BRITISH boxing’s Heavyweight super-fight between unbeaten KO Kings ‘Dynamite’ Daniel Dubois and ‘Juggernaut’ Joe Joyce will now take place at The 02 Arena, London on Saturday October 24.

The showdown between British, Commonwealth, WBC Silver and WBO International champion Dubois and fellow Londoner Joyce, an Olympic Silver medallist, had been scheduled for July 11 but the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the date shift.

Government guidelines will continue to be strictly followed but with lockdown being eased promoter Frank Warren is optimistic that the battle, dubbed ‘Seek And Destroy’, will finally take place in October.

Joyce (10-0, 9 KOs) and Dubois (14-0, 13 KOs) are within touching distance of a world title challenge and the winner will be in line to land a mandatory contender’s position with one of the major governing bodies, as well as adding the vacant EBU European Heavyweight Championship to their trophy cabinets.

Warren said: “It will be a fight to remember and what a boost for British boxing.

“Everyone wants to see it. Lockdown has meant a delay, but we all want the fight to take place in October and we are hopeful that the government will give us the all clear.

“What a position the winner will be in. They will be nailed on for a world title shot in 2021.”

Dubois, 22, who is ranked number five by the WBO  and seven in the latest WBC ratings said: “I’ll be ready to go in October for sure.

“It has been tough during lockdown, but I have ticked over and I’m back in the Peacock gym helping my sparring partner Dorin Krasmaru get ready for his behind closed doors fight on Frank Warren’s bill on July 10.

“Hopefully in the near future I will be able to get some good overseas sparring in. I’ll be ready for October 24, so I hope Joe is coming prepared.”

Foe Joyce, 34, won the Commonwealth title in just his fourth fight and his best win came against former WBC world champion Bermane Stiverne via a sixth round KO in February 2019. The London man aims to top that victory when he tackles Dubois and doesn’t mince his words when discussing his young opponent.

“It was great news to get the new date so I can finally punch up Dubois,” said the Putney man who is already highly ranked by the WBC.

Joyce is ready to rev up his training and added: “Obviously once lockdown started I had a good idea we wouldn’t meet in July, but I was always staying on top of training.

“Now gyms are open for athletes I can kick on and just keep my focus on the new date, finally settling the score with Dubois and moving on to a world title fight.”

Existing ticket holders who cannot attend the rearranged date can get refunds from their point of purchase.

————-
Tickets are now on sale via AXS.com and Ticketmaster.co.uk

Ticket Prices:

£400 Ringside – Hospitality
£300 Floor
£200 Floor
£150 Floor/Tier
£100 Tier
£80 Tier
£55 Upper Tier
£40 Upper Tier

HALL-OF-FAME promoter Frank Warren has responded to Tyson Fury’s sensational Lockdown Lowdown interview where he declared he’d beat “cash cow” Anthony Joshua and called WBC mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte a “stocky plodder”.

Fury also suggested, in comments picked up by the national press, that by beating AJ he would be landing a potentially fatal blow to Joshua’s promoters.

Whilst Fury’s promoter Warren was coy on the effect a huge Tyson victory over AJ would have on his business rivals, he was keen to point out Queensberry had no concerns about their own future.

“At Queensberry we couldn’t be happier with our hand” he said, “We’ve got the number one Heavyweight in World Boxing, Tyson Fury, and we’ve got the next big superstar in Daniel Dubois.”

Warren has long hailed ‘Dynamite’ as the future of the Heavyweight division and recently caused a stir when he insisted he’d happily match the youngster with Deontay Wilder right away and still be confident of a KO victory for Dubois.

“We’ve got this 22 year old kid in Daniel Dubois and he’s top ten with the organising bodies, The Ring magazine have today said he’s ‘on the cusp’ of their Top Ten.

“He’s the hottest prospect in boxing and he’s knocking on the door of the big boys already. 

“I’ve said it before, he’ll have a world title shot within a year or two.”

Stablemate Fury clearly shares Warren’s assessment of Dubois and the threat he poses to the “big boys”, telling the Lockdown Lowdown that domestic rival Dillian Whyte should be less concerned about his mandatory WBC title shot and instead focused on the growing threat of ‘Dynamite’.

He said: “When the time comes, I’ll put him (Whyte) in his place. Until then I think he’ll have plenty more to worry about with the likes of Daniel Dubois, Joe Joyce and Povetkin who he’s fighting next.”

Asked whether he’d consider Whyte as an opponent for Dubois, Warren wasted no time in saying “absolutely” but says he understands Dillian’s frustration at not getting a world title shot.

“It’s incredible what’s happened with him really. He was ranked number one with the WBO for God knows how long, ranked number one with the WBC and he’s just not got the fights. If I were him, I’d be asking the question… ‘Why hasn’t my promoter been able to get me those fights?’ 

“He’s on about suing the WBC, but they don’t seem to be the problem.

“It’s remarkable, really. I can’t think of another British fighter who’s been left out to dry as much as him. He was in the same stable as the WBO Champion and still couldn’t get a shot.

“You can see why he’s upset. He doesn’t feel he’s been looked after. At this point, Dillian must be wondering if he’s ever going to get a world title shot over there.”

Warren was clear that if Whyte was fighting under his banner, the situation would be different.

“If Dillian was with me, he would have fought for a world title by now”, he added.

Comparing Whyte’s fortunes to that of Tyson Fury, whose astonishing comeback was masterminded by Warren, he said: “I had Tyson Fury fighting for a world title within 6 months of signing with him, we kept him nice and active and then got him the Wilder fight.

“Look what’s happened since, Tyson is an absolute global superstar on the verge of the biggest contract in boxing history.”

Reverting back to his confidence in the future of Queensberry Promotions, Warren ended by saying simply: “We always look to do the best job for our fighters and give them the best chance for success at world level and to make good money for them and their families.

“That’s why we think we’re in such a good place going forward.”

IRATE BOXING MANAGER Sam Jones has SLAMMED internet trolls who predicted “baby” Daniel Dubois would KO his client Joe Joyce.

Ranting to Queensberry Promotions ‘Lockdown Lowdown’, the Derby man fumed: “Joe has beaten Majidov, Tony Yoka, Frazer Clarke, Filip Hrgovic. He’s done all of them in the amateurs. 

“He beat Bryant Jennings in his last outing… a world class heavyweight who took Wladimir Klitschko twelve rounds. Daniel Dubois has beaten nobody, amateur or professional. That’s just facts.”

Questioning Hall-of-Fame promoter Frank Warren’s masterplan to guide 22-year-old Heavyweight prospect Daniel Dubois to a World title, Jones’ believes that ‘Dynamite’ simply isn’t ready to step in the ring with ‘The Juggernaut’.

“Joe Joyce is going to have too much experience for him, too much know-how for him.

“Daniel’s had no in-between fights. Fujimoto to Joe Joyce? You’re taking the p*ss.”

Turning his fire on the internet boxing community, who had confidently predicted a Dubois victory in any clash with Joe, he insisted: “Let me tell you something now, when I was out in Vegas with Joe he looked unbelievable. I don’t care what the trolls say, Joe Joyce would have beaten Daniel Dubois on April 11th. 

“(Daniel’s) not the finished article. I think he’ll be a great fighter down the line, but it’s disrespectful that people write Joe off.

“He’s going to get found out. I know who Daniel was planning on sparring in his camp and even that’s disrespectful to Joe. We were sparring undefeated professional heavyweights, we were taking it very seriously.”

Joyce was originally slated to fight Dubois on April 11th but the event was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Since lockdown began, though, social media has been abuzz with discussions about potential ‘fantasy’ fights and where the two British behemoths might go next in their career.

One such ‘dream match’ was the mooted Daniel Dubois vs. Deontay Wilder contest, with promoter Frank Warren insisting he’d put his young Heavyweight in with the former WBC Champ right now.

Jones’ says he understands Warren’s confidence but reckons Dubois would find himself in deep waters with the ‘Bronze Bomber’.

“He’s Frank’s baby isn’t he, Dubois? So Frank’s not going to say ‘oh no, Deontay Wilder would take his head off’ but I look at the fight against Richard Lartey – if Daniel Dubois tried to swing arms with Deontay Wilder like that he’d be asleep until the virus is gone.”

Whilst he is adamant that he and Joyce are focused on Dubois, Jones’ isn’t immune to speculation himself and has an elaborate battle plan laid out for Joe’s next THREE fights.

“Joe would fight any man in the world,” he said. “We’ll wipe out Daniel Dubois, get him out the way and then we want Jarrell Miller. It’s the fight we’ve wanted for ages. It’s personal for Joe. They had a back and forth before so that fight needs to happen. Doesn’t matter where, Baby Miller is next.

“After that it’s a world title.”

Asked by interviewer Dev Sahni whether he’d prefer that potential World title tilt to be against Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua, Jones’ wasted no time in picking ‘The Gypsy King’.

“I would prefer Joe to face Tyson Fury. For the simple reason he’s the king of this era. You want to test yourself against the best. If you’re a professional footballer you want to play against Cristiano Ronaldo, you want to play against Lionel Messi. It’s the same for Joe.

“If Joe just beats Anthony Joshua, he still wouldn’t be considered number one.”

BOXING LEGEND Prince Naseem Hamed has confidently predicted that 22-year-old Daniel ‘Dynamite’ Dubois will “take over Heavyweight boxing”.

Speaking on the latest instalment of Frank Warren’s Heavyweight Podcast, the Sheffield icon expressed his admiration for promoter Warren’s eye for talent and spoke of the qualities that he believes make Dubois a surefire superstar.

“Frank knows how to pick the best fighters” he said, “and at the moment I think he’s got one in Daniel Dubois who I really think is going to light up the world.”

No stranger to a knockout himself, Naz added: “He has that crushing power. I love the way he fights… the way he punches to the body too.”

Despite his young age Dubois has already carved out an impressive 14-0 professional record, with 13 KO’s to his name, and has a list of boxing luminaries queuing up to praise him.

Hamed’s voice joins those of George Foreman, David Haye, Frank Bruno and Larry Holmes, amongst others, who have recently spoken of the potential for greatness in Dubois’ future.

‘Dynamite’ is next scheduled to face domestic rival Joe Joyce in a mouthwatering all-British battle that many see as a stepping stone to world title contention.

Hall-of-Fame promoter Frank Warren clearly agrees and earlier this week declared Dubois to be the “best Heavyweight prospect on Planet Earth” and sensationally backed him to be victorious in a potential shootout with Deontay Wilder.

Prince Naseem wasn’t drawn on that particular match-up but did issue an ominous warning to the Heavyweight division as a whole.

“I am looking forward to watching Daniel Dubois’ career unfold. For me, I believe he takes over Heavyweight boxing.”

Famous for his exploits in the lighter weight classes, Naz did also reveal that he is keeping a keen eye on another of Queensberry’s brightest prospects: 19-year-old Bantamweight, Dennis ‘The Menace’ McCann.

“I like Dennis. Dennis is a good fighter, definitely. I’m expecting him to be a world champion.

“For me, that’s one of the guarantees of boxing: Dennis and Daniel Dubois being world champions.”

———-

For more, Listen and subscribe to Frank Warren’s Heavyweight Podcast now wherever you get your podcasts.

Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/4cMuJcPnrH7xS6XOLfibTU?si=Pl9edfc7Rz64PFA_g0tf6A

DANIEL DUBOIS facing fellow knockout artist Deontay Wilder, could be one of Heavyweight boxing’s big fights of 2021 according to the British champion’s trainer Martin Bowers. 

“It’s a fight that in about 12 months would be a fantastic one for the fans,” said Bowers.

Dubois and Wilder both have massive scraps ahead of them in the near future that are sure to have fans on the edge of their seats. 

Wilder attempts to regain the WBC championship when he meets Daniel’s Frank Warren stablemate Tyson Fury for the third time whilst Dubois will meet Joe Joyce in a mouthwatering domestic dust-up.

But talk of Dubois facing Wilder has sparked hot debate in boxing after Hall of Fame promoter Warren suggested he would welcome the fight. 

