David Adeleye has called for a fight with Daniel Dubois, promising a “good shootout” in an all-British heavyweight clash.
Both Adeleye and Dubois are coming off defeats. Adeleye lost a unanimous decision to Filip Hrgovic in Riyadh while Oleksandr Usyk knocked out Dubois in the fifth round of their undisputed heavyweight world title fight at Wembley.
Adeleye was critical of Dubois’ performance in his rematch with the champion, insisting he “quit”.
“He tried and then he quit. I think. As soon as he realised it wasn’t going his way I think he bottled it a bit,” Adeleye told Sky Sports.
“I want to be involved in another big fight where people think maybe I’m biting off more than I can chew again because I get to prove to people that I’m ready for that level.
“I’m not the type to say no to none of these fights”
Filip Hrgovic dropped David Adeleye in their heavyweight bout
Targeting Dubois, he referenced their previous sparring sessions.
“I’ve shared a ring many, many times sparring with him, so he knows exactly what he’s in with when he gets in there with me,” Adeleye said.
“You’d like to be a fly on the wall in our sparring sessions, but it would be very good if we were to fight each other.
“A good fight, a good shootout. I think the fans will be in for a treat,” he continued. “I’m open to any fight and I welcome any fight with open arms. I don’t mind fighting anybody.”
Adeleye is convinced his battling defeat to Hrgovic, a 2016 Olympic bronze medallist who has operated at the top of the division for a number of year, will improve him as a boxer.
“Experience is something you can’t buy. You have to go through it to understand it,” the Briton reflected. “I let it slip in between my fingers. It was a fight that was easily winnable for me. So it was a bitter pill to swallow.
“I cut him in the second round and the shot that caused the cut was a jab,” Adeleye continued. “Me getting excited, I kept looking for a big left hook.
“I should have just stuck to the shot that caused the cut and it would have been a jab that softened him up.”
He did rise from the canvas to badly shake up Hrgovic in an extraordinary eighth round.
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Gary Logan and David Adeleye discuss the upcoming boxing match between Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis and whether this may make room for an Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury fight
“I remember hitting him with a shot and I continued with a flurry thinking ‘I’ve got him here’. And before you know it, I didn’t. The round was over,” Adeleye recalled.
“That was the round that got everyone talking so I’m kind of happy that that round happened.
“It definitely showed I’ve got the grit, the guts, but I already knew I had that anyway.”
It also showed that he could hurt the top fighters. “I always knew I could because when it came down to having power, I always knew I was one of the hardest hitters in the division anyway. So it was no surprise to me,” he added.
Adeleye intends to continue his improvement. “I’m only 28 years old. I know there are a lot of fights out there for me.
“I’d rather keep fighting at international level and go from there.
“That’s the level I want to be fighting at.”