Daniel Dubois is expected to make his return to the ring in late May, having last fought a European title fight in November against Joe Joyce, where he suffered his first defeat as a professional.
Joyce’s win meant he claimed Dubois’ number two ranking under the WBO – a fight which also sparked a lot of discussion within the boxing world.
Dubois faced heavy criticism for taking a knee in the centre of the ring, in the 10th round, after he suffered a broken orbital bone.
Back-room Changes
Since Dubois fought in November, he has made some changes to his team. He is no longer trained by Martin Bowers. Mark Tibbs, who used to train Dillian Whyte and now trains Billy Joe Saunders, was appointed as Bowers’ replacement.
Dubois was recently interviewed by the Daily Mail. In that interview he described how he is ready to resume his career and demonstrate his true class to those who criticised him.
“I’m not going to fall back and let it destroy me, I’ve got to make it inspire me”, said Dubois.
He went on to add:
“I will keep coming no matter what. The goal is still to win the world title and hold on to it.”
Hard Yards
As a result of his loss, Dubois descended the rankings a few places. However, he is still ranked 10th in the heavyweight division by the WBO.
Dubois has recently posted a series of training videos to his official Instagram account, where he appears to be working hard behind the scenes, in preparation for his return to the ring.
In an interview with IFL TV, Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren confirmed Dubois’ comeback fight is close.
“We’ve got a couple of dates in mind [for his next fight], end of May or early June.”
Wise Support
Dubois’ previous opponent, Joe Joyce, is now scheduled to fight Oleksandr Usyk for a shot at the WBO interim heavyweight title.
Despite what appeared to be a fairly intense rivalry in the build up to their fight, Joe Joyce recently posted a picture on Twitter of himself standing alongside Dubois, with a message in support of the Greenwich heavyweight.
He wrote:
“His time will come for sure, it’s a marathon not a sprint.”
Dubois certainly appears eager to return to the ring, with Frank Warren confirming his comeback is near.
A victory in his next bout is likely to be pivotal for Dubois’ career. He will be hoping to remind his critics that he is a top heavyweight contender.
