Ricky Hatton has backed Daniel Dunois to perform better in a potential rematch against his fellow heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk.
In 2023, Dubois travelled to Poland looking to become world ruler, but he was dropped twice by Usyk before eventually being stopped.
Despite the setback, Dubois took some confident from the bout after a shot he dropped Usyk with was called low by the fight’s third man.
After enduring the second defeat of his career, Dubois did not let the loss define him and since the Usyk fight, he has rebuilt brilliantly.
Last September, Dubois, who had been upgraded to IBF champion, caused one of the biggest shocks of 2024 when he dropped Anthony Joshua four times before stopping him in the fifth round at Wembley Stadium.
The result made the heavyweight division sit up and take notice of Dubois and he is eager to settle the series with Usyk after challenging the Ukrainian following his second win over Tyson Fury in December.
Hatton, who has long been an admirer of Dubois, has offered his verdict on how a second fight might play out.
“Daniel Dubois is one hell of a fighter and the first fight against Oleksandr Usyk was a good fight with a bit of controversy and Daniel looked like he had hurt Usyk,” said Hatton when speaking to Vegas Insider .
“But the fact that this AJ win will give him the confidence now going into that fight means it wouldn’t be a foregone conclusion if they rematch.
“The fact Oleksandr Usyk has beaten Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, he deserves to be the number one in the division
"But if I had to bet my house, I wouldn’t say it’s a foregone conclusion, especially with Daniel’s confidence.”
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