3 days Ago By Colin Morrison, Fights Around The World
Approaching his 24th professional fight, Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20KOs) is preparing to be involved in another high-profile bout. On September 21 at Wembley Stadium in his home city of London, Dubois will do battle with compatriot Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25KOs) as he looks to build on the quality performances delivered in his last two contests. Fighting in the spotlight is nothing new for the 27-year-old Dubois.
Into his eighth year as a pro, Dubois has already participated in prominent bouts against Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk . Although he came up short in those contests, the experience banked will serve him well when facing Joshua in the large stadium setting on Saturday. Carrying the name “Dynamite” as his in-ring moniker, and with a very healthy knockout percentage to his name, Dubois will be aiming to detonate the dynamite in his right hand on Joshua.
Can he do it? FightsATW takes a closer look. Dubois’ Fast Start and Coming Up Short In Big Fights Dubois turned pro as a 19-year-old in 2017 without much of an amateur career behind him. Raw and learning on the job, the young heavyweight displayed his power as he raced to 15-0 in his first three years.
Fourteen of those wins were by knockout – the only man hearing the final bell was the wily veteran Kevin Johnson, who Dubois handily outpointed in October 2018. Dubois had the size, power, and athletic edge over his early opponents. What was impressive about him at this point was his composure – even when he had opponents hurt, he didn’t rush or smother his work.
He knew how to keep applying the pressure to ensure the stoppage arrived. For his 16th challenge as a professional, Dubois was matched with UK rival Joe Joyce. Joyce was undefeated at this point but crucially had a lengthy amateur background.
This served Joyce well as he handed Dubois his first defeat. Joyce dominated the fight with his powerful jab, which led to Dubois eventually taking a knee in the tenth round due to his left eye socket being fractured. It was a tough night for Dubois, but one he learned from.
Rebounding from that loss, Dubois reeled off four stoppage victories in 2021/22, including collecting a second-tier title by beating the then-unbeaten but horrendously overmatched Trevor Bryan in Miami in June 2022. A win over Kevin Lerena in a bout he needed to overcome some adversity resulted in Dubois being matched against unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in August 2023. Dubois lost via ninth-round stoppage to Usyk but displayed a level of boxing many pundits didn’t think he was capable of.
Despite the defeat, the future looked promising for Dubois at this stage. Some observers were convinced it was only a matter of time before he would win a world title, but others still had questions about Dubois’ willingness to dig deep within himself in tough fights. Questioning the Heart of a Fighter Following the losses to Joyce and Usyk, Dubois faced criticism from some quarters – ex-professionals included – for the manner in which both fights ended.
Stopping against Joyce was the correct thing to do to safeguard his eyesight and future career. When the stoppage arrived against Usyk, it was a jab that forced Dubois to the kneeling position he didn’t rise from in the ninth round. Phrases like giving up and quitting were thrown at Dubois.
A more measured way of looking at it would be to suggest that he was simply exhausted having fought for so long with Usyk – a heavyweight on a different level to everyone else in the division. Dubois has learned from both losses, and we have seen evidence of this. Since the Usyk fight, we have seen a better-conditioned Dubois.
He has added more muscle but has also upped his cardiovascular endurance. Post Joyce, Dubois really seemed to focus on developing his jab. It was that punch from Joyce which caused him so many problems, now Dubois utilizes his own jab – throwing it with nasty intentions.
He has turned that punch into a genuine weapon. Showing Heart Against The Big Baby And The Animal With lessons learned in defeat, Dubois returned in December last year to face Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller on the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in Saudi Arabia. An entertaining fight ensued, and both men landed a high volume of punches.
Dubois kept working throughout and secured a final round stoppage after unleashing an onslaught of punches as the final seconds approached. After the fight, Dubois perhaps aimed a few words at those who had questioned his desire: “It really mattered tonight. I had to dig deep.
I came through it and showed my heart. I had to prove it to myself that I was a real fighter and I could be a champion. I silenced the doubters tonight,” the London-born boxer said in the ring immediately after the bout.
Dubois was back in Saudi Arabia in June this year. Opposing him was undefeated Croatian Filip “El Animal” Hrgovic. It was another highly entertaining bout as both boxers threw caution to the wind.
Hrgovic had his moments, but Dubois withstood the adversity and landed more shots. Eventually, the bout was halted in round number eight, with Hrgovic badly cut above both eyes. At this point, Dubois was overwhelming his opponent – even without the cuts, the stoppage looked to be coming the English boxer’s way.
Just over three months later, Dubois will glove up against Joshua in a major domestic showdown, which will have global implications for the heavyweight division. Will Dubois Finally Taste Victory in a Huge Fight? It could be argued that Dubois’ bouts with Miller and Hrgovic were also huge, but this one is a notch above. While Joshua is more well known, Dubois can catapult himself towards Joshua’s level of fame in the UK by winning the fight.
With his aggressive, fan-friendly style of boxing, Dubois may look to turn Saturday’s contest into a slugfest. Of course, it will be more nuanced than that, but essentially, he may tempt Joshua into close quarters and try to capitalize from there. Dubois is susceptible to opponents’ right hands, so he’s going to get hit; he will also return fire.
The fight will test both men’s endurance to the limit. Being seven years younger may benefit Dubois in the fitness category. Dubois perhaps holds the edge in power, although he may have to concede that Joshua trumps him in terms of overall boxing ability and athleticism, but there’s not much between them.
The jab could be key for Dubois. His fans will be hoping he continues throwing it with purpose. With trainer Don Charles calling the shots in the corner, Dubois will be well-prepared and confident.
He has the experience of losing important fights in the past; using that to navigate the difficult moments against Joshua will give Dubois every chance of having his hand raised on Saturday night. It could be a dynamite night for Daniel Dubois at Wembley. This article first appeared on Fights Around The World and was syndicated with permission.
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