Who beats Daniel Dubois

Likely beats Dubois:

Hrgovic - I don't consider Dubois's win legit anyway, Hrgovic was dominating until Dubois started headbutting. Worst, most consistent headbuting I've ever seen, worse than Holyfield, I could see a motivated Hrgovic getting the win here.

Agit Kabayel - Tough fight but I think he outlasts Dubois and eventually knocks him out.

Decent chance of beating him:

Justis Huni - has better skills than Dubois, just depends if he can keep it up for 12 rounds as I don't see him KO'ing or even hurting Dubois

Anthony Joshua - still think he likely takes the rematch but need to see him in the ring again to weigh up where he's at

Tyson Fury - this isn't a definite thing. Although I think Fury probably takes it there's also a good chance Dubois wears him down and knocks him out late

 

We will probably find out soon enough with Itauma sitting as mandatory to Dubois,which tbh could well be as good as Wardley v Dubois while it lasts and we should get to see Itauma at least chin checked. Fury Kabayel and Parker all have the skills to beat Dubois and I’d still like to see Parker v Dubois after Dubois ducked him last time .

 

This. He's very beatable if a ref actually decides to crack down on all of his fouling.

 

Why wasn't Fury listed?

 

Fury won't fight him anyways. An he could beat him if all goes well for him, but I wouldn't see him as a favorite anymore. Fury is getting old and it shows. Dubois is 28 and getting better.

 

Fury of the first half of this decade probably could pull out a decision. We've seen 2 things beat Dubois, a fighter with good power like Joyce, or a master outboxer like Usyk.

 

I'd pick Itauma over him tentatively. Need to see a bit more for him to be 100% confident but I think he has all the attributes.

I think Hrgovic would have a very good chance if he boxed and paced himself better, but at the same time there's no way any rematch between them wouldn't happen in the UK with a UK ref. Dubois would reopen those cuts with his head pretty quickly if he realised he could get away with it (I've seen that Wardleys team had a problem with the officials letting Dubois get away with dirty tactics aswell) and in a UK show he absolutely could. And even if he couldn't, with how hittable Hrgovic is chances are the cuts from the first fight get reopened just by punches.

Fury has a good chance stylistically I think as Dubois struggles against backfoot boxers more. Gets disheartened when he can't land but is taking hard shots. If Dubois had a strong heart and could keep coming at Fury into the late fight I think he would manage a late stoppage. But chances are Fury outboxes him in the first half of the fight, lands some hard counters, maybe floors him and then Dubois quits, not giving himself a chance at victory.

Also Kabayel would be a 50/50. I lean towards Dubois because I don't think he'd struggle to land on him, and I don't think Kabayel's body work would be as effective. Whenever Kabayel tried to get up close to work the body he'd be met by a stiff powerful jab. He might be able to outbox Dubois, but again that jab would provide him major issues I think.

 

Usyk - that's pretty obvious. The guy beat him twice, and the second time he did it in a style that clearly demonstrated the difference in levels.

Itauma - A guy with such heavy and fast hands, combined with a punch, would probably be able to land too many, too surprising punches on the guy. Wardley surprised him until Dubois realized he actually had one dangerous punch to avoid.

Hrgovic - I truly believe that this "stabber" could have broken Dubois with fair judging. The guy was unleashing it on him, it was painful to watch. The problem is, he landed about five low blows and 25 head shots, which no one reacted to.

Joshua (?) - I have no idea where this guy is now, but I believe that the best Joshua should be able to outplay this guy. With his punching power and Dubois's takedowns... The question is whether, under pressure, he would still take such terrible blows as he did in the first fight, which completely dismantled him.

Fury - I think the guy could even try to recall those unpleasant memories from the fight with Joyce, where the straight punches did the trick.

Generally, I don't want to take too much away from Daniel after Saturday's victory, but... Wardley was a bit overrated. Besides, he fought like an idiot. His only idea was a big right, which he landed early on. But Fabio is a guy who relies on natural reflexes. He's had a short and unique boxing career. He's super tough and has super strong punches, but he can't think exceptionally well.

And there are probably a few more names that have a pretty good chance. Dubois is an interesting case in point. The only thing the guy knows how to do well in life is box. He's a bit of a boxing savant. Listening to him, you get the impression his IQ is 50 at most. But he can punch. But he can also give up, but you see, you have to really tough him out for that to happen.

