British heavyweight contender Daniel Dubois almost defeated Oleksandry Usyk in a massive upset last year, and could claim heavyweight gold if all goes to plan in Riyadh.
The hard-hitting Londoner is one of a number of A-List names to appear on the undercard of Matchroom Boxing and Queensberry Promotions’ first head-to-head card in the Middle East. The event will also feature the return of Deontay Wilder against Zhilei Zhang as well as fights pitching the two promotions’ top stars against one another
Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol undercard confirmed for June 1
Artur Beterbiev is set for the biggest challenge of his career as he faces Dmitry Bivol in a clash to crown an undisputed light-heavyweight champion on June 1 in Saudi Arabia,. It tops a one-of-a-kind Queesberry vs Matchroom undercard, that pits five of Frank Warren’s fighters against five of Eddie Hearn’s.
Today it has been confirmed that Daniel Dubois is Warren’s selection for a heavyweight showdown on the bill, whilst Eddie Hearn elected Filip Hrgovic as the man to take him on, but all signs point towards this bout being worth more than just a point in the Warren vs. Hearn event.
Daniel Dubois vs Filip Hrgovic could become a world title fight after Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk
Filip Hrgovic is currently the mandatory challenger with the IBF and has recently been shunned when attempting to use his position to force a fight with Oleksandr Usyk. He has held his mandatory position for years, fighting top contenders including Zhilei Zhang.
Consequently, it is expected that the winner of the upcoming undisputed battle between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will vacate the IBF belt almost immediately, as opposed to being stripped for failing to face Hrgovic, allowing the Croatian to fight for the vacant title.
Daniel Dubois is currently ranked fourth in the IBF rankings, making him a worthy contender to take up the opposing corner in any such fight and as a result it is safe to presume that he will be permitted to challenge ‘El Animal’ for the heavyweight throne, with an official announcement expected shortly after Fury-Usyk.
Daniel Dubois is one of heavyweight’s most ferocious punchers
‘Triple D’ is established as one of the biggest punchers in the heavyweight division, winning bouts via knockout in 19 of his 20 victories as a professional, including a career-best stoppage of Jarrell Miller in his most recent outing.
However, it was the contest previous that saw Dubois recognised as a genuine title threat, as he came close to upsetting the odds and handing Usyk a first career defeat, flooring the Ukrainian for almost four minutes with what many felt should have been deemed a legal shot. Regardless, the referee felt otherwise, allowing the champion to fully recover and rally later on to score a knockout win of his own.