Nick Peet: Dubois vs Dinu – Dynamite to return to his explosive best

DYNAMITE Daniel Dubois returns to the ring on Saturday for the first time since he took a knee in November’s dramatic domestic showdown with Joe Joyce.

Dogged, determined and driven to get his heavyweight title hopes back on track, now 23 ‘DDD’ will have a new team in his corner, led by Shane McGuigan, when he takes on gritty Romanian Bogdan Dinu in Telford.

After cruising to 15 wins with 14 knockouts, Dubois was asked questions he’s never been asked before against Joyce. Hurt as early as the second round, he couldn’t get past the former Olympic silver medallist’s jab and bravely laboured on with decreasing visibility before retiring himself in the tenth round.

At the time, the young Londoner came in for a lot of criticism for quitting in a fight he was leading on two of the judges’ scorecards. But in reality, Dubois likely saved his career as subsequent scans revealed a fractured orbital bone and retinal bleeding.

 

@DynamiteDubois #boxing #boxeo #boxingactive #boxingtraining #danieldubois pic.twitter.com/uGcLkHnsci

— Boxing Active (@boxingactive) May 28, 2021

 

Any long-term effects of the injury are as yet unknown, but Dubois has been medically cleared to return and this weekend we will potentially discover what the next chapter in his career may exactly entail.

There are hundreds of far easier opponents Dubois and his team could have hand-picked for his comeback fight. Dinu may not be world class, but he’s lost just twice in 22 starts, he’s only 34 and he’s six-foot-five and in shape. He comes to win.

His two career losses arrived back-to-back in a disappointing five-month spell. And closer inspection reveals there were injustices around both defeats.

First, he jumped in at late notice to face then unexposed serial drug cheat Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller and was stopped in four after dominating early on from behind a solid jab. Miller was lined up to face Anthony Joshua in the aftermath of that victory – before popping hot.

 

Bogdan Dinu is on the charge in round 4! #PulevDinu | @ESPN pic.twitter.com/mI9g2ppAFP

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) March 24, 2019

 

Weeks later Dinu then faced two-time world title contender Kubrat Pulev, losing in the seventh. But the finish arrived seconds after Dinu was dropped and hit with an illegal blow behind the back of the head once on the canvas. Kubrat could have been disqualified, instead he was deducted a point whilst Dinu never recovered.

Dinu has also won two fights by knockout since, albeit against weak opposition. However, I tipped Dubois to one day become world heavy weight champion and despite the setback against Joyce I believe it’s only a matter of time for the exciting and explosive youngster.

TIP: Dubois by knockout rounds 4-6 – 21/10

 

Extra: Mayweather vs Paul

Floyd Mayweather, the greatest boxer of my generation, returns for an exhibition bout against social media star Logan Paul on Sunday in Miami in a glorified sparring session that will last as long as ‘Money’ allows it too.

It’s been scheduled for eight rounds under special rules which include the removal of any scoring judges, so there can’t actually be a winner (or loser) unless Paul finds himself in no fit state to continue. 

There is nothing money-mad Floyd (50-0) will not lower himself to for cash, especially truckloads of the stuff. And, for him at least, this celebrity crossover match with Paul (0-1) bares absolutely no threat of harm whatsoever.

TIP: Floyd to win 1/12 (whenever and however he desires)