Let him succeed. I don't like him, but he has his place in the top echelons. It's a bit hard for me to imagine him as champion in the current setup. They've already tried that once. The fact is, the guy is so hopeless in the media that it's even hard to promote him. If I were Warren, I'd put him against Itaume and let fate decide whether he's in the top echelons or loses in as bad a fashion as Whyte. Mosses is a name with greater prospects, but what can be done with Daniel? Official defenses? A pointless trilogy with Usyk? Or maybe a rehash of the entertainment and a return to the past, like a fight with Joe Joyce? But this guy is so unreliable that I'd even be afraid to invest more time and money in him.

 

Fury rapes dubious
Kabayel makes him question his sexuality
Usyk made him pay for stealing his sperm in their first bout(albeit legal bodyshot I think)
Joyce jabbed his eye socket in

 

90/10:

Usyk: Self-explanatory.

75/25:

Kabayel: Kabayel looked horrible in his last performance. However, I think it was due to ring rust and trying to KO Knyba as quickly as possible so he could make a statement in the division. Kabayel looks good against big punchers like Sanchez and Zhang, but those guys are very tentative, low-output fighters, and Dubois is not. I do ultimately think Kabayel wins a very hard fight.

50/50:

Itauma: I personally think Itauma is overrated to a great extent, but his feet are faster than Dubois’, which will neutralize Dubois’ defense as he moves away from punches instead of blocking with his “high guard” (it’s generous to even call it a high guard). Itauma hasn’t fought at Dubois’ level and is inexperienced, which is why this fight is 50/50.

25/75:

Torrez: Skill-wise, I think Torrez might be one of the most underrated heavyweights in the division. I think this is partly because he fights messy, so most people don’t recognize how skilled he is. The problem is his inexperience at the top level and his questionable chin. People say Dubois’ chin is bad, but he has only been knocked down. Torrez, on the other hand, was knocked out cold in the amateurs by Jalolov.

Huni: Sad to admit as a Huni fan myself, but he just doesn’t have the chin or power to beat Dubois most of the time. Huni would outbox him for large stretches of the fight, though how long that lasts is another question.

Hrgovic: Hrgovic is too easy to cut up. Dubois didn’t cause the cuts purely from headbutts either, because Adeleye cut him badly in his next fight too. Hrgovic has decent power but can’t hurt Dubois in a meaningful way. He also only fights at his own pace, and when Dubois pressured him hard, he was gassing and looked vulnerable. He does have an iron chin though.

Wardley: Self-explanatory.

10/90
Ajagba: I like Ajagba more than most people on this site, but he drew with the worst version of Bakole I’ve ever seen. Bakole was basically a walking punching bag and still took the last few rounds to secure the draw. How is Ajagba supposed to beat a prime, in-shape Dubois? He did look decent against Anderson though, so I gave him the pity 10%.

Jalolov: Has power and skill, but he looked terrible over the last year and in his most recent fight. Jalolov was arguably the best amateur heavyweight of recent times against elite competition, but now he’s fighting journeymen and low-level pros. The drop in opposition hurts his development. Right now, he only has a puncher’s chance.

Fury: Looked poor against Makhmudov. Too old and doesn’t seem interested in fighting the younger heavyweights anymore. He will tell you himself.

No chance:

Anderson: Anderson is athletic, fast, and hard-hitting, but he has a terrible mix of a weak chin, poor defense, and one of the worst mentalities I’ve seen in a top heavyweight.

AJ: Hasn’t had a real fight in two years and doesn’t have the mentality to beat Dubois.

 

I'd take Fury to beat him maybe even AJ if he had a better game plan he got caught cold last time.
I wouldn't count out Kabayel either. If I am Fury and I can't get the AJ fight made I would be targeting Dubois.

 

Obviously Usyk.

But, give Fury another tuneup (some other random guy) and then AJ, and when he gets past both (which he will), I bet he could take Dubois. Dubois is too stiff and robotic for Fury’s awkward slickness.

maybe Kabayel?

 

Itauma if he isn't packing glass on paper he should be a nightmare for Dubois.

Dubois has struggled immensely vs southpaws and his jab won't as effective vs good southpaw so it takes away one of his best assets.

 

I think if Itauma has a good chin, which apparently he does, based on people who have seen him spar, he will have Dubois hitting air all night. Itauma is probably the worst matchup for Dubois stylistically, aside from Usyk, obviously. If they fight, in my opinion, I think Itauma makes it look easy. On the eye test alone, I think he's the best natural HW talent I have seen, and I think a lot of people will be shocked at how easy Itauma makes it look.