The normally reserved Daniel Dubois found his voice during fight week.
Even his boisterous opponent, Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller, was amusingly caught off guard by the Brit’s vow to inflict plenty of pain in the ring this weekend at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“Yo, Big Baby,” Dubois addressed the Brooklyn native during Thursday’s pre-fight press conference. “Every baby has a daddy. I’m gonna beat you like I’m your daddy. What’s up?”
The comment grew a collective chuckle from the room, as well as the former WBA ‘Regular’ heavyweight titlist’s Hall of Fame promoter.
“Daniel Dubois has arrived,” stated Frank Warren.
London’s Dubois (19-2 18KOs) aims to rebound from a ninth-round knockout loss to WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight titlist Oleksandr Usyk this past August 26 in Wroclaw, Poland. The setback snapped a four-fight win streak, all inside the distance and none longer than four rounds.
It was the second career knockout defeat for the 26-year-old heavyweight, to whom Miller (26-0-1, 22KOs) has repeatedly referred as a ‘two-time quitter.’ While he hasn’t vowed a knockout win on Saturday, Dubois has guaranteed a victory. He also cautioned to expect a challenge never before experienced by Miller, who has won three straight since returning to the ring last June after a four-year ring absence due to back-to-back failed drug tests and the pandemic.
“I’m ready to see him in the ring,” noted Dubois as he blew past a request to predict a stoppage. “I don’t do too much talking but I’m ready for him. I’m ready to fight.
“I got the support behind me and I’m ready to show up. Show up!”
Dubois-Miller is part of an eight-fight ‘Day of Reckoning’ Pay-Per-View event that will air live in the U.K. beginning at 4:00 p.m. GMT and in the U.S. beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. X (formerly Twitter): @JakeNDaBox