Bowers added: “Dan has a massive job to do against Joe, and Wilder is fighting Tyson again in his next fight. 

“I get the appeal of Daniel and Wilder. They are two big bangers, but Daniel can also box. Right now, we have one job to do and that is beating Joe.” 

Another top trainer Tunde Ajayi believes Daniel’s promoter Frank Warren is right to call out Wilder and predicted: “I fancy Daniel to knockout Wilder. 

“Daniel is young, hungry and ready to go, but before we talk Wilder he has to beat Joe Joyce and that is no foregone conclusion. 

“Tyson Fury was never looked on as a puncher but look what he did to Wilder. Daniel is a KO artist so what’s to say and he can’t do the same to Wilder. 

“Wilder is still a danger and will be for Fury, but Daniel is only going to get better and is young enough to bounce back if he loses.” 

Ajayi who trains Anthony Yarde, first met 22-year-old Dubois when the hot prospect was still at school and boxing for Lynn ABC. 

He added: “Daniel’s Dad told me when I met him for the first time years ago that he wanted him to be one of the world’s youngest Heavyweight champions in history. We’re talking stars aligning because he’s on the way. 

“Daniel doesn’t say a lot, but if he beats Joe then he is out there and ready for them all.” 

British training great Billy Graham is excited at the thought of Dubois v Wilder and would back the young Londoner against the American. 

Graham who famously trained Ricky Hatton says: “Of the current Heavyweight prospects I have seen, Daniel is the one that stands out. 

“I wouldn’t back him against Tyson Fury, but he is capable of knocking out Wilder or anyone else in the division. 

“The only worry I have is Daniel’s inexperience and whether he holds a shot because nobody can take Wilder’s right hand if it lands proper.

“He has rhythm and can move like a good Riddick Bowe and Sonny Liston. 

“I know there has been talk of Wilder and while I think Daniel can win, I would wait a little while because he is getting better and better with each fight.” 

Leading London trainer Alan Smith is also wowed by Daniel, adding: “I think he beats Wilder now. Wilder is a bully who was shown up by Tyson Fury.” 

Another big puncher, former WBO Cruiserweight champion and TV pundit Enzo Maccarinelli sounded a note of caution before unbeaten Dubois who has knocked out 13 of his 14 victims moves on. 

Maccarinelli who hopes to have his 50th fight later this year added: “If Daniel comes through what is a hard fight against Joyce he should have two or three more fights after before facing men like Wilder. 

“Daniel is a fighter and I’m sure if he was offered Wilder by Frank he would take it, but I would like to see him wait. 

“Daniel is really good and so impressive against Nathan Gorman, but he still lacks experience and that showed against Kevin Johnson.” 

Inexperienced he might be for now, but once past Joyce few will be able to argue that Dubois doesn’t belong with the Heavyweight division’s elite.

DANIEL DUBOIS has backed promoter Frank Warren’s call for a mouthwatering match-up with Deontay Wilder and boldly predicted he’d “break him down”.

Speaking to Danny Flexen from SecondsOut, Dubois admitted he wasn’t privy to Warren’s plan to pair him with the ‘Bronze Bomber’ ahead of time but was sure the fight was “the right step”.

“He was champion a long time but his reign is over now. When we do meet, i’ll be looking forward to it.”

With a wry smile, the 22-year-old bruiser then added: “It’ll be interesting.”

Frank Warren said of Dubois earlier this week: “Daniel is the best Heavyweight prospect on Planet Earth and he’ll have far too much for Deontay Wilder.”

‘Dynamite’ clearly agrees.

“I’ve got more tools. I’ve got plenty of tools to use. I’ll find a way to win and break him down.”

Famed for the devastating punching power that has helped him to a 14-0 professional record, with 13 KO’s, Dubois was then asked whether he would knock out Wilder.

The answer was simple: “Yeah. Of course.”

He added: “This is what the Heavyweight game is all about, knockouts and exciting nights… It’ll be interesting when it happens.”

Dubois drew confidence from watching Tyson Fury dismantle Wilder in February and believes Wilder’s ‘heavy costume’ excuses are “a bit iffy”.

“He looked overwhelmed from the first second of that fight. He couldn’t get a foothold in the fight and he got beat up fair and square. He got beat down.

If he’s the next step for me I’m ready to take him.”

Warren’s call for a transatlantic dust-up between the two knockout artists came with just one caveat, that Dubois first overcame domestic rival ‘The Juggernaut’ Joe Joyce.

The two British titans were scheduled to fight on April 11th, a bout that has since been rescheduled to July 11th because of the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

When the fight does take place, Dubois is fully confident he’ll rise to the challenge.

“I’m not overlooking anyone or underestimating anyone… this next fight with Joe is to see who is the best Heavyweight in Britain and after that it’s ‘who’s going to be the number 1 in the world?’”

Dubois then took aim at the Heavyweight divisions biggest names, adding that he planned to “move all the old guys out the way”.

34-year-old former champ Wilder may take some moving, but confident Dubois seemingly has his sights set on the very top of the Heavyweight mountain.

———————

Daniel Dubois’ ‘Skype it Up Interview’ with Danny Flexen will go live at 7pm Tonight (Wednesday May 6th) on the SecondsOut YouTube page here

HALL OF FAME promoter Frank Warren has sensationally claimed he’d be willing to match Heavyweight prospect Daniel Dubois against Deontay Wilder “by the end of the year”.

Speaking to Queensberry Promotions’ Lockdown Lowdown show, Warren said a potential bout would be contingent on ‘Dynamite’ first overcoming Joe Joyce.

He said: “If Daniel comes through his fight with Joyce… then yes, by the end of the year yes.”

Deontay Wilder was last seen on February 22nd when he was outclassed and stopped by Tyson Fury in Las Vegas, losing his WBC crown in the process.

Warren believes that in that contest ‘The Gypsy King’ revealed the blueprint to beating ‘The Bronze Bomber’ and that will be Wilder’s undoing in the future.

In later comments to Queensberry Promotions, Warren said: “Tyson has shown how beatable Wilder is. Once their rematch is out the way, I’d have no problem matching Daniel with Deontay. 

Wilder is good, don’t get me wrong, but my man will be miles better in time.”

22-year-old Greenwich bruiser Dubois has amassed a fearsome reputation as a devastating knockout artist in his 14 professional scraps to date but his promoter believes it’s his other attributes that really set him apart.

“Daniel’s big and powerful and everyone knows he can punch, too. But he’s a good boxer. I’ve said before that he has a Larry Holmes-like jab and he works the body as well as any heavyweight on earth.

I’ve been telling people how good Daniel is and once the world starts going back to normal, i’ll have no doubt he’ll show you.”

Prior to the coronavirus crisis ‘Dynamite’ was scheduled to meet fellow Londoner Joe Joyce in a mouthwatering domestic clash but has since been hunkered down in a new Hertfordshire pad.

Keeping fresh by training alongside his boxing siblings, Prince and Caroline, Daniel told The Sun on Sunday he was raring to get back to work, saying: “I just want to get on with it.”

Whilst no-one can predict what comes next in these uncertain times, Daniel’s promoter Warren is certain he can predict what would happen if Dubois got to step in the ring with the American Wilder.

“Daniel is the best Heavyweight prospect on Planet Earth and he’ll have far too much for Deontay Wilder. I truly believe that.”

—————-

The full ‘Lockdown Lowdown: Frank Warren’s Q&A’ will go live here on Tuesday 5th May at 7pm

THE HOTTEST PROSPECT in Heavyweight boxing, Daniel Dubois, has today responded to the effusive praise poured on him by Tyson Fury’s old man, big John Fury.

“It all builds the anticipation… I just want to get on with it and finish business with Joe. Let’s get it on.”————————–

The Lockdown Lowdown is available via Queensberry Promotions social media channels.Recent guests have included Tommy Fury, Joe Joyce and Liam Williams, who sensationally asked “who gives a sh*t about Demetrius Andrade?”

For all that and more, please visit:

Youtube

Twitter

Instagram 

Facebook

In light of press speculation regarding upcoming British boxing fights amid concerns over coronavirus, Queensberry Promotions wish to assure all fans looking forward to the Daniel Dubois v Joe Joyce event at the O2 next month that as matters currently stand it is NOT in jeopardy.
 
All major public gatherings, including this near sell out event, are in the hands of the relevant authorities which in this case is the British Boxing Board of Control and the Government.
 
The Government have clarified that all such events will go ahead at this time. Accordingly all parties involved in the event including the venue, broadcaster and of course the fighters are proceeding as normal. A spokesperson for the O2 said:  “At this time, we understand that the fight is going ahead as planned and we continue to take advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Public Health England, as well as that of local government.
 
“The O2 remains fully open as usual and events scheduled at The O2 arena are currently going ahead. Should this change, we will communicate details to visitors and ticket holders as soon as possible.
 
We take the health and safety of our guests and employees very seriously and continue to monitor the threat of coronavirus globally with advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Public Health England, as well as that of local government.”
 
Of course, Queensberry prioritise the wellbeing of those attending or participating in the event and will constantly monitor the Government position and the health of the Boxers. Any update will be posted online through our official channels and any announcements from other sources should be disregarded.
 
In keeping with the stoic position of the Government today however we remain optimistic to present an incredible night of boxing to a packed 02 crowd and there are only a few tickets remaining.
 

NATHAN GORMAN believes Joe Joyce is capable of upsetting Daniel Dubois in their huge Heavyweight clash, despite what cousin Tyson Fury believes.

Gorman famously felt the power of Dubois, getting knocked out in five rounds, when they met for the vacant British championship last July.

Like the Great British public, Gorman cannot wait for Dubois (14-0, 13 KOs) and Joyce (10-0, 9 KOs) to settle their rivalry at London’s o2 Arena on Saturday April 11, live on BT Sport Box Office.

The winner of the titanic ‘Seek and Destroy’ tussle will close in on world champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, as well as banking the British, Commonwealth, European, WBC Silver and WBO International titles.

Gorman, who will return to action on the undercard of Josh Taylor’s Glasgow return on May 2nd said: “It’s an exciting fight.

I think it’s 50-50 and it is wrong that some people appear to be writing off Joyce for this fight.”

He added: “Don’t get me wrong. If Daniel hits him he is going to do some damage, but you have to remember Joyce is 19 stone plus and if he hits Daniel he hurts him.”

Nathan might have lost to Dubois when it mattered in the ring, but he has also sparred plenty of rounds with Joyce over the years.

“Joyce has been competing as a high end amateur, he is 30 plus and a man. He can fight!” said Gorman.

“I sparred with him at David Haye’s gym and also in Sheffield at the Team GB camp. He has come on leaps and bounds. We know about his size, but I was impressed with his strength and workrate for such a huge man. He is very, very fit.

“I’d imagine Joyce might be careful early on, but he is one of those fighters who can also jump all over Daniel, make it awkward and smother his space.”

Gorman has never offered any excuses for his defeat against Dubois, but believes the secret weapon is more than Daniel’s fight ending power.

The Nantwich man holds Daniel’s trainer Martin Bowers in high esteem and added: “I knew how strong Daniel was going into the fight and he does the basics very well – the jab, the 1-2, the 1-2-hook and is good with his feet.

Martin Bowers had a very good game plan and Daniel will need the same from him in this fight coming up.
Credit where it’s due, Martin is a very good trainer.”

In the chief support Ilford’s Anthony Yarde will challenge Manchester’s Commonwealth Light-Heavyweight champion Lyndon Arthur in a brilliant 50-50 clash.

Other fighters on the bill include David Adeleye, Dennis McCann, Archie Sharp and Hamzah Sheeraz. Another title fight on the bill sees a rematch between British Welterweight Champion Chris Jenkins and Johnny Garton.

Tickets are now on sale via AXS.com and Ticketmaster.co.uk

Ticket Prices:

£400 Ringside – Hospitality
£300 Floor
£200 Floor
£150 Floor/Tier
£100 Tier
£80 Tier
£55 Upper Tier
£40 Upper Tier

WORLD Heavyweight King Tyson Fury has edged towards Daniel Dubois winning the battle of the British big boys when he faces Joe Joyce next month.

