Joe Joyce landed a big upset and took a huge step towards a world heavyweight title shot by stopping Daniel Dubois in a captivating contest in London.
35-year-old Joyce used his jab expertly to build telling damage over Dubois’ eye. Dubois landed his own fine work but was distressed by his eye between rounds.
And with the bout in the balance, a simple jab from Joyce prompted Dubois to pause before taking a knee in round 10 when he failed to beat the count.
Imagine…. 90% of the British public wrote this man off tonight because…. they don’t necessarily like he’s style!
British, Commonwealth & European champion in he’s 12th fight which EVERYONE wrote him off including his own promoter @frankwarren_tv 🐕
Kudos @JoeJoyceBoxing 👏 pic.twitter.com/DE1Wi2KkSg
— Ricky Boylan (@Rickyboylan1) November 29, 2020
Joyce had been widely written off and he was as big as a 3-1 outsider against Dubois, who had been impressive in his professional career so far but was untested.
He remains undefeated and walks away with the British, Commonwealth and European titles. More significantly, he came through a high-risk fight and will eye world honours while Dubois goes through a short-term rebuild.
“I’m ready for Oleksandr Usyk”, said Joyce, a 2016 Olympic silver medallist.
“Daniel has got some power but I’ve felt power like that before. With my experience I’ve learnt to ride them.”
Dubois – who was quickly taken to hospital for a check on his eye – told BT Sport: “He caught me with a good jab – I couldn’t see out of the eye. It just happens.”
