Why Joe Joyce should be next for Daniel Dubois

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.

They were like chalk and cheese, both in and out of the ring. Gorman was the affable Mancunian who spoke articulately and strung together combinations of punches as impressively as he did his sentences. Dubois is softly-spoken and conceals his emotions away from the ring. There is a clear intensity that burns within him and a single-minded focus but these feelings have always been best expressed when he is in the heat of battle.

When these two highly-touted heavyweights faced-off against each other, the outcome was not even close. Daniel ‘Triple D’ Dubois pulverized Gorman emphatically and with his performance earned a few more ‘D’s that could be used to describe him. He was dominant, destructive and dynamic in his destruction of Gorman and surely represents a dangerous assignment to whoever challenges him next.

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. In the 3rd round, after dropping Gorman, Dubois lacked the necessary composure to close the show. Gorman bravely opted to flail haymakers in Dubois’ direction but instead of intelligently evading the punches and making him pay, the Greenwich man stood his ground. He abandoned his technique and launched wild punches of his own that missed his target, whilst alarmingly leaving his chin exposed and unprotected.

Against superior opposition, this flaw would swiftly be exploited and painfully punished.

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. Their qualities shone as they dismantled their domestic rivals with ease but the lack of having to endure adversity and resistance meant they were less battle-hardened and under-prepared when confronted with more savvy operators.

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’.