Frank Warren has dismissed as “cruel” the criticism that Daniel Dubois was subjected to in the aftermath of his defeats by Oleksandr Usyk and Joe Joyce.
The 26-year-old Dubois in December recorded the biggest victory of his career when in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia he stopped Jarrell Miller in 10 rounds.
His promoter had risked matching him in a potentially difficult fight, on the occasion of his return from the stoppage defeat by Usyk in which he had been accused of quitting. He was also accused of quitting against Joyce in 2020, when he suffered a fractured orbital socket.
“He needed that [win over Miller], he needed that big time,” Warren told DAZN. “There were a lot of doubters there. I was a little bit disappointed by a certain number of fighters, who were quite cruel in some of the things that were said.
“What I mean by that is when he fought Joe Joyce, he fractured his eye socket in four places; he nearly had a detached retina. One more punch, it would have detached his retina – that would have been the end of his career. He did the right thing [to withdraw from the fight]. The things people said about it, they forget at the time he was in front on the judges’ cards.”
Warren believes that Dubois has earned himself further opportunities at the highest level after proving his heart in victory against Miller.
“What I saw in his last fight was this – he had to dig deep against a guy who fancied the job, in Jarrell Miller,” continued Warren, who among others also promotes Tyson Fury, Moses Itauma and Joyce. “Tough guy, big guy, big lump, big fella, fast hands and thought that he had out-psyched him leading up to the fight – I mean, he made a lot of comments about Daniel’s heart.
“All these things going on, when that bell goes, that is the only time you’re gonna know. And when that bell went, he got into it and showed what he was all about.
“He’s only a young man, and he’s got himself right up there in the top echelons of all the heavyweights, and he’s gonna be involved in some big fights this year, there’s no doubt about that.”