Dubois (14-0, 13 KOs) and Joyce (10-0, 9KOs) clash at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday April 11, Live on BT Sport Box Office.The winner of the 12 round Heavyweight showdown between the London rivals will be closing in on Fury and will go home with the British, Commonwealth, European, WBC Silver and WBO International title belts.

Like most fight fans, WBC World, Lineal and Ring Magazine Champion Fury is struggling to pick a winner and admits: “I have changed my mind on this fight a few times.”

Fury, who has trained with both boxers, feels the youth of 22-year-old Dubois is likely to prove an advantage come fight night.

He explained: “I have sparred both lads and it’s a good fight. They both have qualities and they both have weaknesses.

“But, after really analysing the situation, I think Dubois gets him early. Dubois is younger, fresher, punches very hard and is on a real roll at the moment.”

Most pundits believe that Joyce’s best hope of winning comes late on and Fury agrees, telling IFL TV: “If Joe can survive the early onslaught and take him into deep waters then he could win.”

“Joe starts slow, is like a plodder and goes at one pace all the way through. If he gets into seven rounds he could do it by late stoppage.”

“But, these are lads in the gym every day. They’re not gonna get tired and gas out after five rounds.

“It’s not like he (Dubois) is a fat fella who does no training. He is ripped, he trains every day like a trojan and he is a very good prospect.”

In the chief support Ilford’s Anthony Yarde will challenge Manchester’s Commonwealth Light-Heavyweight champion Lyndon Arthur in a brilliant 50-50 clash.

Other fighters on the bill include David Adeleye, Dennis McCann, Archie Sharp and Hamzah Sheeraz. Another title fight on the bill sees a rematch between British Welterweight Champion Chris Jenkins and Johnny Garton.

———————————

Tickets are now on sale via AXS.com and Ticketmaster.co.uk

Ticket Prices:

£400 Ringside – Hospitality
£300 Floor
£200 Floor
£150 Floor/Tier
£100 Tier
£80 Tier
£55 Upper Tier
£40 Upper Tier

THE EAGERLY ANTICIPATED ‘Seek and Destroy’ showdown between Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce at the o2 Arena on April 11 now has a blockbuster chief support in place with Anthony Yarde set to take on the unbeaten Lyndon Arthur.

In what is another huge domestic duel, Yarde – who lost out in a world title challenge to Sergey Kovalev on away soil in August of last year – goes in with Manchester’s former Team GB product and Commonwealth champion Arthur in what is certain to be a pulsating collision of big-punching light heavyweights.

Prior to his venture to Chelyabinsk – Kovalev’s home town – Yarde had stopped all but one of his previous opponents and worked his way to the No.1 position with the WBO, winning the Southern Area, WBO European and WBO Intercontinental titles along the way.

Before this, the explosive 28-year-old known as ‘The Beast’ had not been taken beyond seven rounds and he currently holds a 90 per cent KO-ratio. Yarde’s ring record stands at 19-1 (18 KOs).

Decorated amateur Arthur, also 28, has registered 12 KOs from his 16 professional fights and won his Commonwealth crown last time out against Emmanuel Anim in December.

Trained by Pat Barrett at the Collyhurst and Moston Gym, ‘King Arthur’ has long considered himself the dark horse of the currently hot division and was patiently awaiting a breakthrough opportunity against one of the marquee domestic light heavyweights.

His wait is nearly over and we can expect a fascinating clash between a vastly experienced former amateur star and one who exploded onto the scene and thrived despite a limited amateur background.

Further title action comes in the form of a British welterweight championship rematch between Chris Jenkins (22-3-3, 8 KOs) from Garnant in Wales and ‘The Pexican’, Peckham’s Johnny Garton (21-2-1, 10 KOs).

The pair met in March 2019 when Garton was champion – having won the belt in a thriller against Gary Corcoran – at the Royal Albert Hall. Jenkins prevailed via the scorecards after an enthralling encounter and now he makes his third defence, having clocked up a victory over Paddy Gallagher and a technical draw last time out with Liam Taylor, where the fight was stopped due to a severe cut.

WBO European super featherweight champion Archie Sharp (18-0, 9 KOs) will be in title action at the o2, along with the WBO European super welterweight champion Hamzah Sheeraz (10-0, 6 KOs).

‘Sharpshooter’ Sharp clinched his champion status in October 2018 with the defeat of the then unbeaten Lyon Woodstock in Leicester. He has since made three successful defences of his title and has broken into the top-five of the WBO world rankings.

Sheeraz, just 20, won his belt with an impressive stoppage of Birmingham’s experienced campaigner Ryan Kelly in November.

Also featuring on the stacked Dubois-Joyce undercard is big-hitting middleweight Denzel Bentley (12-0, 10 KOS), top heavyweight prospect and Tyson Fury sparring partner David Adeleye (1-0, 1 KO) and precocious bantamweight talent Dennis McCann (6-0, 4 KOs).

McCann’s Queensberry iBox Gym teammates Sam Noakes (3-0, 3 KOs), Henry Turner (2-0) and Micky Burke jr (3-0) join him on the big show.

———————————

Tickets are now on sale via AXS.com and Ticketmaster.co.uk

Ticket Prices:

£400 Ringside – Hospitality
£300 Floor
£200 Floor
£150 Floor/Tier
£100 Tier
£80 Tier
£55 Upper Tier
£40 Upper Tier

As the war of words heats up between domestic rivals Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce, Tyson Fury has emerged as a powerful source of inspiration for ‘The Juggernaut’.

Vowing to replicate The Gypsy King’s world-beating performance against Deontay Wilder, Joyce today laid out his game plan to expose ‘Dynamite’ on April 11th.“Tyson Fury showed what can happen when you bully a bully” he said, “and I plan to do the same to Daniel!”

The two will square off on Queensberry Promotions huge ‘Seek and Destroy’ card on April 11th at the O2 arena, in a contest that Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren has called “the biggest domestic battle in years”.

Dubois, coming off a terrifying one punch knockout of Japanese superstar Kyotaro Fujimoto, has emerged as an early favourite with the bookies but Joyce believes the hype surrounding ‘Dynamite’ is overblown.

“He has had it all his own way so far, but he knows what I’m all about.”

Joyce and Dubois famously sparred during their Team GB days, with Joe’s team claiming that they saw enough to not have to worry about the threat posed by their 22-year-old opponent.

Dubois has done some growing up since then, though, and is now 14-0 as a professional with 13 knockouts on his resume.

Joyce has proven to be no slouch in the pro game either with 10 wins, 9 KO’s and arguably the bigger scalps: fighters like Bryant Jennings, Alexander Ustinov and Bermane Stiverne have all fallen at the hands of ‘The Juggernaut’.

The upcoming fight between ‘Dynamite’ and ‘Juggernaut’ has, as such, been billed as a true ‘unstoppable force vs immovable object’ style tear-up and the build up so far has been fraught with a simmering hostility.

Both men are typically known for letting their actions in the ring do the talking but in the run-up to April 11th have been uncharacteristically vocal, fueled by what appears to be a genuine dislike for one another.

Joyce, however, doesn’t let the animosity phase him and insists he’ll conquer his heavyweight foe and claim the European, British and Commonwealth titles in crushing fashion.

“Daniel is talking about me only beating kids and downplaying my achievements. That’s up to him – no problem.” 

“I just hope he’s got good people around him when I beat him because he’s going to be a broken boy on April 11th.”

With the boxing world predicting that the winner of this huge domestic battle will go on to fight for world honours, time will only tell if Joyce can “bully a bully”, move past ‘Dynamite’ and continue to emulate Tyson Fury as a world champion.

———————————

Tickets are now on sale via AXS.com and Ticketmaster.co.uk

Ticket Prices:

£400 Ringside – Hospitality
£300 Floor
£200 Floor
£150 Floor/Tier
£100 Tier
£80 Tier
£55 Upper Tier
£40 Upper Tier

AN IMPRESSED Daniel Dubois has declared that Tyson Fury is “definitely the best right now” after The Gypsy King’s career best performance against Deontay Wilder on Saturday.

The 22-year-old unbeaten Heavyweight lauded Wilder v Fury 2 as a “great event” and heaped praise on the new WBC Champ Tyson.“Fury showed he’s the man and all the titles are back in Britain now. It’s great for British boxing!”

British fans allowed themselves to dream about a mouthwatering showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua after The Gypsy King’s phenomenal performance at the weekend, but ‘Dynamite’ admits he’d understand if Wilder chose to seek out a third fight.

Asked if the Bronze Bomber should trigger the immediate rematch clause in his contract, Dubois said “Yeah… it’ll be another great payday for him!”

But ‘Dynamite’ was less convinced by Wilder’s chances of reversing his fortunes in a trilogy fight: “I think the same thing happens again, but i’m sure it’ll be another great event.”

Interviewed at the Peacock Gym, where training camp is well under way for his titanic April 11 tussle with former Olympian Joe Joyce, Dubois declined to say how he’d approach a fight with The Gypsy King.

That said, the most exciting prospect in world boxing conceded that “when I get the chance I have it in mind what i’m going to do… I’ll rip the belts off of whoever has them!”

With one huge Heavyweight bonanza now out of the way, all eyes turn to Daniel’s battle with the ‘Juggernaut’ on April 11 at the O2 Arena.

The massive BT Sport Box Office event is considered a must-see scrap between the two hottest prospects in Heavyweight boxing, with most pundits predicting the winner will be knocking on the door of a world title opportunity.

Dubois agrees.

“Something really big is on the horizon for me. First, I have to deal with Joe. I’m not looking past him. This Joe fight could be for a world title!”

Promoter Frank Warren has referred to this as “the biggest domestic battle in years” and the sheer size of the event has ensured increased media attention for Dubois and his team.

Asked whether he understood why, ahead of Wilder vs Fury, many in the boxing world were questioning whether excessive media obligations could affect a fighters performance he simply said: “It’s all part of the game, you know?”

“It’s all talk, talk, talk. You’ve got to wait for the fight to see some fireworks going off!”

Level-headed Dubois has not allowed the pressure of a headline slot in one of the biggest Pay-Per-Views of the year go to his head and insists preparations for April 11 are going as well as can be expected.

“Eat, Sleep, Train, Repeat. That’s what we’re living like now. Nothing really interests me other than getting there and beating the hell out of him.”

Asked to sum up why fans should be excited for what is the biggest fight of his short career and the biggest domestic fight of 2020, ‘Dynamite’ said: “We’re on a collision course now, it’s all on the line.”

“It’s going to be a fight for the ages and I can’t wait for it!”

———————————

Tickets are now on sale via AXS.com and Ticketmaster.co.uk

Ticket Prices:

£400 Ringside – Hospitality
£300 Floor
£200 Floor
£150 Floor/Tier
£100 Tier
£80 Tier
£55 Upper Tier
£40 Upper Tier

LAS VEGAS, NV (February 20, 2020) – Heavyweight Jeremiah Milton, who recently signed a managerial agreement with Victory Sports & Entertainment, is now in Las Vegas, Nevada, sparring 2016 Olympic Silver Medalist Joe Joyce (10-0, 9 KOs), as he prepares for his bout with Daniel DuBois (14-0, 13 KOs).

“It feels good sparring someone of such a high caliber like Joe Joyce,” said Milton after training. “I came in second at the Olympic Trials, which gave me a ton of confidence. Now that I’m working with a fighter like Joe Joyce, I am learning a lot, and we are going hard rounds. Not a lot of fighters get this much experience prior to turning pro.”

Milton, a 25-year-old amateur stand-out from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who was a silver medalist at the Olympic Trials and won the Western Qualifiers in 2019, is ready to take his career to the next level.

“I made sacrifices last year, I moved to Oakland to train and get better,” stated Milton. “Now I am training in Las Vegas and I want to be the best I can be. I have to go where there’s world championship level sparring, it doesn’t get better than this. Helping Joe Joyce with his camp is just the start of many great things for me.”

Milton, who is fresh out of the amateurs, is more focused than ever on making a statement as a professional. His manager Mike Leanardì is thrilled with this opportunity.

