Lennox Lewis says Daniel Dubois ‘has a great chance’ against Anthony Joshua

Lennox Lewis has urged Daniel Dubois to prove he is a world champion in the ring when he puts his IBF belt on the line against Anthony Joshua on Saturday.

Dubois and Joshua clash in the first great all-British heavyweight world title showdown since Lewis and Frank Bruno gripped the nation with their Cardiff Arms Park collision in 1993.

Lewis entered the ‘Battle of Britain’ having proved his elevation to WBC champion without throwing a punch was justified by outpointing Tony Tucker five months earlier.

WBC king Riddick Bowe had refused to fight him and famously dumped the belt in a rubbish bin.

Lewis sees Dubois being driven by the same motivation after the heavy underdog was given the IBF title in June following Oleksandr Usyk’s decision to vacate in order to pursue a rematch with Tyson Fury.

“I didn’t feel like a world champion because I wanted to prove it in the ring,” said Lewis, who will be working on the TNT Sports Box Office live coverage of the Wembley showdown.

“I didn’t want that opportunity for people to say ‘ah yeah, well he didn’t win it, they gave it to him’. Who wants to win a title that they give to you?

“I’m glad that they awarded it to me – awards sounds better – but as far as taking it into the ring, you’ve got to prove it.

“Daniel’s got a belt and he’s got to go in there and defend it. It’s hard to get a belt, but it’s even harder to keep it.

“He’s in that position now where people may look at him as an underdog. He has that position where he can say ‘no, you’re wrong, I’m a champion, I can beat the champion and this is my time’.”

“I think he has a great chance against Joshua. These opportunities only come once in a lifetime so you have got to seize the moment.”

Joshua’s greater experience, especially