It was the fight before Christmas and all through the house, all that could be heard was Daniel Dubois heavy hands.
The 22-year old Londoner headlined at the Copper Box Arena on December 21 in a fight with Japan’s Kyataro Fujimoto of Japan. Dubois won the fight via second-round TKO.
Fujimoto flew a long-way for a short night’s work. Though the former kickboxing champion vowed to knockout Dubois, the Londoner made short work of his man.
Fujimoto was hurt from Dubois’s first punch, a jab which staggered him into the ropes. Dropped by a jab in the second round, Dubois finished the game Japanese fighter with a right hand just as Fujimoto threw a left hook.
Fujimoto is a colorful fighter (his hair was dyed in Christmas colors) whose Japan press-conference for the fight featured a man in a panda suit.
His body language in the build-up in the fight seemed to suggest he was uncomfortable in London and in a pre-fight interview he went out of his way to mention that Andy Ruiz Jr. was still one of the world’s top Heavyweight fighters, despite a loss. Frank Warren says Dubois is ready for an all-UK clash with Anthony Joshua.
Dubois is Heavyweight boxing’s most exciting prospect and most would probably favor him to beat Joshua at this point, but the fight needs a lot more time to marinate.
Given that Joshua will likely fight twice next year (against Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev and then Aleksandr Usyk) such a fight is at least two years away.
“Dynamite” Dubois is a throw-back Heavyweight whose piston-like jab is a power punch in its own right (as Fujimoto discovered) in an era where a pawing range-finder jab is the preferred left-hand.
With 14 fights at 22 years of age, Dubois continues to face tougher competition and his promoter Frank Warren of Queensbury Promotions has a plan for his fighter–an all-UK clash with Joe “Juggernaut” Joyce.
Indeed, Dubois will likely need one fight longer than a round and a half before taking on, say a Joseph Parker, or another former-title contender.