“Milton has only been boxing for three years, but is able to give Joe Joyce quality work, which speaks to Milton’s attributes,” said Mike Leanardì, CEO of Victory Sports & Entertainment. “Milton is a person with strong character and a lot of integrity as well as talent. Learning from a decorated amateur and rising pro like Joe Joyce will only improve Jeremiah, and his quest to become a world champion.”

THE ALREADY HUGE heavyweight showdown between Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce at the o2 Arena on April 11 – live on BT Sport Box Office – has just got bigger with news that the vacant European title will also be on the line.
 
Joyce was originally mandated to fight Marco Huck for the coveted belt in January before the Berlin man succumbed to injury. The pair were set to fight following the vacating of the belt by Agit Kabayel.
 
The EBU have now determined that Dubois and Joyce, the two rising stars of the world heavyweight division, will fight for the European honour.
 
The big collision at the o2 now has the European, WBC Silver and WBO International, along with the British and Commonwealth titles riding on it.
 
The last British holder of the EBU belt was Tyson Fury, who defeated previous owner Dereck Chisora at the ExCel Arena in November 2014. Henry Akinwande, Lennox Lewis, Derek Williams, Frank Bruno, John L Gardner, Joe Bugner and Henry Cooper are amongst other British fighters to have held the heavyweight belt.
 
Promoter Frank Warren is delighted with the development.
 
“The EBU sanctioning this fight for the vacant title is the cherry on the cake,” said the Hall of Fame man, who is currently in Las Vegas with Tyson Fury.
 
“They have recognised the magnitude of the fight, the fact that it is between two unbeaten fighters who are the best two up and coming heavyweight forces in world boxing.
 
“I am particularly pleased for Joe given that his European shot didn’t happen in January, while for Daniel it nicely continues the ‘every belt’ journey we have set him on.
 
“Daniel vs Joe is a fight that you simply cannot afford to miss.”

———————————

Tickets are now on sale via AXS.com and Ticketmaster.co.uk

Ticket Prices:

£400 Ringside – Hospitality
£300 Floor
£200 Floor
£150 Floor/Tier
£100 Tier
£80 Tier
£55 Upper Tier
£40 Upper Tier

ONE WEEK after his titanic battle with Joe Joyce was officially announced, Daniel Dubois has sought to dismiss his opponents past accomplishments and again insisted that their fight on April 11 at London’s O2 Arena will be the last of Juggernaut’s career.

In an explosive interview, ‘Dynamite’ took aim at Joyce’s amateur success and questioned the legitimacy of his early wins over the likes of Filip Hrgovic and Tony Yoka.

“Joe likes to talk about his amateur career but let’s be honest, he was a grown man beating up kids.”

Joe Joyce was a decorated amateur and won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics in a fight that many thought he won.

Dubois, however, believes that the sizey age gap between Joyce and his opponents is the only reason he won so many accolades.

The 22 year old Greenwich heavyweight insists “the only reason he did so well is because of the massive age difference between him and everyone else.”

“He was a 30 year old man when he fought at the Olympics. His opponents were all in their early 20’s!”

Joyce won Gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and European Games to go alongside his Olympic Silver and is considered one of Britain’s best ever amateurs

He’s been no slouch since turning pro either and has gone unbeaten in 10 bouts, with notable wins including Bryant Jennings and Bermane Stiverne.

Alongside Dubois, Joyce is considered one of the hottest prospects in Heavyweight boxing but ‘Dynamite’ believes Joyce lacks the focus and preparation to compete with him come April 11.

“I’ve heard he’s changed trainers again… he’s had more trainers than he’s won belts!”

Joe Joyce recently split from coach Adam Booth and has set sail for Las Vegas to train under the watchful eye of Ismael Salas, in a move that some in the boxing world questioned.

Dubois believes there is a very simple explanation for the sudden split, however.

“He’s nervous, he’s panicking and he’s regretting signing for this fight. It’s starting to dawn on him that this is the last fight of his career.”

When asked what he thought about Joyce choosing to take his training camp to the states ahead of Queensberry Promotions huge ‘Seek and Destroy’ card in April, Dubois said: “I’m glad he’s going to get some sun in Las Vegas.”

“This will be the last fight of his career, he should enjoy his final camp before he retires.”

Tickets are now on sale via AXS.com and Ticketmaster.co.uk

Ticket Prices:

£400 Ringside – Hospitality
£300 Floor
£200 Floor
£150 Floor/Tier
£100 Tier
£80 Tier
£55 Upper Tier
£40 Upper Tier

OLYMPIC Gold medal hope Frazer Clarke believes Joe Joyce will shock Daniel Dubois in their sensational heavyweight battle.

Few boxer are more qualified than Clarke to give a verdict on the clash that has got the nation talking.

Clarke sparred with both men during their days on the Team GB squad and says: “I see a Joe Joyce win after five rounds.

“It’s the most exciting fight of recent times in British boxing. Joyce is the winner for me in a difficult fight.”

The unbeaten giants clash over 12 rounds at The O2, London on Saturday April 11, live on BT Sport Box Office. The winner can expect to be on the brink of a world title shot.

‘Dynamite’ Dubois, 22, is the current British, Commonwealth, WBC Silver and WBO International champion. Olympic silver medallist ‘Juggernaut’ Joyce, holds the WBA Gold championship and is the former Commonwealth and WBA Continental champion.

Dubois (14-0, 13KOs) turned professional in April 2017 and Joyce (10-0, 9KOs) followed him into the professional ranks six months later after they both spent time on the GB squad with Clarke.

Big Frazer who is preparing for an 2020 Olympic qualifying tournament next month believes the experience of Joyce who is 12 years older than Dubois could prove crucial.

Britain’s current number one super-heavyweight amateur boxer added: “It is a really good fight and I am looking forward to it.

“Daniel will be very dangerous early on and can Joe can weather the storm?

“That might sound like I am sitting on the fence but going by the experience of the two fighters, I think Joe might have more if he survives the early onslaught.

“It’s a Joe Joyce win for me, but it is a difficult fight because Daniel is an absolute talent and a half.”

Tickets are now on sale via AXS.com and Ticketmaster.co.uk

Ticket Prices:
£400 Ringside – Hospitality
£300 Floor
£200 Floor
£150 Floor/Tier
£100 Tier
£80 Tier
£55 Upper Tier
£40 Upper Tier

THE big and much anticipated heavyweight showdown between Britain’s undefeated KO merchants ‘Dynamite’ Daniel Dubois and Olympic silver medalist ‘Juggernaut’ Joe Joyce is finally on.

The pair will duke it out at The O2, London on Saturday April 11 live on BT Sport Box Office.

British, Commonwealth, WBC Silver and WBO International champion, Dubois will go in against Joyce, the WBA Gold champion and the former Commonwealth and WBA Continental champion, ranked No.1 by the EBU.

It is a fight that has been brewing since the London pair were put forward to contend for the British title last summer, but ultimately headed in alternate directions, with Dubois (14-0) taking on fellow young heavy Nathan Gorman and Joyce (10-0) scoring a notable win over the experienced American Bryant Jennings.

There can be little dispute that Dubois and Joyce are the frontrunners when it comes to the emerging forces in the heavyweight division, and the winner of their much anticipated 12-round battle will be on the brink of a world heavyweight title challenge.

For Dubois, 22, it is a natural next step following his belt-collecting exploits since turning professional in April 2017 and subsequently winning nine championship titles inside 41 rounds of action.

Dubois, ranked number three by the WBO said: “This is the biggest fight of my career without doubt. This will be the fight that announces me to the world.

“I think I am better than Joe in every department. I have a better jab, I have better movement, I have more power. The only thing Joe has over me is experience, but he’s never boxed anyone as young and as hungry as me.

“This will be the most devastating performance of my career.”

Joyce, 34, won the Commonwealth title in his fourth professional fight, having made his professional debut in October 2017, and won his WBA strap in December 2018 following a first round stoppage of Joe Hanks.

He defeated former WBC world champion Bermane Stiverne via a sixth round KO in February 2019 and then scored a quick fire third round victory over the giant Alexander Ustinov in his first appearance as a Queensberry Promotions fighter last May.

The unanimous points decision over Jennings came in the July before a period of inactivity followed while he awaited mandatory shots at the European and WBA Regular titles that have yet to come to fruition.

Besides his Gold belt, Joyce enjoys high rankings with the WBC and WBO.

He said: “This is a massive fight there’s no denying that there’s a lot on the line on both sides but experience is something you can’t buy and I’ve got tonnes of it and I believe it’ll play a huge factor in this fight.”

Now an epic domestic duel awaits between two of British boxing’s biggest stars and Frank Warren who promotes both boxers is delighted to deliver it for fight fans.

“People always talks about wanting the best to fight the best,” said the Hall of Fame promoter.

“Well, on February 22 we have the No.1 and No.2 heavyweights in the world settling a score in Las Vegas, then in April we have the two best up and coming heavyweights in the world putting it on the line at the O2 Arena.

“It is a fight that needed to be made to see which man is ready to challenge the elite at the top end of the division and which one will reset and go again.

“This is one both men could easily have avoided and navigated a less perilous route to the top, but they want to get it on and give the fans what they want to see.

“When that first bell rings and it will be edge-of-seat stuff right from the off.

“The contrast in styles will be fascinating, Daniel being a classic banger, with strong fundamentals and a ramrod jab that gets better all the time. Joe has got a style all of his own and comes at his opponents relentlessly from every angle.

“Can Daniel withstand the swarming force of Joe? Can Joe absorb the bludgeoning power of Daniel? We’ll find out soon enough on April 18 and it is absolutely one not to be missed.”

Sam Jones who heads Joyce’s management company S-JAM Boxing added: “This is a monster fight for Joe. We are proud that after only 10 fights he will headline The O2 in a pay-per-view fight against one of the most exciting young boxers in the UK.

“We are all confident that Joe will win. His experience and amateur pedigree will shine through on this massive night for British boxing.”

Tickets go on general sale at 12pm on Friday 7th February via AXS.com and Ticketmaster.co.uk

Ticket Prices:

£400 Ringside – Hospitality
£300 Floor
£200 Floor
£150 Floor/Tier
£100 Tier
£80 Tier
£55 Upper Tier
£40 Upper Tier

Hot heavyweight prospect Daniel DuBois destroyed Kyotaro Fujimoto in round two of a scheduled 10-round bout at The Copper Box Arena in London.

In round two, duBois dropped Fujimoto with a jab. Moments later it was a booming right hand that sent Fujimoto down and out for several minutes at the 2:10 mark.

DuBois is 14-0 with 13 knockouts. Fujimoto of Japan is 21-2.

Liam Williams stopped Alantez Fox in round five of a scheduled 12-round Middleweight bout.

In round one, Williams was cut around the left eye. In round three, Fox was cut on the bridge of his nose. In round four, Williams dropped Fox with a perfect straight right. In round five, Fox was deducted a point for holding. Later in the round, Williams landed a flush combination to the head that buckled Fox and he eventually fell that forced the referee to stop the bout at 2:59.

Williams, 159 lbs of Wales is now 22-2-1 with 17 knockouts. Fox, 159 lbs of Forestville, MD is 26-2-1.

Sunny Edwards remained undefeated with a 12-round unanimous decision over Marcel Braithwaite in a super flyweight bout.

In round seven, Braithwaite dropped Edwards with a hard right hand. Edwards was cut over his right eye, but Edwards dominated the rest of the fight by scores of 118-109 and 117-110 twice/

Edwards, 114.9 lbs of London is 14-0. Braothwaite, 114.8 lbs of Liverpool is 9-2.

David Adelye made a successful pro debut with a 1st round stoppage over Dmitri Kalinovsku in a scheduled four-round heavyweight bout.

Adeleye pummeled Kalinovsku until the bout was stopped at 2:25.

Adeleye, 218.4 lbs of London is 1-0 with one knockout. Kalinovsku, 200 lbs of Lithuania is 13-63-4.

Tommy Fury destroyed Przemslaw Binienda in the 1st round of their scheduled six-round light heavyweight fight,

Fury dropped Binienda with a powerful right in the 1st 15 seconds of the contest. He dropped Binienda again with a flurry of punches. Fury landed a hard combination and the fight was stopped in 62 seconds.

