World Heavyweight Title contender Hughie Fury has hailed the British and Irish Lions heroic performance against the mighty All Blacks and vows to emulate that by defeating New Zealand’s WBO World Champion Joe Parker in September.
The Manchester ace watched the crucial decider in the Test series at his hotel yesterday morning ahead of his own exhibition contest at the the Copper Box Arena and was gripped like the rest of the nation by the thrilling match.
Remember when talented Audley Harrison, fresh off his 2000 Olympic gold medal win and with a seemingly glorious pro career waiting for him, boasted how he could win the British heavyweight title after just five fights? Well, as we know, “A-Force” never managed it; but 19 year old Daniel Dubois might try soon.
Just two weeks after his embarrassingly easy pro debut (an easy win that came well inside a minute), red-hot 19 year old heavyweight “Dynamite” Daniel Dubois made it 2-0(2) tonight in Leicester.
The exciting prospect was, thankfully, matched significantly tougher tonight, facing Cameroonian 2012 Olympian Blaise Mendouo, who was 3-1(0) coming in, but the result was never in any doubt. Possessing power, speed and youthful aggression, Dubois hurt his man in the opening round, landing two stiff right hands to the head. The much smaller Mendouo (who had boxed as a cruiserweight in his own early pro career) did manage to tag the 6’5” giant with a counter shot, briefly getting the attention of Dubois, and for a fleeting moment it seemed we just might have a fight on our hands.
Tonight in Manchester, 19 year old heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois of London made his pro debut; winning a quite pathetic mismatch inside a minute of the very first round. Going up against an extremely fleshy Marcus Kelly, 1-0, the amateur standout had nothing to beat and put his debut win in the bank at the .35 second mark of the opener.
Kelly, so much the shorter man against the 6’7” Dubois, came out swinging, giving it a go of sorts, but the magnificently conditioned Dubois, known as “Dangerous,” cracked his advancing target with a tasty left hook to the chin, his follow-up shots soon sending Kelly down. Kelly beat the count, even laughing as he did so, but he was deemed to be in no shape to continue by the referee.