Daniel Dubois is on the fast track to heavyweight blockbuster against Anthony Joshua… but after just ELEVEN boxing fights ever, he has some learning still to do

DANIEL DUBOIS will be in position to knock out Anthony Joshua and end the reign of Britain's golden boy before the end of next year.

That was the claim made by Dubois' promoter Frank Warren as he announced the 20-year-old's sixth professional fight, which will take place at the Copper Box Arena on December 9.

It's difficult to know where to start with the suggestion.

Joshua has raced to 20-0, all by knockout, picking up the IBF and WBA titles in the process. There is little doubt that he is the No.1 active heavyweight on the planet.

However a lack of other genuine challengers for the crown has left many scratching their heads about who AJ is going to fight over the next two or three years, let alone 10.

The London 2012 Olympic champion is still only 28 which is very young for a heavyweight, especially one whose amateur career was reasonably short, albeit very successful.

So it's hard to see who will be left to face once he cleans out the likes of Deontay Wilder, the WBC champion, and WBO belt-holder Joseph Parker – both of whom could be vanquished before 2018 is out.

David Haye will emerge as an option if he can beat Tony Bellew in their December rematch while a clash between Joshua and a fit-and-firing Tyson Fury would probably be the biggest fight British boxing has ever seen.

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But both of those showdowns come with huge caveats, which leads us back to Dubois.

The pair have shared many rounds sparring up at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield when Dubois was on the GB squad.

All that finished when, at just 18, he signed professional terms with Warren and began working under the Bowers brothers at the famous Peacock Gym in London's east end.

Warren had famously missed out on signing AJ, who opted to join Eddie Hearn in 2013, so he was not about to let another big, strong, British heavyweight slip through his fingers.

Besides, Dubois claims to have knocked down the champ in sparring while rumour has it he did the same to both Joe Joyce and Frazer Clarke, the other two super-heavies who spent much time in Sheffield.

But don't read too much into sparring, especially not rumours. When big men share round after round in the gym, people often end up on the canvas. That's kind of the point.

However the rumours have helped link Dubois with Joshua ever since his professional debut, although the youngster is keen to stress he is taking one step at a time.

He was a junior amateur for a long time but had just six bouts as a senior. He has since had five professional contests since turning over.

So Dubois, just 20, has officially had only ELEVEN fights as a man.

He takes on Welsh hardnut Dorian Darch on December 9 looking to maintain his record of stopping everyone early.

Of his five wins, all have been by knockout with only two of his opponents making it out of the first round.

There is no doubting his talent and Warren, with more than 30 years in the game, says Dubois is the best young British heavyweight he has ever seen.

That puts him above the likes of Lennox Lewis, Frank Bruno, Haye and, of course, Joshua at this stage of his career.

But we are yet to see anyone hit him on the chin. In fact we are yet to see anyone hit him at all.

How will he react when someone lands one? There are so many questions still to be answered before we start asking 'when will he be fighting Joshua?'

Remember it was not until his 15th fight, when he took on Dillian Whyte, that we saw how Joshua dealt with a crisis situation after shipping a horrible left hook to his rival.

Dubois' obvious power will ensure he puts many opponents to sleep before they manage to lay a glove on him but there will come a time when somebody slips that right hand and responds with a bomb of their own.

As with most prospects at his age, most of Dubois' hard work and learning will be done in the gym, while he will tear through his opponents on fight night.

He is in very safe hands at the Peacock, where he has been getting plenty of top sparring.

Young pro Lawrence Okolie, the former Olympian managed by AJ who spars his boss regularly, has been providing Dubois good work in the gym.

And Darch will be a decent barometer to see how the young Dubois measures up to the current two-belt champion as Joshua faced the Welshman in his fourth pro fight.

That night in Cardiff, in February 2014, AJ did the business in the second round. Expect something similar from Dubois.

On that logic, the man known as Triple D is currently around two and a half years off AJ – which sounds about right.

For Dubois, 2018 will be about winning the British title, maybe even the Commonwealth belt too while AJ could realistically become the first man in history to hold all four heavyweight world titles simultaneously.

The difference between them at this point is stark – but, make no mistake, Joshua is watching.

When asked last month whether he expects his path to cross with Dubois', he said: “Yes, he'll be a player among the rest and I will fight him at some stage when he steps up.

“People just want to see who's going to be the man to beat me. They want to see me knock someone out cold or see me get knocked out cold.

“How can I say how far Dubois is from world level? He has people guiding him, so it's their choice. How many fights has he had? Three or four? He's a long way off.

“If a fighter wants a sprint, they can go all gun's blazing but they don't last long.

“It's up to Frank Warren as a promoter to create the opportunities.”

You sense that Warren, the experienced and wily head, knows exactly what he is doing - and deep down knows Dubois is some way off yet.