Daniel Dubois has been fighting hard to prove anyone in boxing who questioned his heart wrong.
The noble sport prides itself on competitors having endless amounts of grit and courage. To be said to be taking a knee or bowing out in some way before the very end are thought to be cardinal sins but, in reality, fighting to live another day is a sensible decision in many cases.
There are many instances of a boxer having had enough and giving up in the face of an impossible-to-beat opponent, from Roberto Duran‘s infamous ‘No Mas’ against Sugar Ray Leonard in 1980 to the more recent example of Daniel Dubois against giant Joe Joyce.
The Brit opted to take a knee in the later rounds of their fight having been bludgeoned so badly by Joyce’s stiff jab that his eye socket was broken.
In that case, doctors often say any further damage could result in permanent loss of sight, but Dubois was still branded a quitter by many prominent figures and a subsequent loss to Oleksandr Usyk strengthened that opinion for some.
He has very much come back stronger since then and proven he has plenty of heart in tough bouts against Jarrell Miller and Fillip Hrgovic, both of which he won by hard-fought stoppage.
Next time out he faces Anthony Joshua in defence of his new IBF world title at Wembley Stadium. Ahead of that, number one ranked heavyweight contender Martin Bakole has predicted to Boxing News that Dubois will quit under the pressure of AJ’s big punches.
“Anthony Joshua will win the fight. He’s got more experience, he has a big heart. Dubois will give up. I think so. That’s my opinion.”
He was then asked about sparring Dubois.
“I stopped him twice and he never said he would spar me again.”
