Daniel Dubois' opponents haven't been up to scratch until now
The public have always been very critical of Dubois’ unsuitable opponents and calling for a real test for some time
Is the criticism justified or is 'DDD's' dismantling and destruction of opponents just incredible?
The noise around Daniel Dubois is getting louder and louder now that the heavyweight has gone 15 fights unbeaten. The excitement is very real indeed given that the Englishman has managed 14 knockouts out of those 15 bouts and currently holds a KO ratio of 93%, plus nine titles. Dubois’ numbers are so convincing that any boxing enthusiast sitting down to watch one of his fights is guaranteed to see the 6' 5" powerhouse from Greenwich pulverize one of his opponents inside the distance. But do they provide an accurate representation of Dubois’ potential in the heavyweight division?
The truth is we don't know
It’s a question worth asking when you consider the future that is being predicted for the 23-year-old. The Greenwich-born boxer is being touted as the next challenger to the likes of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, even Fury’s own father John has heaped praise on him and gone on record saying that he has what it takes to be a world champion.
Admittedly, on the one hand, it makes sense to listen to the figures in the industry who know a good fighter from a poor one; in John Fury’s case, he raised the current WBC Champion Tyson Fury after the 31-year-old beat Deontay Wilder in February to claim the belt.
On the other, there is reason to believe that his promoter Frank Warren, who drives the publicity around Dubois, sees the young Londoner as the man who will become boxing's next cash cow. Indeed, the more the hype around Dubois grows, the more passes will be sold on BT Sport Box Office's pay-per-view subscription when he fights. So how much of the din of excitement do we take seriously?
After all, his ring rivals have been opponents that he was expected to beat as he waits his turn to fight the lions of the division, some of the fights though have been farcical and beyond parody. Few will ever forget the 23-year-old’s first fight against Marcus Kelly, with one national tabloid describing Kelly as ‘carrying so much blubber he made the Michelin Man appear to have been on a crash diet.’
It took Dubois just 35 seconds to beat Kelly and claim his first professional win. Since then, his opponents haven’t offered up that much of a greater challenge either. His last opponent was a Dutch champion who was floored three times in the first and then finished off in the second. It was not only a dangerous one-sided mis-match, it was also obvious it was going to happen like that.
Now though, in fairness, Dubois’ route to the top is one that all of the world champions of yesteryear have taken.
It took Frank Bruno just 2min 31sec to crush his first opponent. Lennox Lewis’ first fight only lasted 3min 19sec whilst Anthony Joshua needed just 2min 47sec to register his first win against Italy’s Emanuele Leo. Indeed, making mincemeat of the early opponents in a fighter’s career is a rite of passage really and a fledgling career can’t be stopped before it ever begins by fighting a more experienced professional, but there does come a time when the heavily tipped heavyweight sensations need a step up in class. For Dubois, that time has come.
Oh Danny boy, the tougher bouts are calling
The good news is that more answers will be forthcoming about Dubois’ ability after he agreed terms with Joe Joyce to fight on November 28th.
Both boxers deserve credit for taking the fight given that they are both more or less at the same stage of their careers in terms of fights fought, world rankings and potential, but even more crucially, they are both still undefeated. With that said, the odds are heavily stacked in Dubois' favour with Betway pricing the 23-year-old at 1/5 to beat Joyce as of October 8th. Now, the discrepancy in odds may be down to the fact that Joyce is 12 years older than Dubois and perhaps already peaked.
Fighting Joyce should provide real amswers
On paper, it's a 50-50 fight. Joyce actually has the further reach at 203cm as opposed to Dubois’ 196. Furthermore, Joyce is also a foot taller at 6’ 6”, whilst Dubois is 6’ 5”. This all suggests that the fight will be a lot closer than the odds suggest but at the very least, Dubois’ will have an opponent on his hands that will provide his sternest test yet. If he is to become the number one heavyweight hopeful then he will have to find a way past Joyce, which you’d fancy him to do, but there are still many questions about Dubois’ appetite for a tougher battle that will need to be answered first.
All will be revealed in good time though as the man who has everyone talking enters the second stage of his career. He has successfully demolished the fighters at the bottom of the barrel who were purely there for a payday, now he will begin fighting tougher opponents who can punish any mistakes.