Daniel Dubois suffered the third defeat of his career last month, losing by knockout in his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
The big-punching Brit failed in his attempt to become undisputed at Wembley Stadium against an elite Usyk. Dubois failed to get a foothold in the fight as Usyk bamboozled him with feints and movement, culminating in two fifth round knockdowns to end the show.
Dubois surrendered his IBF World Title that night, putting himself back in contender status as Usyk became two-time undisputed ruler of the division and cemented himself as an all-time great.
Despite the conclusive loss, ‘DDD’ is young enough and powerful enough to reach the top once more. That may come sooner than expected for some, as he has entered the WBC rankings – previously not included due to holding the belt of another sanctioning body – at number two.
Dubois sits just behind Lawrence Okolie and ahead of Anthony Joshua, who he knocked out last year. The top five is rounded off by Efe Ajagba and Martin Bakole, who fought to a draw back in May.
Ahead of all of the above is interim champion Agit Kabayel, who has cemented himself as one of the most dangerous men in the division with recent stoppage wins over Arslanbek Makhmudov, Frank Sanchez and Zhilei Zhang.
As for Dubois, his team will currently be plotting the comeback and will see this new ranking as a major boost. The belts are likely to become vacant sooner rather than later as Usyk approaches retirement, meaning the young Brit make have a shot at becoming champion once again sooner rather than later.
