Daniel Dubois would not be denied when it came to cementing himself as one of the best heavyweights in the world.
Following a loss to Oleksandr Usyk back in 2023, the second defeat of his career, Dubois beat Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic to become IBF Interim World Champion. When the Ukrainian vacated the belt, the Brit was elevated to Full Champion.
His first defence was in front of over 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium against heavy favourite Anthony Joshua. ‘DDD’ bullied the former champion from the opening bell, knocking him down three times on the way to an eventual stoppage in the fifth round.
With a legitimate defence now cementing his status as world champion, Dubois has options as to what he might do next. There could be a rematch with ‘AJ’, or perhaps a shot at the winner of Usyk’s rematch with Tyson Fury later in the year. In-form contenders like Joe Joyce and Zhilei Zhang want a shot, too.
One man fans have already expressed a ken interest in seeing in with Dubois is Martin Bakole, the hard-hitting dangerman who is coming off a career-best win against American rising star Jared Anderson.
Bakole has previously told IFL TV that he seriously hurt the younger man in the gym, saying, “I broke his nose twice and stopped him. That’s not a lie because he will never come out and say I’m lying.”
Responding to a social media request for predictions for the fight, Bakole was confident.
“[I will] school him for the third time.”
School him for the third time 👊 https://t.co/ka0kMlshAF
— Martin Bakole (@MartinBakole01) September 24, 2024
As per the latest update, Bakole is ranked number five with the IBF. He is expected to feature on another Riyadh Season card soon, having also called for a fight against Zhilei Zhang.