Fury, 179.8 lbs of England is 3-0 with two knockouts. Binienda, 179.7 lbs of Poland is 2-27.

COPPER BOX RUNNING ORDER

Fight # 1 – 15:00 hrs (First Bell)

6 X 3 Minute Rounds International Cruiserweight Contest

JAMES BRANCH JNR???? v ISTVAN ORSOS

Fight # 2

4 X 3 Minute Rounds Welterweight Contest

MICKEY BURKE JNR???? v M.J HALL

Fight # 3

4 X 3 Minute Rounds Super-Lightweight Contest

HENRY TURNER????? v NAHEEM CHAUDHRY

Fight # 4

4 X 3 Minute Rounds Lightweight Contest

MOHAMMAD BILAL ALI???? v JAMIE SPEIGHT

Fight # 5

4 X 3 Minute Rounds Featherweight Contest

LOUIE LYNN????? v ?BRETT FIDOE

Fight # 6

6 X 3 Minute Rounds Super-Bantamweight Contest

CHRIS BOURKE????? v LOUIS NORMAN

Fight # 7 

4 X 3 Minute Rounds Lightweight Contest

SAM NOAKES ????? v DARYL PEARCE

Fight # 8

8 X 3 Minute Rounds International Middleweight Contest

DENZEL BENTLEY???? v ?ADAM GRABIEC

Fight # 9

THE VACANT IBF EUROPEAN SUPER-WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

10 X 3 Minute Rounds

TROY WILLIAMSON???? v DARIO SOCCI

BT SPORT LIVE – 19:30

Fight # 10

THE VACANT BRITISH SUPER-FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

12 X 3 Minute Rounds

SUNNY EDWARDS?  (8st 2lb 9oz)?? ?? v MARCEL BRAITHWAITE (8st 2lb 8oz)

Fight # 11

4 X 3 Minute Rounds International Heavyweight Contest

DAVID ADELEYE????? (15st 8lb 4oz) v DMITRIJ KALINOVSKIJ

Fight # 12

THE VACANT WBO INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP AND FINAL ELIMINATOR THE WBO WORLD MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

12 X 3 Minute Rounds

LIAM WILLIAMS???? (11st 5lb 4oz)?? v ALANTEZ FOX (11st 5lb 12oz)

Fight # 13

6 X 3 Minute Rounds International Light-Heavyweight Contest

TOMMY FURY?? (12st 11lb 8oz)??? v PRZEMSLAW BINIENDA (12st 11lb 7oz)

Fight # 14

THE WBO INTERNATIONAL AND VACANT WBC SILVER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

10 X 3 Minute Rounds

DANIEL DUBOIS?? (17st 2lb)??? v KYOTARO FUJIMOTO (16st 6lb 4oz)

Fight # 15

THE WBO EUROPEAN SUPER-FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

10 X 3 Minute Rounds @ 130 lbs

ARCHIE SHARP????? (9st 2lb) v ARTJOMS RAMLAVS (9st 4lb)————————ABOUT THE SHOW Unbeaten Heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois (13-0) looks to continue his path of destruction against Japan’s Kyotaro Fujimoto (21-1). The WBC Silver Heavyweight championship and the WBO International Heavyweight belts will be on the line.Liam Williams (21-2-1) faces American Alantez Fox (26-1-1) for the right to become number one in the rankings for the WBO world middleweight crown.Sunny Edwards (13-0) fights for the vacant British super-flyweight title against former amateur teammate Marcel Braithwaite (9-1), with Light Heavyweight prospect and Love Island star Tommy Fury (2-0) making his long awaited return to the boxing ring after winning the hearts of the nation on the popular ITV reality television show over the summer. Tickets from £40are now on sale viaSeetickets and viaTicketmaster

Ticket prices:

£250 – Hospitality
£150 – Floor
£100 – Floor
£75 – Floor
£50 – Lower Tier
£40 – Upper Tier  

DANIEL DUBOIS AND his opponent at the Copper Box Arena, Kyotaro Fujimoto, went face-to-face for the first time at the BT studios in Stratford ahead of the bumper ‘The Fight Before Christmas’ show on Saturday night, live on BT Sport 1, with the WBC Silver and WBO International heavyweight titles at stake.

Also featuring in headline action is Liam Williams, who takes on the American Alantez Fox in a final eliminator to fight for the WBO world middleweight title.

Below are the key quotes from the lead characters on Saturday night’s card.

Daniel Dubois

I have not underestimated him because every fight I prepare for like it is for a world title. It is a good fight and I would never overlook anyone. I have not looked at him closely because I leave that to my coach and I just keep hard at work in the gym with sparring.

I will just do what I have done all year round. I have been active and I am ready to go again. It has been an amazing year and it will be an even better one next year.

I am young and ready to go, I have a lot of ability and I am ready to be pushed on now. It is about getting the right fights and Frank is mapping out a route to mandatories. I would definitely go in with someone like Joshua and it is what I have been dreaming of since the day I started boxing, being in massive fights and coming through and winning them.

This one will be another devastating finish and a good performance.

Kyotaro Fujimoto

I would like to acknowledge the hospitality of promoter Frank Warren and reciprocate with a bottle of Saki.

I just want to express how happy I am to have such a big chance with belts on the line. It doesn’t come around very often so, when I win, I will be even happier on Saturday.

As you know we have a lot of excellent boxers in the lower weights in Japan, but there aren’t many heavyweights to speak of. I want to make history here with my performance and create more interest in the heavyweight division in Japan.

There aren’t many people for me to spar with in Japan, so it has been a very enriching experience for me training in LA, especially getting to move around with bigger guys around Daniel’s size.

The power they have too, to experience that has been a good learning experience.

Frank Warren

It does promise to be a terrific show. We’ve got a great main event along with excellent support bouts with great competitive fights. Every one of them will be good fights, I am looking forward to it and I think we will give the fans value for money.

The winner out of Liam Williams and Alantez Fox will get Andrade. I think Andrade is fighting in January and whoever wins this will be in with him. Alantez is a quality operator, 6ft 4” tall southpaw and he obviously fancies the job by coming to the UK. I’ve got every confidence in Liam, who is with us and he has been craving a meaningful fight at this weight and we have delivered it to him.

It is not like he hasn’t been in the position of pushing for world titles before, but he seems to be much, much more comfortable at middleweight and I think we’ve got a real good fight on our hands with these two guys.

Fujimoto must be an Arsenal fan with hair like that, but who wants to be an Arsenal fans these days… For Daniel this is the chance to get a WBA ranking, Kyotaro is 21-1 and he lost that fight eight years ago. He comes from a fighting background and was a world champion kickboxer. He is game and he is coming over to fight Daniel, so he cannot take anything for granted.

This is all about Daniel. It has been a busy year and he wants to out with a bang to set himself up for 2020. All the big guns are fighting next year, Joshua regained his title and has got two mandatories coming, while Tyson is fighting DeontayWilder in February and they may another fight in the summer.

When the dust has all settled these guys will have a mandatory and maybe one of the titles will be freed up. It is Daniel’s job to win on Saturday and then by say October to get himself into a mandatory position to fight for a world title. That is where we are at.

People may laugh about it, but if I could make him and Anthony Joshua today I would make it. I am so confident and I know who I would have my money on.

Alantez Fox

I’ve never fought anyone anywhere near my height and I am actually 6ft 5”. In my fight against Andrade I tore a muscle in my rotator cuff and, after carrying on using it, I tore my bicep in my left arm. I fought from round one to round 12 with several injuries in my left arm. I had surgery and sat out for about a year and this will be my fourth fight back.

He called me a skinny little rat and it was funny to me at first and I told him to call me the rat from Ninja Turtles. He’s sees me now and I don’t look like a skinny rat.

I’ve watched several fights and have studied him. I don’t take Liam lightly at all. No disrespect to the other fighters, but our fight is the best one on the card. I’ve watched him and I don’t think this is the guy to beat me. He’s never fought someone like me and it is not going to be a stoppage, man.

I can control the fight at whatever distance I want to. He is definitely underestimating me. I will box his ass off and come out victorious. There is nothing he can do in there to beat me.

Liam Williams

I really believe he is a quality fighter, even though I have said things. He is quality and he has got obvious advantages over me in height and reach. It doesn’t matter, but he is a good boxer and he is going to come and try and keep it long.

I am just going to tear though him and I will, one hundred per cent. It is a huge night after taking my losses a couple of years ago and I have come a long way from there. I am not going to allow a loss to happen again. I am fully prepared and, whether it is Alantez Fox in my way or someone else, I don’t think they are going to stop me. I am motivated and I fully believe I will beat anyone put in front of me right now.

I believe I have come on a long way since switching to Sheffield and Dominic Ingle has done very good things for me in terms of my training and even the way I approach each situation mentally. He has done a lot for me and I had a good trainer before in Gary Lockett and we remain friends.

I needed to take that next step and, for me, a big thing was moving away from home where I fully dedicate myself, whereas before I was cutting corners. Now everything is bang on and I’ve got no excuses. I am just looking forward to seeing the level I can reach when performing at my best.

I just think he is going to be in for a tough night and I am sure he thinks the same about me. It is going to be a good fight and I personally think we should be top of the bill. Jokes aside we should be the main fight because it is probably going to last three rounds, while Daniel’s will probably last one or two.

Our fight is the one to watch because there will be more to see. Although as soon as I clip him on the chin a couple of times he is probably going to go into his shell. I will pound the life out of him.

I will be top of the bill next time.

TOMMY FURY

I have had a good summer and it has been a bit different. I am a young lad and, when it got put to me at first (Love Island), I thought I am a young lad, I am 20 and what is the rush. Taking a few months out has done me no harm and it was something I wanted to do.

So I went on and did it and it has paid off massively. I don’t want everyone to forget what I did before that. I am not a reality TV person, although I have done a few spin-offs from it, I am a boxer and it is what I have done my whole life from when I was small.

I don’t regard myself as anybody sat at this table. If I had my way I wouldn’t be on that wall because I’ve done nothing as a boxer. So forget about all that other stuff because it is not important.

It is a bit different when I walk down the street now, of course, but when you boil it down does it really mean anything? Is it really going to change my life that much? It is not really important.

The only thing I want in life is to be a world champion. Money and fame doesn’t interest me. You can look back to when I was 14 or 15 and I am the same now as I was back then.

I’ve done a little bit of sparring with Tyson and I will be the first to say it was absolutely pointless! I never landed a shot and never even looked like landing a shot. It is experience, he is the best in the world and that is the reason why.

There is nobody better to spar with because I am learning everything I could possibly learn off him.

I would not be sat here right now if I didn’t believe I could become a world champion. Believe me when I say that. Boxing is too hard of a game just to tip and tap, you’ve got to be all or nothing and that is the way I think about everything.

I will be a world champion in the future, but I am 20 year’s old and there is no rush.

PICTURES FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE HERE

————————
ABOUT THE SHOW
Unbeaten Heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois (13-0) looks to continue his path of destruction against Japan’s Kyotaro Fujimoto (21-1). The WBC Silver Heavyweight championship and the WBO International Heavyweight belts will be on the line.
Liam Williams (21-2-1) faces American Alantez Fox (26-1-1) for the right to become number one in the rankings for the WBO world middleweight crown.
Sunny Edwards (13-0) fights for the vacant British super-flyweight title against former amateur teammate Marcel Braithwaite (9-1), with Light Heavyweight prospect and Love Island star Tommy Fury (2-0) making his long awaited return to the boxing ring after winning the hearts of the nation on the popular ITV reality television show over the summer.
Tickets from £40 are now on sale via Seetickets and via Ticketmaster

Ticket prices:

£250 – Hospitality
£150 – Floor
£100 – Floor
£75 – Floor
£50 – Lower Tier
£40 – Upper Tier
Like Like
Tweet Tweet
+1 +1
Forward to Friend Forward to Friend

Dec. 18, 2019) — The 22-year-old heavyweight destroyer,London’s Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois, will look to close out his breakthrough 2019 in devastating fashion Saturday from the Copper Box Arena in his hometown against Japan’s Kyotaro Fujimoto.
 
