Daniel Dubois knew he was never going to win a war of words with Jarrell Miller.
The former secondary WBA heavyweight titlist is far more confident of what he do to his brash future foe in the ring.
“I signed up for it. This is big time boxing,” Dubois noted of his forthcoming battle versus Brooklyn’s Miller (26-0-1, 22KOs). “I’m going to chop that tree down. That’s what I’m planning to do. Bring it on.”
Dubois-Miller will take place as part of an eight-fight super card on December 23 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The show is co-headlined by two more heavyweight bouts—Anthony Joshua=Otto Wallin and Deontay Wilder-Joseph Parker.
The fight will mark a quick turnaround for London’s Dubois (19-2, 18KOs), oddly as he comes of a knockout loss. His WBA ‘Regular’ title reign came to a bitter close as he was counted out in the ninth round of his August 26 title consolidation bout versus WBA ‘Super’/IBF/WBO heavyweight titlist Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14KOs) in Wroclaw, Poland.
Dubois previously won four straight headed into that fight following a November 2020 knockout loss to countryman Joe Joyce when both were unbeaten heavyweights on the cusp of title contention. It was later revealed that Dubois suffered a fractured eye socket.
No such alibi came of his latest defeat, though his team protested the outcome on the belief he was cheated out of a fifth-round knockdown. The WBA rejected to filing, a ruling which Queensberry Promotions appealed.
The only place Dubois knows he can gain true redemption is in the ring. The quick turnaround gives him less time to dwell on the setback, though just enough time to use it as motivation to silence his doubters.
“I’m motivated for it. After that [Usyk] fight, the emotions of that fight stirred up in me,” admitted Dubois. “I’m really up for and am going to go for it in this one.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox