Heavyweights Joe Joyce (10-0, 9 KO) and Daniel Dubois (14-0, 13 KO) are slated for a much-anticipated face off titled Seek and Destroy on July 11 at the O2 Arena in London.
As talkSPORT has detailed, the fight will be a clash between two unbeaten British Heavyweights, with the winner taking a massive step closer to fighting the division’s elite.
“It is a fight that needed to be made to see which man is ready to challenge the elite at the top end of the division and which one will reset and go again,” said promoter Frank Warren. “This is one both men could easily have avoided… but they want to get it on and give the fans what they want to see.”
Joyce Looking to Follow in the Footsteps of Fury
Joyce is the more heralded fighter, and he is promising to deliver the kind of show put on recently by Tyson Fury (30-0-1, 21 KO).
The Gypsy King dominated the unbeaten Deontay Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KO) to defend his lineal Heavyweight championship and take away the WBC Heavyweight title from Wilder. Joyce has found inspiration in Fury’s masterful win, and has vowed to do the same come July.
“Tyson Fury showed what can happen when you bully a bully, and I plan to do the same to Daniel!” said Joyce, reacting to Dubois brash, trash-talking ways. “Daniel is talking about me only beating kids and downplaying my achievements,” Joyce added. “I just hope he’s got good people around him when I beat him because he’s going to be a broken boy on July 11th.”
A Step up for the Olympian
The 34-year-old Joyce arguably needs this fight more than his 22-year-old opponent. A boxing late-bloomer, Joyce first made his name representing Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympics, with Gala Bingo reporting how Team GB finished second overall in what was a highly successful games.
Joyce even ended up winning the team’s final medal—a silver in the Super Heavyweight division. The Londoner turned pro a year later, and has since gone unbeaten.
He even made history by winning the Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship in just his fourth professional bout. It was a star-making performance, as Joyce dropped the then-champion Lenroy Thomas (23-5-1, 11 KO), three times before the fight was called off in the second round.
No Pushover
Joyce will no doubt have his hands full against Dubois, who is, himself, one of boxing’s hottest prospects. In fact, he could’ve followed both Joyce and unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO champion Anthony Joshua (23-1, 21 KO) as Team GB’s next great Super Heavyweight.
But Dubois chose to go pro instead, giving up a shot at this year’s Olympics in exchange for the promise of a paid career. It is a career that will get a major boost with a win over the ex-Olympian—something Dubois has told fans that he is guaranteed to do.
This means the stakes for Seek and Destroy are sky high, as the winner will get an inside track on the division’s top tier. With both men predicting impressive victories, Joyce-Dubois might just live up to the hype.