The 12-round bout will be contested for Dubois’ WBO International and the vacant WBC Silver heavyweight belts, with the winner positioning himself for a potential world title opportunity in 2020.
 
Dubois (13-0, 12 KOs) is 4-0 in 2019, and his fights — all of which have streamed live on ESPN+ — have lasted a total of 12 rounds. He began his 2019 campaign with a second-round KO of former world title challenger Razvan Cojanu in March and followed that up with a four-round slugfest the following month against Ghanaian veteran Richard Lartey. Dubois captured British title honors in July with a fifth-round stoppage over fellow unbeaten Nathan Gorman and dominated Ebenezer Tetteh in 2:10 to pick up the vacant Commonwealth crown in September. Fujimoto (21-1, 13 KOs) is unbeaten in 16 fights dating back to 2012 and has won his last five via stoppage.
 
In other action on the card, presented by Queensberry Promotions:

• Tommy Fury (2-0, 1 KO), Tyson Fury’s half-brother and fresh off a stint on the popular British reality TV show “Love Island,” will return in a six-rounder at light heavyweight.
   
• Liam “The Machine” Williams (21-2-1, 16 KOs), who is riding a five-bout winning streak, will fight 6-foot-4 American contender Alantez Fox (26-1-1, 12 KOs) in a 12-round WBO middleweight world title eliminator. Fox has won three straight since a 2017 decision loss to current WBO middleweight world champion Demetrius Andrade.
   
• Former British amateur star David Adeleye will make his long-awaited professional debut in a four-round heavyweight contest against an opponent to be named.
   
• Sunny “Showtime” Edwards (13-0, 4 KOs), one of Great Britain’s rising young talents, will battle Marcel “The Chosen One” Braithwaite (9-1, 0 KOs) in a 12-rounder for the vacant British super flyweight crown. Edwards is 3-0 in 2019 and has won regional titles at both flyweight and super flyweight. 

For more information, visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook: facebook.com/trboxing; Twitter: twitter.com/trboxing.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the leading direct-to-consumer sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ grew quickly to 3.5 million subscribers in 18 months, offering fans thousands of live events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content.
 
Programming on ESPN+ includes exclusive UFC and Top Rank boxing events, thousands of college sports events (including football and basketball) from more than a dozen sports at 20 conferences, hundreds of MLB and NHL games, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, Bundesliga – beginning in 2020, EFL Championship and Carabao Cup, Eredivisie), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, exclusive ESPN+ Original series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films.
 
Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) through the ESPN App, (on mobile and connected devices), ESPN.com or ESPNplus.com.  It is also available as part of a bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu (ad-supported), and ESPN+ ­— all for just $12.99/month.

JUST FOUR DAYS AWAY from his titanic tussle with Daniel Dubois, Japanese Heavyweight Kyotaro Fujimoto today battled the British weather as he enjoyed ‘Christmas by the River’ market at London Bridge City. Unphased by the prospect of festive fisticuffs with power-puncher Daniel, confident Kyotaro spent the day sampling food from the bustling Christmas market, posing for photos beneath the iconic Tower Bridge and bizarrely facing-off with a sculpture of The Snowman. Bah Humbug, indeed. In London’s most picturesque seasonal market, Kyotaro indulged in a grilled chicken and rice dish, followed swiftly by an enormous hot dog with mustard. The hungry Heavyweight then issued a warning to his younger adversary. “Daniel Dubois, I’m going to knock you out!”, he thundered. Daniel ‘Dynamite’ Dubois, famed for the explosive power which inspired his moniker, is the bookies favourite for the scrap on Saturday. Boasting an impressive 13-0 record with 12 knockouts at just 22-years-old, Dubois is considered by many a future World Champion. And having recently despatched of Ghanaian Ebenezer Tetteh to claim the Commonwealth gold in September, ‘Dynamite’ is riding a run of form which would terrify most men. Kyotaro Fujimoto is not most men, however, and once he bought himself a novelty Union Jack hat from one of the stalls under the cover of Hays Galleria he promised to nab the victory “for Japan.” “I love Japan. I am very proud of being Japanese and I will win for them.” A man who clearly wears his heart on his sleeve, or even his head, Fujimoto recently unveiled a shocking new haircut that features the Japanese flag – the Hinomaru – shaven into the back. Posing for photos with passers-by, who were enthralled by his towering stature and eccentric look, Kyotaro admitted he liked to “stand out”. “I like colourful clothes, colourful hair… my outfit today was made especially for this match-up.” He even revealed that as a young child he took up combat sports because of this desire to stand out from the crowd. A former K1 World Champion in the sport of kickboxing, Kyotaro might look to some like a joker but when it comes to fighting he is anything but and he believes he and his team are well prepared for Dubois and will return to their native Japan victorious “Daniel is a good fighter, he is big and strong” he conceded, “but I am very experienced and I love to fight. I am ready to perform over twelve hard rounds.” He was coy when pressed on the fight he’d like next should he best Dubois, but did suggest that he would be happy to have a crack at any of the big names in the division. “Joshua, Wilder, Fury. These are the best fighters in the world and to fight any world champion would be amazing.” Before he can realise those dreams however, it’s Daniel Dubois at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday night with the WBC Silver and WBO International Titles on the line. Fujimoto’s #13 ranking with the WBA is also up for grabs and, with promoter Frank Warren keen to get Daniel ranked by all of the governing bodies, you’d expect the Japanese bruiser to be feeling under significant pressure. It didn’t show today though, as It was all smiles at the magnificent ‘Christmas by the River’ for Fujimoto and his team. —–
About Christmas by the River
Taking place at London Bridge City, Christmas by the River features 70+ market stalls selling boutique gifts and artisan produce and has a busy schedule of festive workshops. Stretching from The Pier to the Riverside Lodge bar at The Scoop, it’s one of London’s most picturesque markets. Overlooked by Tower Bridge and the iconic City skyline, it was voted the best Christmas market to impress a first date in 2018.

About London Bridge City
London Bridge City is a bustling riverside destination incorporating More London, Hay’s Galleria, Cottons Centre and No. 1 London Bridge. A changing programme of arts, entertainment and events, world class food and drink against a backdrop of great architecture. 
————  ABOUT THE SHOW Unbeaten Heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois (13-0) looks to continue his path of destruction against Japan’s Kyotaro Fujimoto (21-1). The WBC Silver Heavyweight championship and the WBO International Heavyweight belts will be on the line.Liam Williams (21-2-1) faces American Alantez Fox (26-1-1) for the right to become number one in the rankings for the WBO world middleweight crown.Sunny Edwards (13-0) fights for the vacant British super-flyweight title against former amateur teammate Marcel Braithwaite (9-1), with Light Heavyweight prospect and Love Island star Tommy Fury (2-0) making his long awaited return to the boxing ring after winning the hearts of the nation on the popular ITV reality television show over the summer. Tickets from £40are now on sale viaSeetickets and viaTicketmaster

Ticket prices:

£250 – Hospitality
£150 – Floor
£100 – Floor
£75 – Floor
£50 – Lower Tier
£40 – Upper Tier  

PROUD JAPANESE HEAVYWEIGHT Kyotaro Fujimoto has unveiled a patriotic new hairdo at an airport in Tokyo as he begins his journey to London.

Whilst surely hoping to avoid a close shave with the explosive power of ‘Dynamite’ Dubois on Saturday night at the Copper Box, he was clearly happy to let his barber loose with the clippers.No stranger to hair-raising stunts, the new cut follows swiftly on the heels of a bizarre press conference in which Fujimoto unveiled a man in a panda costume as his sparring partner.

But the #13 WBA ranked Heavyweight has assured fans he is deadly serious about the upcoming bout and wants to return to his native Japan a hero.

In comments to frankwarren.com, Fujimoto recently promised he was “going in there to fight and make everyone in Japan proud.”

He added: “I promise to put on a good fight and win.”

Daniel Dubois, famed for his knockout power, is the bookies favourite to win but confident Kyotaro believes he is well prepared to beat the young London prospect.

In a video released to social media, Fujimoto revealed plans to beat Daniel at his own game as he threatened: “Dubois, I punch hard… so please be careful.”

Leaning into the camera menacingly, he yelled: “I’M READY FOR YOU!”

The scrap on Saturday will be for the WBC Silver and WBO International Titles and that alone is enough to make history for Fujimoto: he will be the first Japanese boxer to contest those belts.

Speaking to Nikkan Sports before boarding his plane, he said he was “grateful for this opportunity.”

Before battling Dubois for the silverware, the first fight Fujimoto must win this week is against jet lag.

In the media huddle before take-off, he revealed that he had only just returned from his US training camp and barely had time to have his barnet trimmed before setting off for Blighty.

“I don’t even know what’s in my suitcase” the bewildered bruiser admitted.

Speaking to Boxing Mobile, he said: “sparring 60 rounds with giant boxers in the US, I’ve done all I can to prepare. My opponent is young and vigorous, but i’m going to fight with determination and win.”

“No one knows what will happen until you get in the ring” he added, “but I’m going to enjoy this moment.”

The journey to London may be a long one, but the journey to the Copper Box has been much longer for 33-year-old Kyotaro and the patriotic Heavyweight clearly believes he’s ready to spring a surprise on December 21st.

——————————-

ABOUT THE SHOW 

Unbeaten Heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois (13-0) looks to continue his path of destruction against Japan’s Kyotaro Fujimoto (21-1). The WBC Silver Heavyweight championship and the WBO International Heavyweight belts will be on the line.

Liam Williams (21-2-1) faces American Alantez Fox (26-1-1) for the right to become number one in the rankings for the WBO world middleweight crown.

Sunny Edwards (13-0) fights for the vacant British super-flyweight title against former amateur teammate Marcel Braithwaite (9-1), with Light Heavyweight prospect and Love Island star Tommy Fury (2-0) making his long awaited return to the boxing ring after winning the hearts of the nation on the popular ITV reality television show over the summer. 

Tickets from £40 are now on sale via Seetickets and via Ticketmaster

£250 – Hospitality
£150 – Floor
£100 – Floor
£75 – Floor
£50 – Lower Tier
£40 – Upper Tier  

IN A HUGE END TO THE YEAR for Heavyweight boxing, the most exciting prospect in the sport Daniel Dubois has had his say on who will reign supreme once the New Year rolls around.

In an explosive interview ‘Dynamite’ also declared he’d be hunting down big name rivals throughout 2020, targeting fighters such as Joseph Parker and Alexander Povetkin.

Looking at the more immediate picture, he believes that Deontay Wilder will “knock Luis Ortiz out in devastating fashion” but struggled to predict the finish to Joshua vs Ruiz

“Obviously Ruiz got the job done last time out, but let’s see what happens.”

He added: “No one should underestimate Anthony Joshua as he’s done a lot for the sport but if he hasn’t improved on last time he could be in trouble.”

The young gun went on to question AJ’s appetite for the game: “If he’s still got the hunger he had years ago, he might have a chance.”

Asked to pick between the 4 fighters currently atop the Heavyweight tree, ‘Dynamite’ suggested all roads lead to Fury vs Wilder 2.

“Deontay would beat AJ and Ruiz. He has too much power, too much killer instinct. He’d knock them both out”.

“Tyson beats both of them, too. Whoever wins in the Wilder and Fury rematch is the man… for now”

Daniel, 13-0 with 12 KO’s, is considered the next big thing in Heavyweight boxing and always has one eye on developments in the division.

“I’m always watching. Those are the 4 biggest names in the sport, but also Usyk, Kownacki, Parker, Povetkin… Everyone has an opinion on who I should fight.”

“Someone told me yesterday that Parker was annoyed that his promoter can’t get him fights. As the busiest Heavyweight in boxing, i’d be happy to give him work.”

When the topic of fighting one of the so-called big 4 came up, Daniel would simply say that “i’m ready for anyone.”

Dubois, under the guidance of promoter Frank Warren, has made it clear that he is planning an assault on the major World Titles in the near future.

