Daniel Dubois will hope his upcoming world title fight will go as quickly and as easily as his debut fight in boxing, eight years ago.
The English fighter is preparing to walk out at Wembley Stadium on July 19 for a huge title bout against Oleksandr Usyk.
Daniel Dubois will be aiming to avenge his defeat to Usyk from two years ago, although the memory of him knocking down the Ukrainian should be one he clings to as he prepares for this bout.
This will be the biggest fight of Dubois’s career, a journey which began with a spectacular knockout in less than a minute back in 2017.
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Daniel Dubois flattened Marcus Kelly in just 35 seconds on his professional boxing debut
In 2017, Dubois stepped into the professional boxing ring for the first time. He turned down the chance to compete in the Olympic Games to turn pro, signing with Frank Warren’s Queensbury Promotions instead.
The future world champion made his debut in the Manchester Arena in England on April 8, 2017, a big venue for a man so early in his career.
The bout was on the undercard of the Terry Flanagan vs Petr Petrov, with big names like Liam Smith and Jack Catterall all picking up victories that night.
However, none were quite as spectacular as Dubois’s. The 19-year-old heavyweight burst onto the scene with the quickest fight of the night, completely decimating his opponent, Marcus Kelly in a quick and brutal knockout win.
He kept Kelly at bay with his long jab before cornering him, unleashing a flurry of shots to the body and head, leaving his opponent crumpled in a heap on the floor.
Kelly made it to his feet in time for the ten count, but the referee had seen enough. After just 35 seconds, he called off the fight, judging Kelly unfit to continue and awarding “Dynamite” the victory on his explosive debut.
Oleksandr Usyk will prove a much more difficult opponent in their rematch
Dubois’s debut win was as spectacular as it was quick, but don’t expect things to be that easy in Wembley Stadium on July 19.
Usyk has never been knocked out in his career, and has barely been knocked down. In fact, he’s never lost any fight, going 23-0 in his 12-year career, which includes wins over massive fighters like Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
That list also includes Dubois himself, who was knocked out by Usyk in the ninth round of their fight in Poland just two years ago.
Both men have fought and won multiple times since then and will have had time to analyze their performances and work on what they need to do to win in their rematch.
While Usyk is the favorite going into Wembley Stadium, one legendary promoter is backing Dubois to win. One punch can change a fight in heavyweight boxing, which is exactly what Dubois will be hoping for on July 19.