- Daniel Dubois was stopped by Oleskandr Usyk in their world title fight in August
- He must produce a dominant performance against Jarrell Miller this weekend
- Jarrell Miller has beef with Eddie Hearn as well as AJ… why we could be set for one of the feistiest bouts we’ve seen in years – The Hook
Anthony Joshua is not the only British heavyweight seeking redemption in the desert tonight.
Daniel Dubois needs a convincing victory over controversial American Jarrell Miller on the star-laden card in Saudi Arabia.
At only 26, Dubois is at the opposite end of his career from AJ but he has to beat Miller in style to regain his standing among the world heavyweight title contenders.
Dynamite Daniel protested last time out when a potential upset knockout of unified champion Oleksandr Usyk was ruled a marginally low blow, with the Ukrainian given time to recover.
Nevertheless eyebrows were raised when Dubois succumbed to a couple of quickfire jabs from Usyk in the ninth round in Poland this August.
Daniel Dubois (left) needs to beat Jarrell Miller (right) in impressive fashion on Saturday
Dubois took a knee and opted not to continue against Oleksandr Usyk in August
He also took a knee against Joe Joyce in 2020, and needs to an explosive win to get back on track
This was the second time he took a knee under pressure. The first, against Joe Joyce, was understandable as in addition to the excruciating pain from a broken eye socket, his permanent sight was at risk. Live to fight another day, as the saying goes. Now that day has come.
In Riyadh, while praising Usyk’s exceptional speed, he has explained the second defeat of his 21-fight career on ‘my condition for that fight’. If that was a reference to reduced training time then the haste with which this card has been arranged would be concerning.
Thankfully this is a young man who stays in training between bouts. In ring mantra he ‘lives the fighter’s life’. No alcohol. No late-night parties. He also seems to have regained his mojo.
Miller, the apparently reformed drugs cheat, goes by the nickname Big Baby. When they faced each other this week Dubois teased him: ‘Every Baby needs his Daddy. I’m your Daddy.’
Miller is a massive unit predicted to weigh scores of pounds heavier by the time they enter the ring. Whether that is more Baby fat than muscle we shall see, but with that bulk expect him to be the one dazzled by Dubois’s speed.
Manchester’s Lyndon Arthur will typically give his all in his unexpected shot at a world light-heavyweight title but he is very much the underdog against Dmitry Bivol, the surprise conqueror of Canelo Alvarez.
