Daniel Dubois called out by British rival who insists he ‘quit’ against Oleksandr Usyk

David Adeleye has called out Daniel Dubois for an all-British heavyweight showdown after claiming that he “quit” in his knockout loss to Oleksandr Usyk.

Speaking with Sky Sports, Adeleye (14-2, 13 knockouts), said that Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs), gave up in his undisputed-title challenge when he realised he did not have enough to beat the Ukrainian.

Adeleye said: “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.”

The former British champion is coming off a lopsided points defeat against Filip Hrgovic (19-1, 14 KOs), which saw him climb off the canvas in the eighth round and nearly knock the towering Croatian out. But other than that brief moment of defiance, it looked like Adeleye was out of his depth for 12 rounds.

Adeleye thinks that Dubois, who previously stopped Hrgovic, would be the perfect opponent for both himself and the fans, citing his many sparring sessions with “Dynamite” as evidence of why the fight would be a “good shootout”.

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Adeleye, 28, said: “I’ve shared a ring many, many times sparring with him [Dubois], so he knows exactly what he’s in with when he gets in there with me.

“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. I’m open to any fight and I welcome any fight with open arms. I don’t mind fighting anybody."

Dubois, 27, is looking to rebuild from his loss to Usyk and is rumoured to have a comeback fight before the end of the year after his split with coach Don Charles.

Even if the Dubois fight is not available, Adeleye insists he wants to stay at that level and take other big opportunities that might come his way off the back of his brave performance in Riyadh.

He said: “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 of guy to say ‘no’ to none of these fights.”

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