THE RESULT: Daniel Dubois caps a gutsy performance against Jarrell Miller by stopping the American with just eight seconds left of their 10-round contest in Riyadh. Dubois, coming off the back of his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in August, never stopped hammering away at Miller and finally got his reward when Michael Alexander jumped in to end the fight.
KEY MOMENTS: Dubois started well, catching Miller at will and using his feet to keep his distance and rack up a lead on the cards. But the 333lb New Yorker was gobbling up the shots and began to fire back himself and hurt Dubois in the fourth. However, just as it looked as though Dubois was about to close out only the seconds points win of his career, the Londoner piled on the pressure to clinch the stoppage and add a final flourish to his memorable week in Saudi.
RECORDS: Daniel Dubois is now 20-2 (19) but, following this first defeat, Jarrell Miller moves to 26-1-1 (22).
TALKING POINT: There was a lot on the line for Dubois tonight, following stoppage defeats to both Joe Joyce and Usyk, which both raised questions about his heart. Promoter Frank Warren described this as a ‘test of his ticker’ and Dubois passed with flying colours after going into the trenches and emerging victorious. Now the question is, at just 26, how far can he go in this division?
QUOTABLE: “It really mattered tonight and I had to dig deep,” Dubois said. “I’m glad I came through it – I showed my heart. I always want to come forward, I’m learning things everyday. This was an important fight tonight, I had to get through it. I had to dig very deep, I had my dad screaming at me in the corner, I had to go to work. I had to prove it to myself really, I had to prove to myself I was a real fighter. I silenced all the doubts tonight. I had to finish strong.”
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT: After securing the biggest win of his career, Dubois is now once again a real player in a division with plenty of options. He will need a rest after a hard fight like that but Warren said: “He’s back at the big table. This one was like redemption and he had to work very hard. For me that proves all the doubters wrong.” He has not boxed in the UK at all during 2023, so maybe they build him back here in the first half of next year.
