Daniel Dubois proved himself to be worthy of the much-lauded heavyweight champion mantle as he blasted through two-time title-holder Anthony Joshua on the biggest of stages at the weekend. With murmurs of an immediate rematch already beginning to do the rounds, as well as a possible undisputed title showdown, ‘Triple D’ has revealed which route he plans on pursuing.
The doubt of both the boxing analysts and the British public lit the fuse of ‘Dynamite’ Dubois during fight week and whilst many critics suggested that the 27-year-old could melt in the pressure cooker that is the Wembley spotlights, the heavy-handed brute instead delivered an authoritative display to shake up the division.
From the opening bell it was one way traffic, Dubois’ right-hand reshaped the usually pristine face of Joshua with a looping right-hand and set the precedent for how the remainder of the bout would unfold. Thereafter, the ruthless IBF champion chased his wounded yet strong-willed challenger around the ring and scored an additional three knockdowns by the fifth round – the fourth and final of which left Joshua face down on the canvas and unable to beat the count of Marcus McDonnell – who gave him every chance.
In spite of the dominant beatdown exhibited by Dubois in front of the record-breaking 96,000 attendees, there are still calls for a rematch between the domestic duo- calls that would be few and far between if the roles had been reversed. Still, the allure of a fight with Anthony Joshua is one that will always be tough to turn down for any lesser supported heavyweight and the determined nature of ‘AJ’ means that he will likely seek the opportunity to level the scores.
Speaking with TalkSport, Dubois admitted that he would ‘go for’ a rematch with Joshua and declared that he wants to improve upon what was not only a career-best performance but one of the most impressive showings from any heavyweight in recent memory.
“Yeah, if that happens down the line then yes.
“If that happens next then yeah. I want to go for it.
“I want to do even better next time. I know where I need to improve as well, so as a champion and a fighter I want to prove people wrong every time and that’s what we have been doing.
“I think I would, I can do a lot better than that. It was a great showing but next time I believe I’ll be more clinical. More sharp, everything.”
Alternatively, Dubois could opt to move on from Joshua and challenge the victor of Usyk-Fury II (December 21st) for the undisputed throne, offering him a chance to rematch the undefeated Ukrainian after their controversial first encounter. However, Dubois refused to reveal which opponent is at the top of his hit-list, instead indicating that he simply wants his next fight to be the one that is the most profitable.
“I would love a rematch but either one [Usyk or Joshua] really, whoever pays me more money.”
Regardless of what comes next for Dubois, the often-criticized knockout artist stepped through the ropes as a ‘paper champion’ on Saturday night and exited the ring as both a household name and a proven, established and confident heavyweight world champion – making him a tough task for any potential opponent.
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