BOMBS AWAY! DANIEL AND JOE GOOD TO GO
26.11.20

BOMBS AWAY! DANIEL AND JOE GOOD TO GO

THEY SAY THAT good things come to those who wait. Rarely will this have been more true than what we have got coming up on Saturday night live on BT Sport.

We have all had to be patient as the big date bounced from April to July to October to this weekend. I think we can all be in agreement that it will be well worth waiting for.

Daniel Dubois vs Joe Joyce, the two best heavyweights in the world outside of the current world champions – and I wouldn’t rule them out of being successful against one of them, right now. It is a statement often trotted out when fights are put together, but it really doesn’t get much better than this.

Fight fans, I know, have been counting down the days and the potential bump in the road of Covid testing has been successfully navigated. They don’t have to make weight so we should be good to go.

This fight is resonating well beyond the typical boxing audience and the media coverage has come thick and fast, despite the obvious limitations on what we can and can’t facilitate. This one is going mainstream and the eyes of the world will be on Church House in Westminster while everyone waits for the first bomb to land flush on a chin.

Church House is no stranger to bombings as the building took a direct hit during the second World War. It stayed upright and Winston Churchill relocated parliament there until the conflict concluded.

I don’t imagine Daniel or Joe will require any rallying speeches to rouse them ahead of the first bell because I doubt I have ever seen two more focused and quietly confident individuals than these two. You can just see it in their eyes, neither of them can countenance the prospect of losing.

Except in the unlikely event of a draw, someone will have to, but while the fight might be career defining, I don’t believe the result will be. Both are top notch heavyweights and both will have a big part to play in the division for years to come.

What this fight will determine is who makes the first move. The loser won’t be too far behind.

That being said, the stakes are very high in terms of titles, kudos and position. There is a galaxy of titles on the line, including the British and European, so the winner will have plenty of mementos from the occasion, but perhaps more important is Daniel’s No.2 ranking with the WBO.

Whatever happens with Anthony Joshua if he beats Kubrat Pulev, whether he has time to fit in a defence against Oleksandr Usyk or not, the holder of the No.2 spot will be right in line for a shot at a vacant title or a mandatory shot at the champion.

The winner really does take it all on Saturday and will be in line for a huge 2021 with a world title challenge almost guaranteed.

I am enjoying hearing so many different opinions on how the fight will play out and the fact there is no consensus tells us we have got a real fight on our hands.

As I said in the preview show on BT, I suspect we are in for a heavyweight version of Hagler-Hearns. Those of us who were around in 1985 will never forget the three rounds of middleweight mayhem before Hagler prevailed at Caesars Palace.

I can see something similar playing out on Saturday when Dynamite Daniel and Juggernaut Joe collide. I don’t see either of them easing their way into the fight and can easily imagine them just going at it from the off.

If that is the case then we are all in for a real treat and one of those fights that will live forever in the memory.

Live coverage of Dubois v Joyce begins from 7.30pm on BT Sport 1

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