BBN ask what British heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois' next step should be?
Heavyweight powerhouse 'Dynamite' Daniel Dubois (12-0) lit up the Greenwich Peninsula on the night of July 13 with a punch-perfect fifth-round demolition of fellow unbeaten heavyweight and long-standing rival from the amateurs, Nathan Gorman, who dropped to 16-1.
The 21-year-old starlet was so dominant throughout the contest, which had been heavily built up as a 50-50 fight, but ended up being very far from the truth. Now the new British heavyweight champion has to plan his next move; many boxers dream of owning the Lonsdale belt outright, but that is not somethng that will be expected from this fast-rising prospect, who has already collected six titles in just 12 fights, taking a little over two years to do so.
He is ranked #11 with the WBO, due to having won the European and then the Global titles, and just outside the top 15 with the WBC having held a Youth world title in just his fourth pro fight.
BBN asked their panel of experts including professional boxers, managers and writers for their opinions on 'DDD's' next move:
Jamie Speight
Three-time Southern Area champion
"He’s now the British heavyweight champion, the world's his oyster.
He now has a decent world rating in many governing bodies, as British champions do, so I suppose it’s about sensible and careful management now.
For me, the Joe Joyce fight makes sense and based on last night's performance it’s a fight I have him winning comfortably, so why not strike while the iron's hot, make the Joyce fight for either a Commonwealth (if available) or fringe world level title (International / Inter-Continental) and improve his ranking with in that governing body whilst working towards the next big step – the European.
Daniel Dubois looked excellent last night, I was very, very impressed and to think he’s still just 21 with that level of boxing maturity is mad!"
Ryan Walsh
British featherweight champion
"I’d like to see him defend his title against Joe Joyce next.
I was very impressed with his performance last night, also thought Gorman was a class act, he offered no excuses and they both conducted themselves brilliantly throughout, it was very good to see."
Anish Parekh
BBN Writer
"Many claimed that the British heavyweight title fight contested between ‘Dynamite’ Daniel Dubois and Nathan Gorman was an even matchup. It was promoted as two young prospects, with guts and confidence to risk their undefeated records in the infancy of their professional careers, but when these two highly-touted heavyweights finally faced-off against each other, the outcome was not even close.
So after demolishing Nathan Gorman, what should be next for Dubois? The immediate talk was a clash with Joe ‘The Juggernaut’ Joyce – the 33 year old Olympic silver medalist who won on the same night against the experienced American veteran, Bryant Jennings.
Joyce is an interesting fighter. His punches do not flow naturally, his technique is flawed and his defense is easy to breach. However, at 6’6 and 18 stone, the man is a colossus. He constantly marches forward and perpetually throws punches at his opponents, whilst barely flinching when having to absorb punishment. His adversary may be the better boxer, landing the cleaner punches – as demonstrated by Jennings – but Joyce simply overwhelms people with his physical and athletic gifts.
Could such a relentless foe be too much, too soon at this stage of ‘DDD’s career? After all, whilst Dubois was magnificent, he was not faultless.
Numerous prospects have recently enjoyed a rapid rise, leading to calls from fans and media for them to step-up their level, only to regret such haste. The likes of Lewis Ritson, Ted Cheeseman and Jordan Gill have faltered when challenging for European honours.
Daniel Dubois is young and only has 11 fights on his record. However, in that time he has already won the British title and he has dominated a fellow top prospect in a big event. In doing so he displayed a wonderful jab, explosive power, intelligent movement, tight technique and an impressive temperament. Outside of the ring he lives a disciplined life, dedicating himself to the sport and retaining a focus towards his goals in a manner that is rare in a person who is only 21.
Dubois is a prodigious talent who clearly requires tougher tasks if he is to develop into a world class fighter. A meeting with Joe Joyce is risky but nothing comes easy in this most gruelling of sports – and if ‘Dynamite’ Daniel Dubois does one day explode onto the world scene, then it won’t be before learning valuable lessons and passing stern tests handed out by the likes of the ‘Juggernaut’."
Tim Rickson
Sports Agent
"It was a great fight and such a fantastic win for Dubois, who I always thought would come out victorious despite all the talk pre-fight of Gorman bettering him in the amateurs. I'm sad to say I was disappointed in Gorman's perfrmance, although I think he's a talent that will go on to do well still, he just didn't seem to have much of an output and didn't really offer a lot. I know his game plan was to counter, but he got caught an awful lot for someone who claims to be slick and sharp.
Dubois' jab couldn't miss, it's a very authoritative punch of his and his right hand was lightning fast. He dominated that fight and proved that he's well above British level, for me.
I think the Joe Joyce fight would make sense, because it's relatively easy to make. I know they're both with Frank Warren, but Joyce has many others involved in his career that could put obstacles in the way of this fight happening next. They were already due to meet, ordered by the BBBofC, and that never happened because they were chasing bigger fights, which I fail to see actually came off for them.
I know that Dubois is ranked with the WBO and this latest win should get him equally ranked in the other three governing bodies. Tyson Fury has got the WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight title, which is a belt you would've thought that Frank Warren would want to get for him. If Tyson's next fight was for an interim WBO world title and that Inter-Continental belt became free for Duois, then that could work.
I definitely don't think owning the Lonsdale belt outright is ever a choice for him because it means he'll have to hang around at domestic level for at least a year to make three defences – that's not an option for this steam-rolling stone.
I foresee a move towards getting placed higher in the world rankings, which would mean a fight with a world-ranked fighter or former world champion to get a step up the ladder to be positioned just a fight or two away from world title shots. That said, he's still only 21, which is mad to think of, so there's plenty of time."