Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce finally have a new date for their much-anticipated domestic showdown.
Promoter Frank Warren announced Thursday that the unbeaten British heavyweights will square off October 24 at O2 Arena in London. The Dubois-Joyce fight has been postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
They were first supposed to meet April 11, also at O2 Arena. Warren postponed their fight to July 11 at O2 Arena after the coronavirus crisis shut down the boxing business in the middle of March.
Warren doesn’t want to put on the Dubois-Joyce card without fans. He is hopeful that safety restrictions will be loosened in the United Kingdom by October 24, and that a limited crowd will be able to attend the show.
“It will be a fight to remember,” Warren said in a press release. “Everyone wants to see it. Lockdown has meant a delay, but we all want the fight to take place in October, and we are hopeful that the government will give us the all clear. What a position the winner will be in. They will be nailed on for a world title shot in 2021.”
Theirs is the biggest fight thus far for the London-based knockout artists.
The 6-feet-6, 255-pound Joyce has gone 10-0 as a pro, including nine knockouts, since he won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“It was great news to get the new date, so I can finally punch up Dubois,” Joyce said. “Now that gyms are open for athletes, I can kick on and just keep my focus on the new date, finally settling the score with Dubois and moving on to a world title fight.”
The 6-feet-5, 240-pound Dubois is 14-0 since making his pro debut three years go and has knocked out 13 of his opponents. The 22-year-old Dubois will defend his British commonwealth title against Joyce, who will turn 35 before he battles Dubois on October 24.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
