Daniel Dubois is Dynamite again

JEFF POWELL: Daniel Dubois is Dynamite again… his fourth round stoppage of Trevor Bryan showed he’s ready to face the elite

• Daniel Dubois stops Trevor Bryan in the fourth round in bizarre Miami event 
• The British fighter vowed to take Trevor Bryan’s WBA belt in ‘devastating’ fashion
• WBA champion will now look to fight in the UK after two fights in the States

Daniel is Dynamite again. The force is back with young Dubois of Dulwich, restored by the brutal fourth-round knockout which delivered unto him his first portion of the world heavyweight championship.

There are more formidable opponents ahead than Trevor Bryan, the previously undefeated American holder of the WBA’s secondary title.

Probably starting with Dillian Whyte, who is seeking a route to recovery from his overwhelming defeat by Tyson Fury but could provide Dubois with the next vital ingredient on his path to stardom. The one described by his trainer as ‘the buzz.’

Daniel Dubois stopped Trevor Bryan in the fourth round to cap an exciting victory in Miami

Shane McGuigan explains: ‘Dan has won an important belt here in dramatic style and all he needs now is the public recognition that comes from beating a big name opponent. Dillian still has that high profile and people are saying that despite his loss to Tyson ,Dan is not quite ready for him yet. But I know he is.’

Says Dubois himself: ‘I feel I can fight anyone. I know there will be a wait before Fury, Joshua or Usyk become available but I am now the man everyone who wants to fight for the other world titles has to go through.

‘That applies to Dillian. Fine by me. He’s on my list of those who knocked me for retiring against Joe Joyce and he’s going to get it. He likes playing the villain but he’ll find out that I can be the bad guy. He’s going to get it from me.’

That offers a glimpse into another side of family-loving Dubois, one which impressed the latest victim of his knock out punching power. Bryan graciously went to his conqueror’s dressing room after the fight to personally hand over the belt.

He had taken as much punishment as humanly possible before being stretched flat and semi-conscious on the dusty floor of a dingy casino in a murky backwater of this city by the sea.

This has to be the least salubrious venue in which legendary Rumble In The Jungle promoter Don King has ever put on a show as, at 90, he approaches the end of his long career. But neither the small hall nor that his crew had to round up customers from the adjacent gaming room to swell the crowd to a few hundred bothered Dubois one iota.

The 4,426 miles flown to Miami International Airport, under whose flight path the Casino Miami sits among abandoned trucks on rubbish-strewn streets – followed by the three rounds, one minute and 58 seconds it took him to reduce Bryan to rubble – completed a journey of resurrection.

From the dank London night last year when he retired against Joyce to prevent further damage to a broken eye-socket which could have put his future in jeopardy. An act of self-preservation for which he was crucified in some corners of the hardest game.

Dubois derived additional gratification from reducing Bryan to rubble with the punch that has been his secret weapon since he reportedly used it drop Anthony Joshua during sparring.

He had softened up Bryan from the first bell with a succession of his more renowned and mighty right crosses. As he was looking for the finish his younger sister Caroline – who is widely believed to be on track to become the best female boxer ever – cried out from ringside: ‘Left hook, left hook.’

‘I heard her,’ says Daniel, who responded at once with a double whammy in the fourth. The first left hook sent Bryan reeling back across the ring. Mouth gaping, arms slumped by his side, wide open.

The second sent him plunging towards the canvas, helped down by a glancing blow from his trusty right. From which there was no return.

Dubois believes there will be further benefits from the WBA’s peculiar two tiers of world champions, a device for increasing revenue from sanctioning fees.

‘I’ve always been told,’ he says, ‘that once you win a world title you become a better fighter. I feel that already. It will be different going back into the gym as a world champion. Also, I will gain a lot from this weird experience.’

The bizarre surroundings of a jai-alai (also known as fronton) court – which has fallen into dilapidation since a final match there in January – was compounded by something of an organisational shambles.

But Dubois says: ‘My father told me to enjoy the experience and I did. I’ve known all about Don King’s great promotions down the years and I’m pleased to have been part of his history.’

That speaks to what McGuigan calls ‘Dan’s growing maturity as a person as well as a fighter.’

Dubois talks often about wanting to fight Joshua ‘who has been great for British boxing.’ His trainer doubts that will ever happen, even after AJ, Fury and Olexsandr Usyk have sorted out which of them will become the undisputed heavyweight champion. McGuigan says: ‘Joshua is almost done. Maybe only one more fight after Usyk. Maybe not. Dan is just beginning.’

With his secret weapon now prominent in his scary arsenal, that he is.

Share this article

Source: Read Full Article