Daniel Dubois is back in the UK after successfully seizing the WBA world championship belt from the champion Trevor Bryan and he now has a couple of big domestic targets firmly in his sights.
“I heard a lot of people say it and even though I thought it was a foregone conclusion I would win the fight, that fight was very big,” said Dubois. “It has set up a whole load of other matches down the line that are going to happen…I am ready for the winner [of Usyk-Joshua]. Line them up! I am waiting for this moment. I would prefer it to be Joshua, but whoever it is, it is the big league.”
Promoter Frank Warren mentioned the name of Dillian Whyte for a potential defense and Dubois showed interest. “That’s the fight. This is all business, there is no disrespect to anyone but I am coming to clean up and take out whoever is in my way.”
I would love to see him and Whyte fight!
Whyte had an ok chin before, but really think his chin will be a concern in any fight going forward even more than before. He does still have a good punch though. Interesting.
He is a phenomenal puncher and seems like a nice guy, but he just seems so slow and wooden to me. Even though the fundamentals are pretty good, i can see him being outboxed quite easily.
I don’t know about outboxed “easily.” I think the guy is improving, and it’s not like he wasn’t competitive with Joyce. I think Dubois is a player now at heavyweight. He’s probably not a World-beater, but he’s a very credible guy. He’s got a good jab to go along with monster power. I doubt anyone could beat him easily.
Good analysis. I agree.
He has Hughie Fury – Michael Hunter as a mandatory, but Whyte before then would be fun, I don’t know if Whyte would have to get a win first. Bakolie would be another good one domestically.
Just when you think the WBA is getting more honest, they have a Michael Hunter v Hughie Fury fight for a mandatory challenger. It’s like they can’t get out of their own way with this nonsense.
Even worse than that: Michael Hunter is ranked #2 (technically #1 now because Dubois is gone) because he won an eliminator against a cruiserweight named Mike Wilson who fought Dennis Lebedev and lost, at cruiserweight, in his only fight against a world class opponent. Hughie Fury is fourth (Helenius is #3 and gold champion, don’t know why he isn’t involved) – ranked over Joshua, Wilder, Ruiz and Parker who beat Fury and he’s lost 2 other fights since then.
Say what you want about the rest of the organizations, the WBA is THE worst and it isn’t even close.
I completely agree that the WBA is the biggest sham organization in a sea of bad boxing sanctioning bodies. But with Dubois, they at least have a guy that isn’t Trevor Bryan who has some level of credibility. So to throw whatever newfound respectability they received right in the trash and call Hunter v Hughie a mandatory just shows they have no interest in being respectable. Who are the brainiacs sitting at the table when they want to be taken seriously? Or maybe they don’t care at all about being taken seriously, which means their belts have as much panache as a $10 chinese fake leather belt you can buy on Amazon.
I would like to see him fight Joyce again. I have never seen it but from what I read I think Dubois was winning and suffered the orbital bone injury. I have been meaning to watch it but life is often too busy. Regardless there are a lot of fun fights to be made at heavy in the UK.
You might see them again Pete, but Dubois has time on his side in that fight. They’re both born in September, Joyce turns 37 this year, DD will be 25. So he can kind of wait Joyce out at this point. In 2-3 years, he might still not be in his prime as a heavyweight and Joyce will have lost a few steps. But I can’t see that one anytime soon – RIDICULOUSLY Joyce isn’t ranked at all by the WBA.
Joyce from what I have seen seems very raw but has a bit of Foreman like thud to his punches. Thus he can be behind and turn it around. I once decided to watch Hughie Fury vs Joseph Parker on YouTube…. I hope not to subject myself to such a thing again…and I scored it….if that is not self loathing I do not know what is ! LOL!
Settle down buddy. You beat Trevor Bryan. How about trying to avenge your loss.
Joyce just beat the crap out of you mr Dubois.
Don´t talk fights against Usyk or AJ before u beat Joyce.
You are not interesting enough to fight the champions at this moment.
In fairness, Dubois wasn’t run over by Joyce. It was a hard-fought battle and Dubois had his moments. Joyce ultimately won by staying very disciplined and taking Dubois apart with the jab.
All (back) aboard the hype train. Choo, choo. Fwank and DDD are talking like he’s a legit contender, when he’s only rated sixth in England, let alone the rest of the world. In fact, he’s rated 5th in London.
His best wins aren’t even fringe contenders, who had Fujimoto, Gorman and Bryan actual beaten to amass their padded records?
Congratulations on your win, Daniel. Now take that belt, stick it in its case, and put the case under your bed. It’s a nice bauble, but stop calling yourself ‘champion’ based on beating a human bowling ball whose punches couldn’t break wind.
If, and when, you take on and beat Joshua, or Usyk, or Fury, *then* you can take the belt out from under the bed and actually claim something resembling a championship title.
These horizontal Brits wouldn’t be so prevalent in heavyweight boxing in terms of world titles and contender ship, if less American athletes pursued football. Nowadays, we get the American former football player or basketball player turned boxer as the standard. The Europeans are starting them young and that’s the only sport many of them play, minus a little soccer and maybe basketball. Facts!
That argument has been made several times, and I don’t think it works. Boxing is completely different from other sports… especially lower-impact sports like basketball. It requires a different mindset altogether. You may get drilled playing hockey or football, but it’s nowhere near the same experience as standing in front of a guy and having him punch you. Certainly there are guys playing other sports that could be legit fighters, but I don’t think boxing talent is bled out in the US because top guys are playing other sports. And if you were to argue that, than you could easily argue Europe/Asia/Africa have the same issue except with different sports in the place of football.
No mention of the juggernaut, no surprise there
Brainchild, my premise is more so the size of the athletes that participate in football, not so much the skillset. Not too many 6’5 250 pound soccer players running around. If NFL and College size linebackers, defensive ends, and tight ends did not play football and started boxing very young, you would see more prominent heavyweights boxers of American decent IMO. All it takes is one punch, especially at heavyweight, and you can’t teach a guy to take a punch.
Would love to see Dubois fight Areola next and then Chisora.