Boxing fans were finally able to enjoy the much-anticipated British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight title clash between Joe Joyce and Daniel Dubois over the weekend. The clash was originally due to take place earlier this year but was postponed due to the COVID pandemic.
Going into the fight, many tipped Dubois as the favourite to win, including the betting companies, those within the media and current/ex pros. There were certainly, however, some question marks as to whether this was too much too soon for Dubois and ultimately a poor matchup by promoter Frank Warren.
Joyce claimed a 10th-round stoppage victory giving Dubois the most challenging fight of his career to date and handing him his first loss in professional boxing.
Artillery
Dubois performed well and was up on two of the three scorecards when the fight was stopped. Ultimately there wasn’t much in this fight. Joyce’s experience allowed him to weather Dubois’ storm, and his chin proved to be superb as he soaked up some heavy artillery.
What won Joe Joyce the fight was his phenomenal jab and his targeting of Dubois’ left eye from early on in the bout. Martin Bowers, Dubois’ trainer revealed the damage to his eye affected the 23-year-old from as early as round three. As the fight progressed, while Dubois continued to give a spirited performance, the damage to his eye became evident and by round eight he was practically fighting with one eye.
The 10th round caught boxing fans by surprise. Dubois held a fierce jab to his already damaged left eye, went down on one knee in the centre of the ring, and did not make the count. Since the fight the extent of Dubois’ injury has been revealed, he suffered a broken orbital bone as well as severe nerve damage.
Divided
Despite sustaining a serious injury, the nature of Dubois’ loss has most certainly divided opinion. Many in the boxing world, as well as many fans, have criticised Dubois, accusing him of quitting the fight. In an Instagram video, promoter Eddie Hearn told his followers: “I think you have to look at what the fighters are saying. Every fighter says Dubois quit. So I guess, in boxing terms, yes.”
Those close to Dubois have been quick to his defence. His trainer Martin Bowers told 5 Live Boxing: “What do we want to see, a kid lose an eye ?” He went on to describe criticism of Dubois as “very sad” and a “little bit disrespectful”.
Talk for Joe Joyce now turns to his next potential opponents. Joyce called out Oleksandr Usyk in a post-match interview; many believe he could now be within a whisker of a world title shot. For Dubois, we will have to discover how lengthy a setback this injury proves to be for the young heavyweight. With 2021 on the horizon, he and his team will be hoping to rebuild and get his stock back up to the top with a few victories.
