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Daniel Dubois Eyes Big Fight for February Return

Right after his WBO title defense, Daniel Dubois sets his eyes on bigger targets.
Terrance Biggs|
Daniel Dubois
Daniel Dubois | Queensberry

WBO heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois operates effectively in silence, but his fights make noise. While he doesn't appear to be the most verbose fighter, his wins echo with the same resounding thud as his opponents do as they hit the ground.

95% of Dubois' fights have ended in knockouts, brutal ones that leave zero doubt. Yet at times he's competed in relative silence, unlike his contemporaries. Now, he wants the main stage.

Dubois is a two-time champion and holds one of the major world titles. All attention, however, is focused on the highly anticipated Battle of Britain, which features the clash between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. With little mainstream attention, Dubois just announced his plans.

Daniel Dubois and Frank Warren
Daniel Dubois and Frank Warren | Queensberry

Dubois to make quick return

In this year alone, Dubois finished Fabio Wardley twice, with the WBO strap on the line. In the last 15 months, he's fought three times, winning twice. Queensberry boss and Dubois promoter Frank Warren outlined the plan in an interview with talkSPORT.

"He'll fight in February, and we're going to look and see."

Now, as a titleholder, Dubois could face a mandatory challenger, satisfying the boxing organizations' demands. However, Warren and Queensberry have an advantage that most fighters don't.

Queensberry's heavyweight dominance

In Dubois' pursuit of big money fights, he'll only need to look in-house. Warren's Queensberry Promotions has a heavyweight stable of three current world champions, a fact that the promoter is well aware of.

“We’ve got a couple of shows coming up. We've got a big show in Germany on November 28, where the WBC heavyweight champion, Agit Kabayel, is fighting Nelson Hysa... Filip Hrgovic was there on the night, who's the IBF champion. He was hot to trot. He wanted a rematch because Daniel already has a win over him. That's the only loss on his record.

"He [Dubois] wants big fights because he tells me he wants to earn lots of money. The only way to earn lots of money? You’ve got to be in big fights."

Dubois holds victories over Hrgovic and Joshua, both by knockout, in the past 2+ years. Additionally, Tyson Fury is a Queensberry-contracted fighter.

For all of Zuffa Boxing's attempts to dominate the sport, Warren has carved out a serious niche. Dubois won't fill quote sheets with his commentary, but when it matters most, he finds a way to end fights. Now, he stands to benefit from several megafights in his near future.

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Terrance Biggs
TERRANCE BIGGS

Terrance is a boxing writer for KO on SI. He's enjoyed over a decade of writing experience, writing for Full Press Coverage, Pro Football Sports Network and Heavy.com, covering both professional and collegiate sports. He is s a member of the Football Writers Association of America and the United States Basketball Writers Association. Terrance also votes on postseason awards like the Biletnikoff, Groza, and Thorpe Awards. Biggs earned his bachelor's degree in Communication from Fort Hays State University. When not writing, he enjoys spending time with his children and his fiancée, along with playing softball.