Erik Pfeifer had been set to fight Daniel Dubois last summer but the British heavyweight faced a different opponent before his unbeaten record was dramatically ended in a domestic clash with Joe Joyce
Thursday 4 February 2021 16:57, UK
Erik Pfeifer says he would have knocked out Daniel Dubois before Joe Joyce, if he had not been denied the opportunity to fight the British heavyweight last summer.
The German contender, who twice beat Olympic gold medallist Tony Yoka in the amateurs, had been scheduled to face Dubois in August, but was replaced by Ricardo Snijders at 10 days' notice.
Dubois floored Snijders on four occasions in a second-round stoppage and Pfeifer insists he was physically ready to provide a far sterner test for the 23-year-old.
"Everyone knows why they took another guy and fight with them, not with me," Pfeifer told Sky Sports.
"They only told me one week before the fight. I was the whole time in training and was happy to fight with Daniel Dubois, and then they changed me. It was not fair and wasted all my camp.
"We had a press conference and I see up close fear in his eyes. He quit against me before he quit against Joyce. He has no heart and is not a real fighter. He is a quitter."
Joyce would inflict a 10th-round knockout loss on Dubois, just a few months later, and Pfeifer believes he could have delivered a similarly crushing defeat.
"I think so. When he hits someone, he just stands there. That's a mistake," said Pfeifer. "Technically, I'm much better than Daniel Dubois."
Pfeifer was fully aware of Joyce's threat, having fought similar elite amateurs, and would relish the opportunity to battle the Olympic silver medallist in the future.
"I wish Joyce a lot of good fights," said Pfeifer. "He's a good guy, I like him. Hopefully we can have a fight between us.
"I would love to fight everybody."
