Rising heavyweight star Daniel Dubois ended a stellar year with a brutal right hand, second-round knockout of Japan’s Kyoto Fujimoto at the Copper Box to claim the World Boxing Council Silver and World Boxing Organisation International heavyweight titles and advance into 2020 with the prospect of challenging for a world heavyweight title before the year is out.
Fujimoto, ranked No 13 with the World Boxing Association, was felled in the second with a powerful jab by the 22-year-old British fight prodigy, with promoter Frank Warren insisting afterwards that “if you are good enough you are old enough” pledging that the south Londoner could claim a world title soon. The final right hand poleaxed the visiting fighter with utter brutality to advance Dubois, already the British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion, unbeaten with fourteen fights, with thirteen knockouts.
“I paced myself, let him come to me, and then loaded up with power,” said Dubois. “If I keep collecting these nice belts, the world title will come soon and I know my promoter Frank Warren will look to get me into a mandatory position to challenge for a world title next year.”
Dubois, said Warren, will be in action next at the O2 Arena, in April. Warren is looking to match Dubois with former Olympic silver medallist Joe Joyce.
I don’t care who you are. If I land it right, it’s goodnight. #DDD #EveryBelt pic.twitter.com/aHfccs6JR9
— Daniel Dubois (@DynamiteDubois) December 22, 2019
On the ‘Fight Before Christmas’ card – as it was billed by Queensbury Promotions – South Londoner Sunny Edwards, unfazed by a seventh round knockdown and a cut near his eye, beat Marcel Braithwaite by a convincing points margin to claim the British super-flyweight championship that was last held by his brother Charlie, with scores of 118-109, 117-110, 117-110.
Elsewhere on the card, Dominic Ingle-trained Liam Williams defeated Alantez Fox today in London, winning a World Boxing Organisation middleweight title eliminator to set himself up for a shot at the belt currently held by Demetrius Andrade.
Williams (22-2-1, 17 KO) set the tone with an aggressive opening round eventually dropping the tall, awkward 6ft 4ins Fox (26-2-1, 12 KO) in the fourth round, and stopped his American foe with one second remaining in the fifth round.
“We executed the game plan perfectly,” Williams said. “We just worked for so long, and it’s good to show what hard work and dedication can do.” Champion Andrade (28-0, 17 KO) is currently set to defend his title against Luke Keeler (17-2-1, 5 KO) on January 30 in Miami, while Tommy Fury, youngest brother of Tyson Fury, blew away Przemyslaw Binienda in 62 seconds – minutes before Dubois made his entrance to the ring – to move to 3-0 in his light heavyweight career.