Anthony Joshua was not knocked down by Daniel Dubois, says Commonwealth champion Frazer Clarke
Thursday 19 April 2018 10:14, UK
Frazer Clarke has rubbished the suggestions that Daniel Dubois put Anthony Joshua down in sparring.
The recently-crowned Commonwealth Games gold medalist was responding to the claim that unbeaten Dubois (7-0-KO7) floored the current IBF, WBA 'Super' and WBO world champion a while ago.
Clarke has trained and sparred with both at the English Institute of Sport, in Sheffield, under the guidance of Rob McCracken and although he admits 'Dynamite' is heavy-handed and has put him down in the past, is convinced he has never done the same to Joshua.
I have never seen him put Joshua down. I am sure I am at 99 per cent of the spars and he has hit him flush and has probably shook him up a bit, but the way they make out that he put him down on his backside? It just never happened
"I have never seen him put Joshua down," he exclusively told Sky Sports.
"I am sure I am at 99 per cent of the spars and he has hit him flush and has probably shook him up a bit, but the way they make out that he put him down on his backside, it just never happened.
"I don't think it was Daniel, it's the people around him. Daniel is a nice kid and he probably admitted he shook Joshua up a bit in sparring and someone has made more of a story of it.
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"I can honestly say if it was true, Joshua would turn round and say 'yeah, it happened, it was true', but he hasn't.
"Don't get me wrong, it's sparring and people take big shots and I have seen him [Joshua] take a big shot off Daniel and I've seen him give Daniel a big shot.
"I'll tell you first hand he [Dubois] can whack really hard. Everyone gets put down in the gym and I am not afraid to admit it and he knocked me down. He caught me with a shot, half off-balance, and he is a heavy-handed guy but you just get back up."
Clarke missed out on representing Team GB at the Olympics in 2012 and 2016, with friend and sparring partner Joshua and Joe Joyce beating him to the super-heavyweight slot.
The 26-year-old is a common sparring partner with Joshua and the rest of the young domestic prospects but even after winning the Commonwealth gold, has already set his sights on making it third time lucky for Tokyo, in two years time.
"If there is someone you want to look at to emulate then Joshua is the perfect example," he said.
"He's gone to the Olympics and he's done everything right through the Olympics and as a professional, so I wouldn't mind a bit of that."
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