that first fight. August two thousand and twenty three. You were the WBA mandatory challenge. You guys fought in Poland and uh he scored a ninth round knockout against you. It was a very dominating performance. I think even you would admit that by Usik.
Uh.
There was, of course the controversy in the fifth round of what you believe was a legal punch with Alexander Usik and the referee thought was a low blow. But after the fight continued once that was you know behind you, I guess, and he was able to go on what what what prevented you, I guess from from exploiting what you had done to him with that shot where you were really not able to get back into the fight after that, and then of course he went on to get the win.
Oh you're talking about the fight still? Oh really? How can I say? I don't think I was at my best in that performance, you know, just everything surrounding the fight. But you know, I'm I think I feel that I'm a new different fight now, Oh no question. I'm a man of the future. So that was in a past. I'm a man of the future, and I need to prove that on the night that I'm not going to be the night I'm going to come in there and
rip them bolts off of him. This is a new me, a new fight, and I have a job to do well. I was going to get to that.
I mean, I thought, since you're doing a rematch, it made sense to at least have a brief conversation about the first flight. But as you mentioned, since then, you have had three very significant victories. You beat the undefeated all by knockout, by the way, the undefeated Gerald Big Baby Miller, the undefeated Philip Perginage to get the interim delt.
Yeah, all of them.
Was that the boogey man, they called him Herkovich, So yeah.
And then of course for josh Joshua also, Yeah, were you at all discouraged though after you had the loss against Luis because it shouldn't seem like that the way you fought those three guys I just mentioned.
No, I mean, I don't think I show my best in the thick fight, and you know, I'm a bro fight. I don't want to go out like that. So you know, I needed to show what you know, what we worked on, you know what I've got in me, and you know, having to wrot support around me, my dad, my team, and you know, it was no question in my mind that we had to come back again and we did that.
Yeah, what do you think as you head into the rematch will be the biggest difference for you to the way the first fight unfolded.
As I'm going to win. That's it simple. I'm going to win.
I'm going to win cleaning clinically with you know, you know, fireworks, you know, knockouts, That's how. I'm not going to be denied, whatever way, whatever way it goes down, I'm not going to be denied.
He has been a great champion in the cruiserweight division. He became the undisputed heavyweight champion. He has three of the belts now the lineal title. But he's also thirty eight years old. And after the fight he had with you, he said, two very difficult, the hard fought victories against Tyson Fury. How much do you think that those fights have taken out of Usak physically.
A lot?
You know, those wars they always do. Any fighter will tell you that. But in my fact, I'm going to drag out a little bit more of and whatever he's got left, I'm going to drag it out and turn him what they whatever they want to call it old or whatever they want to call it, but I'm going to drag it out of him and give him a real fight.
Well, I was going to say, you are on a great role. As we just discussed your twenties. Seven years old, you have an eleven age eleven year age advantage on your on your behalf. How much do you think that your level of freshness and age plays a role in what's gonna unfold on July nineteenth?
Massively?
Anyone will tell you, you know, you can feel good fit and when you're training in the gym, but for your eight year old man and still a for your eight year old man, and you can you know, you feel the I'll make him feel you know, the all the injuries and all of that, whatever they want to say, But we're gonna come out on top. I'm young, I'm fresh, and I'm in my prim right now.
So one of the things that people have felt that is that there is a vulnerability with USIK is the body shots. I mean, you believe that the body shot did the damage in the first fight. Obviously some people thought it was a low blow. But how much is the body attack do you think go to play a role for Daniel Dubois in the rematch?
Every attack really, body head just pull on him, pull on him. I mean, as a real fighting man, I'll just say put on him. You know we're gonna we've worked on in the gym what we need to do and how we're gonna execute it. But uh, yeah, we've covered We're covering no thing. You know, we're not long to go now, and I'm sure it's gonna be the world's gonna can't wait to see it. I can't wait to deliver it when you find him. The first time it was in Poland.
