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When Daniel Dubois stopped British Olympic gold-medallist Anthony Joshua in the fifth round of their heavyweight boxing fight on Saturday, the little-known fighter not only sealed the International Boxing Federation (IBF) heavyweight title but also cemented his place among the world’s best in the division.
Joshua, 34, was the favourite to beat his compatriot and continue his attempt to become world champion for a third time, only to be stopped by the man seven years his junior.
The emphatic nature of Dubois’s win has catapulted him to the top of the heavyweight division in his country and sent reverberations around the boxing world.
Al Jazeera looks at what it all means for Dubois and the heavyweight division:
Who is Daniel Dubois?
Dubois was born in Greenwich, London, where his father began training him as a boxer at an early age. A home-schooled child, Dubois loved boxing and later joined boxing clubs in south London.
Also known as Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois, the boxer turned pro at the age of 19. The 6ft-4-inch (193cm) has now won 22 of his 24 professional bouts.
What did Dubois say after beating Joshua?
In a defiant outburst upon winning the fight, Dubois reacted to the pro-Joshua crowd by bellowing, “Are you not entertained?”
The crowd roared back in reaction – just as Dubois had hoped.
“I’m a gladiator,” he continued. “I’m a warrior to the bitter end. I want to go to the top level of this game and reach my full potential. Behind the scenes, I’ve been working hard, with all my family and my team. They’ve all helped me.”
“I’m not going to stop until I reach my full potential.”
Daniel Dubois has won 22 of his 24 professional fights Andrew Boyers/Reuters]Who will Dubois fight next?
Immediately after the fight, the WBO interim heavyweight champion Joseph Parker called out Dubois to challenge him for a fight. Parker, who has won his last four fights, suggested he face Dubois, with the winner then taking on the victor of Usyk vs Fury for the undisputed title, but there has been no confirmation of an agreement.
Undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk vacated the IBF title, won by Dubois on Saturday, in June just five weeks after becoming the first fighter to unify the belts in nearly 25 years. Usyk will face Tyson Fury, whom he beat in a split decision on May 18, in a re-match for the WBA, WBO and WBC belts.
It is unclear if Usyk will face off against Dubois, whose own take on matters is that finances will determine the identity of his next opponent be it the Ukrainian or Joshua.
“I would love a rematch, but either one really — whoever pays me the most,” Dubois told talkSPORT radio in the United Kingdom on Tuesday.
Speaking about the possibility of facing Joshua again, Dubois said: “If that happens next then yeah, I want to go for it. I want to do it even better next time. I know where I need to improve as well, so as a champion and as a fighter I just want to prove people wrong every time and that is what we have been doing.
“I think I would be a lot better than that (last fight). It was a great show, a Rocky-type fight, but next time I believe I will be more clinical, more sharp, everything better.”
When is the Usyk Fury fight?
Fury and Usyk will battle again on December 21, and much will hinge on the outcome of that fight.
Dubois’s promoter, Frank Warren, says his fighter “needs to stay busy” suggesting there could be a further pairing for Dubois before he faces Uysk or Fury.
“We’re going to sit down and think about it,” Warren added, “We will have to see what the outcome is [between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury].”
How can Dubois claim the undisputed heavyweight title?
The clear path would be for Dubois to wait for the outcome of the Usyk and Fury re-match. That would mean having to wait until the first half of 2025 for his next bout. That lends to the theory that a bout with Parker may be advantageous. It would also come with a huge risk that a shot at unifying the belts would be on the line with Parker eyeing his own route to a shot at Usyk or Fury.
Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk after he received a low blow from Britain’s Daniel Dubois during their world heavyweight title fight in, 2023. [File: Czarek Sokolowski/AP]What happened the last time Dubois fought Usyk?
The pair fought in Poland in August last year, Usyk stopped Dubois in the ninth round but only after controversially getting time to recover from what was adjudged a low blow by Dubois in the fifth round.
It sent Usyk to the canvas, where he sat against the ropes. Replays showed the punch hitting around Usyk’s belt and Dubois still maintains he was robbed.
“I want to get my rematch,” Dubois said of Usyk, “and put the wrong right.”
What next for Anthony Joshua?
The other option for Dubois is the Joshua re-match for which the latter has the right to trigger.
The bruising defeat for Joshua, who himself has lost twice to Usyk, may leave the 34-year-old seeking an easier fight to continue to rebuild his career. Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, believes his man will seek an immediate chance of redemption: “I think that’s a given,” he said.
While not committing to an immediate return to the ring with Dubois, Joshua himself says he will fight on, “I rolled the dice at success, but came up short. But I will keep rolling the dice.”
A re-match between Joshua and Fury was also on the cards in Saudi Arabia, but that now appears a long way down the line – if it will ever happen at all.
