Daniel Dubois to Make Short Work of Dinu
WBA Interim Heavyweight Title on the Line
It’s Britain vs Romania as Daniel Dubois and Bogdan Dinu square off for a title shot at Telford International Center.
The WBA interim title isn’t what Dubois was hoping for after losing a slew of heavyweight titles against Joe Joyce. However, a victory over Dinu puts him back on track.
Dinu is 11 years older than his counterpart, and this is by far his biggest test to date. He had a shot for the WBO-NABO title against Jarrell Miller, but he suffered an early knockout.
The online sportsbook has Dubois as the overwhelming favorite, so can Dinu spring an upset?
Dubois to Right His Wrongs
At 15-0, the world was Daniel Dubois’ oyster, but that can all change in the blink of an eye. His loss to Joe Joyce came at a price, and one loss in boxing can change your career path.
Dubois lost the British, Commonwealth, WBC Silver, and WBO International heavyweight titles when getting knocked out in the 10th round. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and he now needs to fight a journeyman to get back in the picture.
A change at fighting for the WBA heavyweight title is on the line and the 23-year-old looks capable of bouncing back.
“I wasn’t losing by a ton and getting pasted, it was a close fight in my opinion, so nip and tuck, really,” Dubois told Dazn. “I want to get back in that sort of level fight and beat someone of Joe’s caliber. We’ll see, I don’t know, only time will tell if it can happen. Right now, I am just excited about the comeback.
“I do want to have revenge and to put it right, but if I’ve got to take it out on someone else then, hey, Bogdan is there to get it, isn’t he?”
“It is so good to be on the undercard of such a good main event. It is a privilege to be on the card.
“I’m just looking forward to showing my skills on the night and what I’ve been learning.”@tommytntfury 🤜🤛 @DynamiteDubois
(Via Queensberry Promotions 👇)
— Boxing on BT Sport 🥊 (@BTSportBoxing) May 25, 2021
How a fighter rebounds from their first loss is always interesting. Some fighters lose the passion they once had, but we don’t think that will happen with Dubois. He’s still in a great position for a title fight and Joe Joyce is a quality Olympic medalist.
The loss was due to repeated jabs from Joyce, who caused significant swelling in his left eye. Dubois was landing the harder punches, but the swelling was too much and he went to the canvas on one knee so the ref could count him out.
He suffered a broken left orbital bone and nerve damage around the eye, so it wasn’t a true knockout loss.
Dinu Faces Tough Test
Not many people are giving Bogdan Dinu a shot at beating Daniel Dubois and, based on his record, he makes a hard case.
Boxing betting markets have Dinu as a rank outsider, but he won his last two fights against Osborn Machimana and Frank Bluemie. Both fights took place in Bulgaria and they were against no-name opponents, so the record is padded.
They followed consecutive losses, which were tough fights. He was knocked out in the fourth round against Jarrell Miller, who is unbeaten after 24 fights. That fight was in 2018 and he followed it with another knockout loss four months later.
Bogdan Dinu Pumped, Promises To Derail Comeback of Daniel Dubois https://t.co/JzjyUXbvbR pic.twitter.com/r6T9BWSSsi
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) May 26, 2021
Dinu was KO’d in the seventh round against Kubrat Pulev, who is a quality fighter in his own right. Pulev owns wins against Derek Chisora and Hughie Fury, and he recently had a world heavyweight title shot against Anthony Joshua, which he lost via knockout.
That fight is a good form guide for Dinu, but he will need to improve his striking. The 34-year-old appears past his prime, and facing a local fighter isn’t going to help his chances.
It would be a shock result if Dinu landed the telling blow, but boxing is a sport that allows miracles to happen.
Dubois vs Dinu Pick
Daniel Dubois looks to have a mortgage on this fight, and we can’t see the Brit losing at minuscule odds.
There is no value in the head-to-head market, but we expect this fight to be over before the final bell. Bettors get better value for Dubois to win via KO/TKO and although the odds are still short, it looks like a safe bet.
He has a significant class edge and with the fight being 12 rounds, it gives him time to size up his opponent before landing the knockout blow.
We expect Dubois to win in Round 6 or Round 7. Lay the hefty price tag or wait for the fight to approach and get down on alternative odds for KOs or the over/under.
