HEAVYWEIGHT sensation Daniel Dubois and Olympic star Nicola Adams will both be in action at the Royal Albert on September 27.
Dubois recently claimed the British heavyweight title with a thumping victory over Nathan Gorman, while the Interim WBO flyweight title Nicola Adams won last year has been upgraded to their world belt. Both are slated to fight opponents each of whom are due to have run outs in August.
Dubois will box Ghana’s Ebenezer Tetteh, who will have a contest this month before taking on the Briton for the vacant Commonwealth heavyweight title in London.
Adams has a tentative agreement to take on IBF champion Leonela Paola Yudica in a unification clash. The Argentine however does have a defence lined up against Isabel Millan in San Juan on August 16 first.
Dubois is looking forward to returning to the Albert Hall. “That same atmosphere that must have been there when all the past legends, Lennox [Lewis], [Frank] Bruno and all the fighters that have come before me, I felt that. A good atmosphere on the night and I got a dramatic win,” he noted.
Dubois wants to amass all the titles he can on his way up to world level. “Commonwealth title next, usually it’s British, Commonwealth and then European. So, so far so good,” he told Boxing News. “I want to get to the top as soon as possible, I want to do everything in as minimal time as possible and beat everyone, while I’m still young. I’ve still got youth on my side against these old guys, use that against them.”
Dubois is still only 21 years old. “I think most of the [top] guys, they’re late 20s, or 30s or early 30s, so I want to use what I’ve got, all the skill and potential I have and put that on display. Practise what I preach in the gym and in the fight. On fight night just prove that I’m a superior fighter,” he said.
Nicola Adams, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, hasn’t boxed since October of last year. She would have preferred to win the WBO world title in the ring but Arely Mucino, the previous champion, was unable to box her after suffering a long-term injury.
“It’s was a double-edged sword really. I was really happy that I was upgraded [to world champion] but I wanted to fight for it. I wanted to get the fight in July but that’s when we heard about the car accident that she had. I was basically on stand-by just waiting to hear whether she’d box again. So it’s one of those things, obviously I’m happy to be champion but I wanted to fight for it,” Adams said.
That makes boxing another champion, in Leonela Yudica, all the more appealing. “She’s defended her title and kept her title on many occasions but I’m ready. I know she’s not going to want to give her title up. I know what it’s like to have a title and everybody coming for you for the title. I had that for all my amateur career. It’s harder to stay at the top than it is to get to the top. So now I’m going to be the underdog, which makes a change. But I’m very hungry and very determined and want that victory,” Nicola said.
“I want to be able to go out there and earn it. Now I’m getting the chance to do that. I’m really excited. I feel like I’ll be able to call myself a real world champion.”