In the short term, though, he is after fights that improve his rankings and acquire coveted silverware.

Next up is Japanese Heavyweight Kyotaro Fujimoto, ranked #12 with the WBA, for the WBO International and WBC Silver Title.

“I’m looking forward to getting out again and continuing my rise to the top. Fujimoto is a serious fighter, we’re preparing well and come December 21st I intend to put on a show stopping performance.”

“I don’t look past people, I go through them. Fujimoto is a big step on my route to being the unified world champion.”

So whilst Dubois may be predicting either Fury or Wilder to reign supreme in the short term, he’s clearly backing himself to be the man left standing when the dust settles on the Heavyweight division.
————————————————-

Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions are heading to the Copper Box Arena to stage a bumper night of boxing on December 21st.

Unbeaten Heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois (13-0) looks to continue his path of destruction against Japan’s Kyotaro Fujimoto (21-1). The WBC Silver Heavyweight championship and the WBO International Heavyweight belts will be on the line.

Light Heavyweight prospect and Love Island star Tommy Fury (2-0) makes his long awaited return to the boxing ring after winning the hearts of the nation on the popular ITV reality television show over the summer. 

Tickets from £40 are now on sale via Seetickets and via Ticketmaster

£250 – Hospitality
£150 – Floor
£100 – Floor
£75 – Floor
£50 – Lower Tier
£40 – Upper Tier  
 

One day after Christmas opponent Kyotaro Fujimoto compared Daniel Dubois to a bear, and unveiled a man in a panda suit as his sparring partner, ‘Dynamite’ has warned that “Fujimoto needs to be careful”.

Referencing his foes taunts, Daniel continued “He might be expecting a panda, but what he’ll get is a grizzly.”

“He says he wants to change his life and make a name for himself. That’s not a problem. On December 21st, I’ll make him famous.”

Dubois, 13-0 with 12 KO’s, has the credentials to do just that and is coming off a stunning first round stoppage over previously undefeated Ghanaian Ebenezer Tetteh.

Danel admitted that he didn’t “fully understand” the reasons behind Fujimoto’s bizarre press conference performance, but later added “it won’t matter once I knock him out.”

The heavyweight battle between Dubois and Fujimoto won’t just be for festive bragging rights, but for the WBO International Heavyweight title as well as the WBC Silver Title, previously held by Dillian Whyte.

Despite planning an assault on a world title in the near future, Daniel is eager to let his Japanese opponent know that he is taking this next fight seriously.

He said: “‘I hope he doesn’t think we’re taking this fight lightly, or that we think it’s an easy win. He’s the #12 ranked heavyweight with the WBA and is clearly a very good fighter.”

“Preparation is key with all these things. We are bringing world class sparring in from America, people i’ve never sparred before.”

But with experts predicting the break-up of the Heavyweight belts in 2020, it is hard for talk not to return to World Championships.

When pushed on his intentions Dubois insisted: “I’m laser focused, i’m ready for Fujimoto” but did admit that he intended to “use this fight as a stepping stone to rise up the rankings, and set my sights on a world title”

Away from bear chat, Kyotaro was also keen to let the world know that he was willing to channel the spirit of fictional fighter Rocky Balboa to get the win against his heavy-hitting and much younger opponent.

When asked about that quote particularly, Daniel responded: “He thinks he’s going to be Rocky Balboa? if he starts getting hit with the type of shots Rocky got hit with in the films then it’s going to be a short night.”

With tensions continuing to rise between the two fighters, the Copper Box Arena is sure to be nothing less than a bear pit for ‘The Fight Before Christmas’ on December 21st.

————————————————-

Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions are heading to the Copper Box Arena to stage a bumper night of boxing on December 21st.

Unbeaten Heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois (13-0) looks to continue his path of destruction against Japan’s Kyotaro Fujimoto (21-1). The WBC Silver Heavyweight championship and the WBO International Heavyweight belts will be on the line.

Light Heavyweight prospect and Love Island star Tommy Fury (2-0) makes his long awaited return to the boxing ring after winning the hearts of the nation on the popular ITV reality television show over the summer. 

Tickets from £40 are now on sale via Seetickets and via Ticketmaster

£250 – Hospitality
£150 – Floor
£100 – Floor
£75 – Floor
£50 – Lower Tier
£40 – Upper Tier  

Japanese Heavyweight Kyotaro Fujimoto today unveiled his secret weapon for defeating Daniel Dubois on December 21st: a panda.

At a press conference in Tokyo’s famous Korakuen Hall, Fujimoto declared the bear was key to getting him ready to tackle his “scary” opponent.With his trademark multi-colour hair, and equally impressive suit, Fujimoto stunned the room when he said: “My opponent is a giant of a man. He seems as big and strong as a bear. It’s a little scary to fight a bear, so I’ve brought in a panda as a sparring partner.”

Introducing his unorthodox training partner to the assembled media, Fujimoto finished the remainder of the press conference with his bamboo-loving friend at his side.

Fujimoto, a 33 year old Heavyweight with an impressive 21-1 record and a #12 ranking with the WBA, confessed to being impressed with what he’d seen of Daniel Dubois in the ring.

He said: “I watched some of his fights… my impression is that he boxes very skilfully”

Daniel ‘Dynamite’ Dubois, at just 22, is widely regarded as the most exciting prospect in Heavyweight boxing and at 13-0 with 12 KO’s represents a huge challenge to the Asian boxer.

Fujimoto accepts the deck is stacked in Daniel’s favour, but believes the fight is a milestone moment in his life and one that could change it for the better.

“It’s been a long road getting here so I’m really excited to finally make it to the big stage. Winning this fight is going to change my life, and I want to change my life.”

On the line in this epic match-up will be Daniel Dubois’ WBO International Heavyweight Title and also the WBC Silver Title.

The WBC’s Silver championship was formerly held by Dillian Whyte and is seen as a key stepping stone to a shot at a World title.

When asked about Dubois and promoter Frank Warren’s plans to make him a World Champion Fujimoto said: “They think they’re going to win, of course. They think they’re bringing me over as an easy win, but that’s not the case. I’m ready to take on the world.”

Channelling the spirit of Sylvester Stallone’s famous character, he went on to insist that on December 21st at the Copper Box Arena he could battle to an unlikely Rocky Balboa-style win.

“I’m going to go over there and fight with the spirit of Rocky. This is my big chance to show what I’m made of. I’m going to do my best to make this my Christmas present.

If I win, it’s going to change my life.”

With less than 6 weeks to go until what’s being called ‘The Fight Before Christmas’ Fujimoto, and the panda, had better to get to work if they plan to turn that dream into reality.

———-

Several images from the press conference are available here

Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions are heading to the Copper Box Arena to stage a bumper night of boxing on December 21st.

Unbeaten Heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois (13-0) looks to continue his path of destruction against Japan’s Kyotaro Fujimoto (21-1). The WBC Silver Heavyweight championship and the WBO International Heavyweight belts will be on the line.

Light Heavyweight prospect and Love Island star Tommy Fury (2-0) makes his long awaited return to the boxing ring after winning the hearts of the nation on the popular ITV reality television show over the summer. 

Tickets from £40 are now on sale via Seetickets and will be available via Ticketmaster shortly

£250 – Hospitality
£150 – Floor
£100 – Floor
£75 – Floor
£50 – Lower Tier
£40 – Upper Tier  

FRANK WARREN today revealed details of Queensberry Promotions’ bumper ‘The Fight Before Christmas’ show at London’s Copper Box Arena on Saturday December 21.

The world’s number one heavyweight prospect Daniel Dubois (13-0, 12KOs) tops the bill when he defends his WBO International heavyweight title against Kyotaro Fujimoto (21-1, 13KOs).

The WBC Silver belt will also be on the line giving Dubois an opportunity to win a ninth professional title in his 14th professional fight.

Dubois has already captured WBC Youth, Southern Area, English, WBO European, WBO Global, British, WBO International and Commonwealth titles, but faces a hard night against the world ranked Japanese star.

Unbeaten light-heavyweight hopeful Tommy Fury (2-0, 1 KO) returns after his successful stint on Love Island where he finished runner-up with his girlfriend Molly-Mae Hague.

Details of further brilliant fights will be announced in the coming days.

Photos of today’s press conference are available on this link with credit to Reuters/Action Images.

Here are a selection of quotes from today’s press conference at BT Tower in London’s West End.

FRANK WARREN:

“Fujimoto is ranked 12 by the WBA, has a good record and this is a fight that will get Daniel a lot of exposure as we strive to make him a global brand.

“We are working on making Daniel a number one contender with a governing body. I will get him there.

“I loved what I saw of Daniel as a senior amateur, but what he has done as a professional has been punch perfect. At this stage of his career he is the best young heavyweight I have seen in British boxing.

“He is in love with boxing. His mission is to become unified world champion and he will do it. I could make a world title fight tomorrow and he would win, but he needs that little bit more experience. When he wins a world title it is about making sure he keeps it.

“This time next year he is going to do the business (in a world title). And next year there could also be a collision with Joe Joyce.

“Tommy will go much further than KSI as a boxer. He has a great future. There is a lot of pressure through Love Island, but he is confident and mature enough to deal with that. He has a career and it’s my job to deliver and guide him so he can achieve his dreams. If he keeps his side of the bargain and trains we can go on.

I am delighted he is back. He came into the sport as the brother of Tyson and now he is his own man. It will be a cracking card and a Christmas present for the fans.”

DANIEL DUBOIS
 
“I am very happy. My career has been perfect so far and I have progressed in and out of the ring. I am with Frank Warren who is one of the best promoters ever and there is my Dad, Martin and Tony Bowers. We are going all the way. My trainer Martin has organised so much and puts in so much hard work. I am going to make sure I become a success.

“It is coming together and in each camp I have improved. If I can get to a world title challenge soon I am more than ready. Timing is everything. I will continue winning in style and I will get there soon. It is a hell of a challenge against Fujimoto, but I will be ready and take him out in devastating fashion.

“The boxing audience is taking notice and that is down to the hard work we put in. I’m ready for the next step. I love the recognition. It is what I have been after since I was five-years-old. My feet are on the ground. I just stick to what I am good at and remain humble.

“I have been a student of this sport since I was young. I am obsessed by it all. The sport is filled with great fighters and I want to be a legend when I have finished.

“Fear is an asset for me. It’s a weapon and I use it in every fight.”

TOMMY FURY:

“It is good to be back after Love Island and life is good. I feel at home when I’m in the squared circle. Fame is one thing, but it is how you cope with it. You can let it go to your head and run around thinking you’re too good for everybody. But, you are the same as everybody. It’s just that a few more people want to take your picture or get a signature. I am still the same man as I was before Love Island – the same lad who was boxing on the Josh Warrington-Carl Frampton undercard.

“There are a lot of avenues that I could have taken since I did Love Island, but you have to ask if these things are making you happy. TV is great, but I am happiest when I am fighting. It is in my blood. I am a fighting man and here to prove it.

“I have been training my heart out for a few weeks, because after the last few months I’ve had to. I know what it takes and I am doing it every day in the gym.

“I watched the YouTubers fight at the weekend and I admire them both because it takes a man to get in the ring. I heard KSI wants to fight again and I am here if he wants to fight me. They had no boxing experience, trained their balls off for ten weeks, got in the ring and had a fight so I have nothing but respect.

“Just 12 months ago, I had 3000 followers and only known in my local kebab shop. Now I’m pushing on for three million followers.  I’m still the little boy who grew up in Salford. I don’t think I am too good for anybody.

“I am here to do the best I can. I want to bring a new audience to boxing as a lot of those there on December 21 will not have been to a boxing show before.

“Molly loves me boxing and watches it on YouTube. She is throwing combinations in the mirror every day. I have the right people around me and I just have to do the work in the gym.

“I think my brother Tyson will be there. To have the best heavyweight in the world sitting ringside makes you want to dig deep. Tyson is a worldwide superstar doing boxing, MMA and wrestling. Why not? Nothing is guaranteed in life. I would wrestle in a heartbeat. I have wanted to do that all along.