It's sort of on his turf because it was the closest place they can pop Wight fight by Ukraine. Now he's coming to London to fighting your hometown. Now, He's been a man that's traveled his entire career. He's fought everybody in their hometowns. But for you, though, how much of a of a factors or for you instead of fighting in Poland, is gonna be for you to fight him in London.
Yeah, it's gonna be repeat as a AJ fight again, repeat the same you know, the same kind of crowd will be then, you know, we'll we'll create the same atmosphere, the same energy and we'll just do what we have to do to win.
Yeah, what would it mean to you, Daniel to become the undisputed champion, you have a title presently, there hasn't been a British undisputed champ since Lennox Lewis in nineteen ninety nine. That would be a very historical accomplishment.
Massive, isn't it.
That's going down in history books that no one can take it away from you. You know, to win the world's undisputed world world title, it's a huge thing. And also I get to Queen's exact my revenge on him, So it's a lot a lot of everything's on the line on this one. Everything's on the line, you know.
That was actually one of the things I want to ask you is in your mind, which is like the bigger deal. Is it the revenge of the mono a mono or is it the history of becoming undisputed? That would be more to you, That would mean more to you.
All of it really, because now I'm a different fighter from when I first fought and I had no real title belt. I mean, I was lacking up and comer, but I'm a world champion as well, and I feel like I'm I'm I'm on the table now and I need to kick him off the table and take all the belts.
At twenty seven. Are you even in your prime yet?
Of course I'm in of course I'm in. My problem this is you know, when I'm fresh and and I'm arrested for the for the fight, You'll see that. But I'm in my prob Yeah.
I think about when you suffered the very difficult loss to Joe Joyce in twenty twenty. It was a major injury with your orbit bone. Uh, suffered the first defeat. A lot of people wrote you off at that point, at that moment when you were at the low point. I guess after that loss, did did you think about, like, you know, I'm going to be back at the top, not only at the top, but in one of the biggest fights in boxing, fighting for the undisputed heavyweight title.
Or did that seem like it was a million years or a million miles away.
Oh, there was no quitting me. I feel we're gonna come back. We're going to show everyone. Everyone has a lot to say when you're on, when you're down, So that just basiced me up to say, yeah, I'm glad that happened. You know a lot, Joe, a lot, you know that experience. Without that, I wouldn't be whey I'm today, So I think all of those those the pain makes you stronger.
If you do become the undisputed heavyweight champion, as I know you're very confident that you will do. Is there a dream fight for you? There is a lot of names in the heavyweight division. I don't know if that means potentially a rematch against Joshua Tyson Fury, your countryman has decided to come out of retirement. Nobody's surprised there, Uh, that would be a big fight. Al So, what do you think about as far as like the biggest fight possible if you become the undisputed.
Champet whoever once it can get that's my attitude. But how big would you fear want to fight? You know, massive? Wouldn't it massive? That that would be? That would take over everything? You know that that's that's got a bit the top of it, and I know you've definitely come back for that. So yeah, boxing's in a We're in a good place. We need to win on July, bashapoo'stick and take them belts away.
Fury says he is coming back. And the thing I found interesting is that they're saying that he's gonna be fighting Alexander Usik in April in his next fight, And I thought to myself, Yeah, I mean, how's that gonna be if if Usak doesn't.
Be for me, he's trying to just stay away from me. I mean, they already know I'm I'm the Jinks, the guy that you know they don't want to fight because you know I'm I'm not I'm that guy. So I'm gonna they try next stay away from me and need canna have a call with me to Camp Barn or whatever. But you know everyone knows the miss.
Bucksimbo what I'll bring to the table. So I think you're doing do it now?
Well, I don't think i've ever heard Tyson Perry utter than name Daniel Juwabi forp. I guess maybe maybe he will if you become unders be the champ. If you do, I'll be a huge accomplishment. I wish you the best of luck in your in your efforts, and I appreciate your time today.
Daniel. Good luck to you, but you're dead.