After a whirlwind 2023 that saw Daniel Dubois challenge for the unified heavyweight title and then secure a career best win over Jarrell Miller, the 26-year-old is now poised to challenge for a belt as he looks to kickstart 2024.
Dubois was ultimately unsuccessful against Usyk back in August, despite flooring the slick Ukrainian for almost four minutes, before he took a highly-criticized knee in the ninth-round. The stoppage was akin to Dubois’ other career loss to Joe Joyce, and as a result the Brit received a heap of backlash and was labelled as a ‘quitter’ by boxing fans around the globe.
With doubters questioning the heart of Dubois, the hard-hitting Londoner put those claims to bed with a gritty performance against Miller, biting down on his mouthpiece and forcing a knockout win with just seconds remaining on the clock, gaining a plethora of fans from what was one of the performances of the night on the high-profile ‘Day of Reckoning’ card.
Daniel Dubois wants a second shot at a world title
Now Dubois is seeking a second opportunity at world honours and has been linked to a rematch with Joe Joyce to avenge his defeat and a showdown with WBA (Regular) champion, Manuel Charr in a bid to regain his old bet and earn the position as mandatory challenger for the victor of Fury-Usyk.
However, Michael Benson reports that the EBU have ordered a clash between Daniel Dubois and France’s Ryad Merhy, with the vacant EBU European Heavyweight Title on the line.
The EBU have now officially ordered Daniel Dubois vs Ryad Merhy for the vacant European heavyweight title. Purse bids Feb 13th.
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) January 31, 2024
“The EBU have now officially ordered Daniel Dubois vs Ryad Merhy for the vacant European heavyweight title. Purse bids Feb 13th.”
Dubois challenged for the EBU belt when he fought Joyce in 2020 but has seemed to move on from European level in recent fights. However, his trainer Don Charles has recently outlined that his fighter could do with a ‘tune up’ after a run of tough contests, and a less demanding clash with Merhy may be the perfect opportunity for Dubois.