“I take every day as it comes, but I wouldn’t be in boxing if I couldn’t reach the top. If I didn’t believe I could be a world champion I wouldn’t do it. One day I will be holding all the belts.

Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions are heading to the Copper Box Arena to stage a bumper night of boxing on December 21st.

Unbeaten Heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois (13-0) looks to continue his path of destruction against Japan’s Kyotaro Fujimoto (21-1). The WBC Silver Heavyweight championship and the WBO International Heavyweight belts will be on the line.

Light Heavyweight prospect and Love Island star Tommy Fury (2-0) makes his long awaited return to the boxing ring after winning the hearts of the nation on the popular ITV reality television show over the summer. 

Tickets from £40 are now on sale via Seetickets and will be available via Ticketmaster on Wednesday.

£250 – Hospitality
£150 – Floor
£100 – Floor
£75 – Floor
£50 – Lower Tier
£40 – Upper Tier  
 

DANIEL ‘DYNAMITE’ DUBOIS (13-0, 12KOs) takes on a new front on his prolific title hunt when he challenges for the WBC Silver Championship at the Copper Box Arena on December 21 against Japan’s Kyotaro Fujimoto (21-1, 13KOs). Dubois’ recently won WBO International Title will also be on the line. ‘The Fight Before Christmas’ will be televised by BT.

Still just 22, Dubois has already collected a staggering eight title belts in just 13 fights as a professional, with the WBC Youth, Southern Area, English, WBO European, WBO Global, British, WBO International and Commonwealth titles all to his name – in just 39 rounds of professional action.

Last month Dubois was added to the top 15 of the WBC rankings and he now gets to mark the occasion with a tilt at the governing body’s Silver title belt that successfully winning would further strengthen his position. The previous holder of the belt was Dillian Whyte, who made three successful defences of the title between April 2016 and December 2018. Dubois also holds a number 9 ranking with the WBO and number 15 ranking with the IBF.

December 21 will represent Dubois’ fifth fight of a productive year that has seen him record four KOs and not being taken beyond the fifth round at an assortment of major venues across the capital. He now returns to the Copper Box for the first time since December 2017, having recently showcased his explosive talents twice at the Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Arena and the o2 Arena.

Fujimoto holds a strong record of 21-1 with 13 wins coming via KO. A resident of Tokyo, his only reverse came in his sixth fight back in 2012 and he is the current holder of the WBO Asia Pacific title that he won by stopping Herman Ene Purcell in the ninth round in May 2017.

He has subsequently made three defences of his belt, winning all by stoppage, and he is ranked at 12 by the WBA. Fujimoto will be a first Asian opponent for Dubois, having previously sampled the experience of opponents from Africa, Eastern Europe, as well as North and South America.

“I wanted to defend my British Title but no one would step up to fight me. I want to be fighting world champions within the next 12 months and when the opportunity to fight for the WBC Silver Title was made available, a belt that Dillian Whyte held until his last fight, I jumped at it. I’ll also be defending my WBO International title I won in my last fight” said Dubois on his latest assignment.

“Fujimoto has a good rating and is a great stepping stone on my path to the top.

“He will have his own ambitions and I know he was rumoured before to be considered for a fight with Anthony Joshua, but I will be knocking that ambition out of him on December 21st when I knock him out.”

Promoter Frank Warren added: “This is all about continually increasing Daniel’s experience levels against tough opposition. He has made huge and rapid strides in a short space of time and Fujimoto will present the ideal and a legitimate test at this point in time.

“Daniel cannot afford to underestimate Fujimoto and I am sure he won’t. Fujimoto is ranked highly by the WBA who, incidentally, are the only governing body not to include Daniel in their top 15, so hopefully this is another box he will be able to tick with an impressive performance on December 21. A win here will see Daniel ranked by all the major organisations.

“It has been a big year for Daniel and the combined record of his last three opponents stood at 49-1 before coming up against our man and Daniel completed his work in under 10 full rounds of action.

“We shouldn’t overlook what Daniel is fighting for here because the WBC Silver and WBO International belts have been the headline prize on pay-per-view shows staged in the UK in recent times and is the established pathway towards a shot at the world title, which is the direction Daniel is heading in as we move towards 2020.”

There will be a press conference on Monday to announce the full card. Details to follow.

Tickets will be on sale on Monday at 12pm via Seetickets and Ticketmaster.

Top Heavyweight prospect Daniel DuBois was dominant in stopping previously undefeated Ebenezer Tetteh in round one of a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout at Royal Albert Hall in London.

DuBois scored two hard knockdowns with the referee stopping the bout when Tetteh got to his feet after the 2nd time he was on the canvas at 2:10.

DuBois is 13-0 with 12 knockouts. Tetteh is 19-1.

Archie Sharp scored a vicious knockout over Declan Geraghty in round four of their scheduled ten round super featherweight bout.

Sharp landed a flush left hand to the head that sent Geraghty plummeting to the canvas with the back of his head hitting the deck at 2:14.

Sharp is now 17-0 with nine knockouts. Gerghty is 19-5.

Nicola Adams retained the WBO Flyweight title as she battled to a split draw with Maria Salinas.

Adams took a card 97-93; Salinas won a card 96-94, and a 3rd card was even at 95-95.

Adams is 5-0-1. Salinas is 21-7-4.

Denzel Bentley remained perfect by stopping Kelcie Ball in the 1st round of their scheduled six-round middleweight bout.

Bentley bludgeoned Ball for 72 seconds before the bout was mercifully waved off.

Bentley is 11-0 with nine knockouts. Ball is 10-2.

Dennis McCann remained undefeated by stopping Georgi Georgiev in round tao of the scheduled six-round bantamweight bout.

McCann dropped Georgiev twice in round one, and once in round two before Georgiev was stopped on his feet .

McCann is 4-0 wth three knockouts. Georgiev is 8-16-1.

Willy Hutchinson remained undefeated with a 2nd round stoppage over Boris Zankov in a light heavyweight bout.

The time was 2:15 for Hutchinson who is now 10-0 with seven knockouts. Zankov is 11-27-1.

Sam Noakes made a successful pro debut with a stoppage of Chris Adaway after round three of a scheduled four-round welterweight bout.

Noakes dominated the action as he landed hard shots on the ropes throughout the contest. round three, Noakes was bleeding from his left ear.

Noakes is 1-0 with one knockout. Adaway is 9-60-4.

Queensberry Promotions are proud to present Daniel ‘Dynamite’ Dubois vs Ebenezer Tetteh, for the vacant Commonwealth Heavyweight Title, live from the historic Royal Albert Hall. The show will air live on BT Sport.

Daniel Dubois is the most exciting heavyweight prospect in world boxing and is a further example of how Queensberry Promotions is the premier destination for exciting, homegrown British talent.

RUNNING ORDER – ROYAL ALBERT HALL
Fight # 1 – 18:30 hrs

4 X 3 Minute Rounds International Lightweight Contest

MOHAMMAD BILAL ALI 9st 10lb 4oz 
V  
ALEKSANDRS BIRKENBERGS 9st 7lb 2oz

Fight # 2

6 X 3 Minute Rounds Heavyweight Contest

JONATHAN PALATA 16st 4lb 4oz
 V        
CHRIS HEALY 19st 5lb 2oz

Fight # 3

4 X 3 Minute Rounds Super-Lightweight Contest

EITHAN JAMES
V        
FONZ ALEXANDER

Fight # 4

8 X 3 Minute Rounds Middleweight Contest

DENZEL BENTLEY 11st 7lb 6oz
V        
KELCIE BALL 11st 7lb 12oz

Fight # 5 

8 X 3 Minute Rounds International Super-Middleweight Contest

WILLY HUTCHINSON 12st 9lb 13oz                
V        
BORISLAV ZANKOV 12st 7lb 10oz

Fight # 6

6 X 3 Minute Rounds International Bantamweight Contest

DENNIS McCANN 8st 8lb 4oz                  
V        
GEORGI GEORGIEV 8st 6lb 4oz

Fight # 7

THE WBO WORLD FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

10 X 2 Minute Rounds

NICOLA ADAMS OBE 7st 13lb 14oz                
V        
MARIA SALINAS 7st 12lbs 4oz

Fight # 8

THE WBO EUROPEAN SUPER-FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

10 X 3 Minute Rounds @ 130 lbs

ARCHIE SHARP 9st 3lb 5oz                    
V        
DECLAN GERAGHTY 9st 3lb 5oz

Fight # 9

THE VACANT COMMONWEALTH AND WBO INTERNATIONAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

12 X 3 Minute Rounds

DANIEL DUBOIS 17st 2lb 6oz                  
V                    
EBENEZER TETTEH 15st 7lb 4oz

——-

Fight # 10 – Floater # 1

4 X 3 Minute Rounds Lightweight Contest

SAM NOAKES 9st 11lb 14oz                    
V        
CHRIS ADAWAY 9st 11lb 6oz

Fight # 11 – Floater # 2

4 X 3 Minute Rounds Super-Middleweight Contest

LEWIS EDMONDSON                    
V        
Gianni Antoh

—————————————–

Hot on the heels of a successful show at the York Hall on the 14th September, Queensberry Promotions further burnish their credentials as the premier destination for exciting, homegrown British talent on September 27th as Daniel Dubois takes aim at another accolade.

‘Dynamite’ headlines the Royal Albert Hall when he meets Ghana’s Ebenezer Tetteh for the vacant Commonwealth heavyweight crown and WBO flyweight champion Nicola Adams defends her title for the first time against experienced Mexican Maria Salinas, live on BT Sport.

The card will also feature WBO European super-featherweight champion Archie Sharp who makes his second title defence against Dublin’s Declan Geraghty.

Middleweight banger Denzel Bentley, heavyweight Jonathan Palata, lightweight Mohammad Bilal Ali and precocious bantamweight talent Dennis McCann are also in action.

Exciting prospects Lewis Edmondson, Eithan James and Sam Noakes all make their professional debuts.

WHEN PUSHED ON which former boxer supplied the greatest influence on his style, Daniel Dubois had little hesitation in naming the most successful British heavyweight of all-time.

Lennox Lewis, a three-time world heavyweight champion, twice lineal champion and the last to be able to call himself the undisputed champion of the world was the name put forward by star in the making Dubois ahead of his bid to win the Commonwealth title at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday.

Dubois takes on the unbeaten, 19-0, Ebenezer Tetteh in the latest staging post on his route to the top of the division. Success on Friday will make it seven different title wins in just 13 fights.

Lewis called it a day in June 2003 with a record of 41-2-1 following victory over Vitali Klitschko in Los Angeles, with the future champion Klitschko stopped in the sixth due to a severe cut.

He has in the recent past spent time with Dubois, advising the now 22-year-old with a few punching pointers, which perhaps reveals why the current British champion likens his approach to the 1988 Olympic gold medallist.

“If I had to pick I would say maybe Lennox Lewis for his jab and all-round athletic ability,” considered Dubois, who added that his overall style is not based on a specific individual. “My game really is based on the bits and pieces I learned at my amateur clubs and where I am now.

“I am a solid, fundamental boxer. Basic boxing, but effective.”

Certainly effective, but Dubois doesn’t view himself as travelling along in the fast lane and insists his development will continue over the next 12 months.

“Still progressing because this is still an ongoing case. I am in no rush but I see myself climbing the ranks and adding a few more titles to my resume.”

Daniel Dubois headlines the bill when he meets Ghana’s Ebenezer Tetteh for the vacant Commonwealth heavyweight crown and WBO flyweight champion Nicola Adams defends her title for the first time against experienced Mexican Maria Salinas, live on BT Sport.

The card will also feature WBO European super-featherweight champion Archie Sharp who makes his second title defence against Dublin’s Declan Geraghty.

Middleweight banger Denzel Bentley, heavyweight Jonathan Palata, lightweight Mohammad Bilal Ali and precocious bantamweight talent Dennis McCann are also in action.

Exciting prospects Lewis Edmondson, Eithan James and Sam Noakes all make their professional debuts.

Tickets for the September 27 bill at the Royal Albert Hall are available to purchase from www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.royalalberthall.com. Prices £40, £50, £75, £100, £150 Ringside.