Joe Joyce Talks Dubois Fight
Often times in life, a successful venture really boils down to ideal timing. In the opinion of heavyweight contender Joe “Juggernaut” Joyce (10-0, 9 KO’s), this is precisely the case with his upcoming prizefight with Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois (14-0, 13 KO’s). The two are scheduled to go head-to-head on April 11 at the O2 Arena located in Greenwich, London.
BETTER NOW THAN NEVER
While the fight is all set to go now, it had the chance to be finalized earlier. However, it was Joyce who did not feel as if it was the correct move then. Joyce makes no effort to hide the fact that he is chasing a world title and that’s why, in the past, he didn’t feel as if Dubois brought enough to the table, as he explained to Blue Blood Sports TV.
“Yeah, because I felt like the opponents that I fought have all been a lot more credible opponents. I’ve been tactically building my way up the rankings and boxing out here, boxing all over. And Dubois, obviously he’s younger so he’s just been fighting guys that he could knockout in one round. I would have knocked out all the guys he fought including Fujimoto. I just thought it [a fight with Dubois] would have been a bit of a step down and it didn’t really make sense.
But now that he’s ranked #3 in the WBO, and there’s the European, Commonwealth [and] the WBC silver title on the line, it makes sense. And I think the British fans really want to see the fight, so it’s doing numbers. It’s the biggest fight of my career so far.”
DYNAMITE IS NO PUSH OVER
Not only does the Juggernaut believe that Dubois brings his own commercial value to the table, Joyce openly acknowledges the fact that Dynamite is also a very dangerous foe. Even while believing wholeheartedly in his own skills and abilities, Joyce is well aware that Dubois is not a challenge to be taken lightly.
“Dubois is a very strong guy and I am going to be careful not to get flattened! But obviously I’m experienced and I’ve been in these high level fights so I’m used to it and I am ready for a challenge. And it will be so, so sweet when I beat him.
…there’s a lot of attributes that goes into a boxer and obviously Dubois has got a lot of strength, a lot of power, he’s got a bit of a boxing ability and he’s started from very young so he’s got a little bit of experience. But he hasn’t really mixed it at that level yet, and obviously it’s a risky fight for both of us. It’s either a big ladder or a big snake.”
A GREAT DOMESTIC SCRAP
If victorious over Dubois, then Joyce is fully ready to enjoy the spoils of war that come with the win. One of the main luxuries that would come included is the admiration of all the UK fans who are extremely stoked about this swiftly approaching domestic rivalry. Yet, beyond all the attention for notoriety’s sake, Joyce realizes that by claiming a major win over Dynamite, he will be that much closer to obtaining a world title shot.
“It’s a massive fight, especially for the British boxing fans and the domestic scene is like it’s the biggest fight right now. I actually got myself back here into Vegas for training camp. Reconnecting with Ismael Salas and making sure I’m checking all the boxes, preparing diligently for this fight.
I have to beat Dubois, at this stage of my career I want to go for the world titles, so I need to beat him and that’ll just make me bigger in the United Kingdom and also it sets me up for a world title fight.”
By: Bakari Simpson
