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Years ago, a young Daniel Dubois took on Joe Joyce, which was seen as a massive test for the heavyweight. Joyce won with Dubois taking a knee in the tenth round after a bruised eye socket. The boxing world has accused a young Dubois of being a quitter and lacking heart. This perception only worsened after Oleksandr Usyk likewise made the young Brit take a knee in their bout.
Many wrote off Dynamite Dubois with his heart being questioned. However, as we sit here today, the Brit has proved many things wrong and is strong as a world champion. The heavyweight has beaten the likes of Jarell Miller and, more notably, Anthony Joshua.
I look at how the IBF heavyweight champion rebuilt and proved his doubters wrong.
Two aspects—style and mindset — have evolved to allow DDD to grow into the world champion he is today.
Style
Daniel Dubois was always seen as a heavy hitter. Before Joyce, the young heavyweight was seen as someone who would have to land the right hand, and the KO would come. Legendary boxing writer once said about Dubios’s right hand: “I believe his right hand is a far more potent weapon than Bruno or Lewis possessed.”
Daniel Dubios’ power was seen to be on the level of a Deontay Wilder. However, since the Joe Joyce fight, Dubios’ style has evolved. The Kingslayer hit Joe Joyce with countless right hands, and Joyce never looked in trouble. Perhaps the young man didn’t hit as hard as many thought, or maybe his talents were better served in other areas.
One thing that Daniel Dubois had shown is that he had a fantastic engine. The Brit never slowed down, whether it was the first or the twelfth round. His relentless pressure made him stand out. When Dubois has to rely on the one punch, he is limited, but when he utilises pressure and lets his combinations fly, he is more effective. If you combine his relentless pressure with his hard-hitting abilities, then you have a nightmare of a fighter to deal with.
When the heavyweight lets his shots go without loading up, you see the best of Daniel Dubois, as Anthony Joshua witnessed firsthand.
Dubois has evolved from a heavyweight who solely relied on his power to one who uses pressure and his gas tank to break his opponents.
Mindset
Going to the fight with Joyce, Daniel Dubois had never been dropped or fought any real stiff competition. While this makes sense for a fighter on the come-up, it did not help the Heavyweight when he stepped up in competition. A fighter is often only as good as his competition, which was the case for DDD. In Joyce’s fight, Dubios’ corner can be heard saying, “This is the top level, Daniel.”
The insinuation is that the fight shocked Dubios’s system, and his corner had to motivate him. It felt like the youngster was still a baby in the sport and hadn’t been exposed to danger like this before.
Since then, Dubois has fought with a carefree attitude. The young heavyweight could be described as an underthinker, a considerable benefit.
Suppose we take the fight against Anthony Joshua. Fighting against a rival countryman in your home country is enough to give any fighter jitters. But not Daniel Dubois. The pressure and fighting under the lights did not affect DDD. In comparison, Anthony Joshua can be described as an overthinker, ultimately costing him on the night. After being exposed to the lows of the sports, it seems that nothing fazes Dubois anymore.
This is the type of attitude that is ideal for world titles and elite-level fights. There is no threat of Dubois freezing under pressure or being intimidated. Whether in Wembley or Vegas, the heavyweight will be mentally prepared. Of course, this can be an issue because Daniel Dubois can only fight within his confines. This means that the youngster only fights based on how he has been taught and may be unable to improvise on the spot if the game plan goes wrong.
That said, Dubois’s evolution has been quite the journey, and with the heavyweight only being 27, the sky is the limit for the Kingslayer.
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