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Joe Joyce, a 3-1 underdog and the antithesis of a growling heavyweight beast, forced his younger undefeated opponent, Daniel Dubois, to resign in the 10th round at the historic Church House in Westminster on Saturday night and now it will take the British. Commonwealth and European titles on the world stage.
When Dubois knelt in the center ring, her left eye closed, she disappointed her army of supporters and Joyce, the most modest champion, silently raised her arm in triumph.
“I have to be honest, he quit, he got down on his knees,” Carl Frampton said. “I had a point on it. It was a close fight. “The opinion was shared by former world cruiserweight champion David Haye.” Joe said what he was going to do. Now Joe is ready for his world title shot. “
Dubois has serious questions about his commitment to the toughest game, because that wasn’t the way the champions gave up their titles. “He’s going to face a lot of criticism,” Frampton said in the front row at BT Sport.
“What can I say?” Dubois said embarrassed immediately after. “He caught me with a good jab. It just happened, man. I did the best I could, but I couldn’t see. I am a tough guy. I’ll be back, for sure. “
Joyce said, “I respect Daniel. It has some power and it can come back. But with my experience I have learned to ride it. I was happy to accept it. “
Joyce, the 35-year-old Putney heavyweight introduced to boxing by the mayor’s brother Sid Khan, slammed his awkward but exhausting left hand into the champion’s eye from the opening bell.
They touched the gloves respectfully and without blinking. Dubois’s fists were younger, a bit faster and heavier, but Joyce brought knowledge and a better professional resume. He had beaten two contenders for the world title. His demeanor was eerily calm.
Dubois, 23, and full of promise, opened at the start of the second. He brought the confidence of 10 stoppages in his 11 pro wins to his job, not to mention the expectations and endorsement of his promoter, Frank Warren. A series of strong rights kept Joyce holding in the middle of the second round.
Dubois went out for the knockout in the third, and Joyce, upright but nervous, swam in deep water. Dubois threw his head back and began to vary his attack; Joyce had to take advantage of her experience to stay with him. Joyce had a calm as she held on to her tree trunk punch and Dubois’s face was beginning to swell.
Dubois now surely realized that he was on the most demanding test of his credentials in his young career, and he responded well in fifth, picking up the pace. But the monster kept rolling. He was the epitome of stubbornness and drenched in some serious punches.
Neither of them lacked motivation in the middle stage, despite a lack of paying clients, a testament to their commitment, and neither moved from their pre-fight plan as the battle continued on predictable lines.
Joyce, whose Cuban trainer, Ismael Salas, had been sent home for the week after testing positive for Covid-19, had one target: Dubois’s left eye that closed rapidly. And he went for it with his stiff jab. But Dubois came to life at the start of the seventh and took the round.
One-eyed and determined Dubois found his fighting heart as he increased the weight and frequency of his punches in the eighth. A faster opponent than Joyce could have taken more advantage of Dubois’s bruised semi-blindness, but did enough to win the round.
There was more tension than drama as two superbly conditioned heavyweights entered the championship rounds. Joyce, upright and expressionless, continued to rely on his ramrod strike, Dubois looking for space to land his dynamite forehand.
There was nothing in it with three rounds left. If there was a crowd they would have been on their feet, and then there was a twist of the most unexpected kind, Dubois sank to one knee after a strong left jab that seemed to start the fight from him. He took the shot and felt his eye, looked around the corner, and then knelt. It wasn’t the most glorious outing, as Ian John-Lewis recounted.
“Joe is in the driver’s seat now,” Warren said later.
