Dubois Knocks Out Bryan To Win WBA “Regular” Heavyweight Belt

Since losing to Joe Joyce after failing to make the count, questions have been asked about Daniel Dubois and what he can achieve moving forwards. Dynamite, promoted by Frank Warren and Queensbury, had been tipped to be the next big thing in heavyweight boxing until losing to Joyce. But now he’s back in the big time after knocking out Trevor Bryan to claim the WBA “Regular” Heavyweight title.

Bryan, 32, was undefeated before entering the ring to fight Dubois and had been trying to get under the Brit’s skin in the build-up. The Don King promoted fighter had been inactive for three years between 2018 and 2021 before going on to knock out Bermane Stiverne and picking up a split decision win last time out against Jonathan Guidry. So, Bryan represented a live opponent for Dubois, even though the Brit was the heavy favourite to win.

Dubois, the much younger man at twenty-four, began the bout by trying to find his range. And, with Bryan not really offering anything notable, the Shane McGuigan charge quickly moved through the gears between then and the third round, upping the ante and turning the pressure up on Bryan. It was in the next round Dubois brought the fight to an end, with a power punch opening the door for the Brit to finish off an unsteady Bryan in clinical fashion. 

It was a poor showing from Bryan, who had been incredibly vocal in the build-up to the bout. Dubois, on the other hand, was in control from the first bell and quickly cycled through the gears to show his class. He’s now on a run of three wins, with his record of eighteen wins and seventeen of those coming by knockout impressive. Yes, he still has the defeat to Joyce on his resume, but he’s back firing on all cylinders, and his performance against Bryan will now put him in the mix for bigger bouts.

While the WBA “regular” heavyweight belt isn’t really the one boxers in the division set out to win, it’s still a title and one that puts him right in the mix to move towards a shot at winning the WBA “super” belt. Oleksandr Usyk is set to defend the title against Anthony Joshua in August, but it’s unlikely that Dubois will immediately be in line for a shot, as the winner of the rematch could challenge WBC champion Tyson Fury in an undisputed bout.

So, with Dubois in pole position after travelling to the USA and defeating American Bryan in Miami, he could well be the man to face the winner of the Hughie Fury vs Michael Hunter fight in Manchester in the coming weeks. Another battle across the pond could be on the cards if Hunter is successful against Fury, but it’s Fury who goes into the clash as the favourite.