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
