Daniel Dubois returns from his first pro defeat when he meets Romanian Bogdan Dinu for the vacant WBA ‘Interim’ heavyweight title in London on June 5.
The Greenwich man was halted in the 10th round by the hulking Joe Joyce in their British, Commonwealth and European title clash last November. Dubois (15-1, 14 KOs) took a knee in the fateful 10th after suffering a serious eye injury, later diagnosed as a damaged orbital bone.
Bucharest’s Dinu (20-2, 16 KOs) is charitably ranked No.2 by the WBA, having lost previously to Jarrell Miller and Kubrat Pulev via KO.
“I am excited to be back in the ring on June 5 after the frustration of being kept out of the gym and doing what I love to do for a number of months after my last fight,” said Dubois.
“This is my chance to remind people of what I am really about, which is winning fights in a devastating fashion. I don’t need to make any excuses for the Joe fight because everybody could see the issue with my vision, but Joe won fair and square and we move on.
“Time is on my side but I don’t intend to slow down my progress and I am more than happy to be returning to the ring in a big title fight that puts me right back in the picture.
“I respect Dinu and accept that he could provide a tough test, but I can only see one outcome and that is me leaving the ring with another major championship belt for my collection.”
Dinu added: “This is the most important fight for me and I will be prepared for a war in the ring. It’s my perfect moment to win and to get to the big fights. I’m fighting in London to become the first Romanian heavyweight champion of the world.”