Heavyweight Daniel Dubois proved his doubters wrong landing the best win of his career against Jarrell Miller, stopping the giant American in the dying seconds of their 10-round battle.
The former world title challenger had to bite down on his gumshield and ride through the storm during the middle rounds, with Miller landing combinations of heavy shots and imposing his hulking frame on Dubois.
However, Dubois would keep his composure after previous experiences of wilting under the pressure against Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk, losing both those contests via stoppage. Following both defeats, Dubois suffered criticism from all corners and was labeled a quitter.
Immediately after the fight, Frank Warren, who promotes Dubois, told broadcaster TNT that he proved his doubters wrong and that he could do the hard graft in the ring.
Warren and Eddie Hearn recently sat down for a joint interview with TNT Sports to discuss their new working relationship with Turki Alalshikh.
Alalshikh has brought the two promotional heavyweights together to put Alalshikh’s vision for the sport into practice, with major fights heading to Saudi as an attraction for the six-month-long Riyadh Season.
Hearn explained to interviewer Steve Bunce how his rivalry with Warren had thawed following their new working relationship, to the extent that Hearn was actively supporting Dubois against Miller from ringside.
The Matchroom chairman told Bunce that Warren’s decision to put Dubois’s father into his corner during the fight was vital and that Dubois’s father ultimately won his son the Miller fight.
“There was a brilliant moment in the last show [December 23] where Daniel Dubois’s dad might have won him the fight,” Hearn said. “He [Dubois’s dad] came into the corner between one of the rounds, and Daniel was almost looking for him. He screamed and shouted at him, and then Daniel had a good round.
“I thought before that round, he [Dubois] might be on his way out here. Frank had the experience of turning around and asking someone to go and get him [Dubois’s dad] and sit him here.
“Every round, his dad did the same thing [encouraging Dubois], and I think it won him the fight. In the end, I found myself cheering for Daniel Dubois. We both love boxing, and I love to see British boxers do well.”
