I begged Daniel Dubois to call off sparring session after freak mistake but Anthony Joshua rival showed a touch of class
BOXING prospect John Hedges once begged Daniel Dubois to call off a sparring session after landing an accidental blow.
The cruiserweight was body sparring – meaning no face shots were allowed – at trainer Mark Tibbs’ gym.
But Hedges was given a fright when of his punches strayed too high and hit Dubois upstairs.
Hedges, 22, told Boxing Social: “Me and him got on really well to be honest with you – we trained together for about three months.
“We were training down at Newlands at the time, still under the Tibbs banner and it was just one of them things. It’s a freak accident.
“Sometimes, being scared – and I’ll be honest with you, I was scared – I’m trying to defend myself and he’s a big man.
“Believe it or not, even if you duck to hit him his head’s still there. He’s got a big head on him and Joshua will know that when he gets in the ring with him.
“But I accidentally hit him on the way out to defend myself and I had to try and call the spar off but it carried on.
“I was going ‘Daniel please, I didn’t mean to, no malice in it’ but it’s one of them ones.”
Thankfully for Hedges, that day Dubois was feeling forgirveful.
Joshua vs Dubois fight predictions
THIS weekend Wembley will witness one of the biggest all-British fights of all-time.
But who will emerge victorious under the famous arch? Some of the biggest names in boxing have been having their say…
Oleksandr Usyk: “My favourite is Anthony Joshua but I am very bad at predictions. But I will predict Anthony Joshua.”
Dillian Whyte: “I just think that it’s one of those fights where it is a genuine 50/50 fight in my opinion.”
Joe Joyce: “I was initially edging with Joshua but I don’t know, Dubois is coming on.”
Frazer Clarke: “As heavy-handed as Dubois is and as good a fighter as he’s becoming, I still have to go for Joshua.”
Francis Ngannou: “Even though Joshua lost against Usyk twice and Dubois fought Usyk and almost knocked him down and almost won, I would still give this to Joshua.”
Click here for more fight predictions for Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois
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Hedges, who is 10-0, said: “It’s boxing and Daniel’s a gentleman, he’s a very good man.
“And it was nice just to get the rounds in – I just wanted the experience. I think I was a super-middleweight at the time it’s crazy.”
Dubois, 27, will not be so forgiving on Saturday night when he defends his IBF title against Anthony Joshua, 34, at Wembley.