In this week’s Fight Talk we review heavyweight Daniel Dubois’ easy win over Dutchman Ricardo Snijders and look ahead to his all-British clash against Joe Joyce.
We also find out what Tyson Fury makes of the WBC’s list of all-time powerful heavyweight punchers, discuss whether Fury could return to the scripted world of wrestling, and look at Britain’s Chantelle Cameron calling out Irish superstar Katie Taylor.
Stage set for Dubois v Joyce
It was an easy night’s work for ‘Dynamite’ Dubois on Saturday as the Londoner demonstrated just why he is considered the biggest prospect in heavyweight boxing.
Dubois demolished Dutchman Ricardo Snijders in two rounds and has now won all 15 of his professional fights, knocking out all but one opponent.
At the age of just 22, Dubois has a long career ahead of him and one man who was impressed by the performance was WBC champion Fury.
“He was absolutely excellent. Wrecking machine, wrecking ball, very impressed,” Fury told Queensbury Promotions after the fight.
Dubois may have earned the praise of arguably the best heavyweight on the planet, but boxing fans (including a former Welsh footballer) were left frustrated by the quality of the opponent…
In fairness to Dubois, Sniijders was a late replacement for original opponent Erik Pfeifer, who had to pull out because of medical issues.
Pfeifer would have offered a sterner test; the German is unbeaten in seven fights and is a former Olympian with a strong amateur pedigree.
The victory over Snijders was also Dubois’ first outing since December. He admitted that it was just a keep-busy fight, one to dust off any cobwebs.
He has now turned his attention to the mouth-watering fight against fellow Briton and unbeaten heavyweight Joyce. The original bout, scheduled for April, was postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak, so they are now set to meet on 24 October…
Joyce, who was last in action with a third-round stoppage of Germany’s Michael Wallisch in July, seems more than ready for the clash…
And his manager, Sam Jones, also had his say…
While Dubois has youth, explosive power and clinical combinations on his side, the 34-year-old Joyce is a 2016 Olympic silver medallist with the better names on his professional record.
In his 11 wins, Joyce has beaten former champion Bermane Stiverne and world-title challengers Alexander Ustinov and Bryant Jennings.
So who do boxing fans think will come out on top? The general feeling is that it will be a Dubois knockout or Joyce points win…
Will the Dubois hype train come crashing down? Or will this be a night where he goes from prospect to genuine world-title contender? This is a fight we are all looking forward to.
His promoter, Frank Warren, already has his eyes set on bigger things, telling IFL TV that Dubois would be willing to take on Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk for the WBO title.
WBO champion Anthony Joshua may be forced to vacate his belt if he decides to pursue a super-fight with Fury instead of taking on the mandatory challenger Usyk.
The governing body could then order Usyk v Dubois for the vacant belt, after the Londoner moved to second in the WBO rankings this week, overtaking New Zealand’s Joseph Parker.
Unsurprisingly, Warren thinks Dubois “with his youth and power” would beat Usyk, although he accepts it “wouldn’t be an easy fight”.
‘Mr Feather Duster’ Fury and a WWE return?
Talking of big-hitting heavyweights, this week the WBC posted a list of the top 10 all-time powerful punchers in boxing’s biggest division…
Well, WBC title-holder Tyson Fury was amused by a list which included American Deontay Wilder, Ukraine’s former undisputed champion Wladimir Klitschko and Britain’s current WBA, WBO and IBF champion Anthony Joshua…
Meanwhile, Fury has also hinted that a return to the scripted world of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) could be on the cards, as he called out Scottish wrestler Drew McIntyre…
Back in October – after weeks of build-up – Fury “knocked out” the 6ft 8in ‘Monster Among Men’ Braun Strowman at a WWE event Saudi Arabia.
A natural showman, Fury looked completely at home as a WWE superstar. He reportedly earned £12m for the venture while significantly increasing his profile in America.
Whether it’s next year or perhaps once he is done with boxing, you can fully expect Fury to be back in a WWE ring at some point.
Could Taylor fight Cameron in Irish-British clash?
An Olympic gold medallist, two-weight world champion, the current undisputed lightweight champion and undefeated in the professional ranks – Ireland’s Katie Taylor is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in world boxing.
After winning her rematch against Delfine Persoon in August, Taylor is in the driving seat in picking her next opponent.
WBC mandatory Chantelle Cameron could be an option – and the undefeated Briton has called out Taylor…
Cameron herself had a strong amateur career and has won all 12 of her professional bouts.
Taylor would be the clear favourite but it’s a match-up that many fans would like to see…
