DUBOIS SEIZES HIS MOMENT ON NIGHT OF WEMBLEY GLORY
By Frank Warren
BRITISH BOXING PUT its best foot (or fist) forward on Saturday night and delivered an amazing spectacle with the world watching on.
Riyadh Season landed in London with all the bells and whistles we have come to expect from these productions since we got started last October. London landmarks and iconic locations were brought into play across fight week before we got to the real business end at Wembley Stadium in front of a record crowd.
From a promotional and logistical perspective, things really couldn’t have gone much better, but what truly matters most is that the fights deliver the goods and they did.
Daniel Dubois has now joined the giants of the heavyweight division having toppled one of the big guns. He forced the fight and made his own fortune, so the post-fight scrutiny shouldn’t be a post-mortem about Anthony Joshua, it should be welcoming a new force in the sport.
Daniel didn’t win because AJ is some sort of fading hero who got it all wrong. It was about Daniel getting it right and when he does he is pretty much unstoppable.
Praise and respect to AJ because it makes two to create a classic and even under the most immense pressure he never stopped being dangerous and was landing hurtful blows right to the end. Daniel showed incredible heart to withstand the onslaught and execute a showstopper of his own.
A glorious future now beckons for Daniel, which I predicted right from the beginning when we teamed up when he was just 18 and I couldn’t be happier for him.
Congratulations go to him and all his team. Don Charles must take enormous credit, along with Daniel’s father Stan, who is a crucial voice on fight nights.
What happens next is typically the question on everyone’s lips following such a seismic victory, but we will take the time to assess the landscape and also take into account the outcome of the big one on December 21 between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
Not all the glory was reserved for Daniel on this magical night. Anto Cacace completed a comprehensive decision victory over former featherweight world champion Josh Warrington in what was ultimately a defence of his IBO super featherweight world title. The win also ensured he retained his IBF world title.
I am absolutely thrilled for Anto to be enjoying such success at this stage of his career and I hope this sets him and his family up for life. All the pieces have finally fallen into place for him and Anto is now living the life of an elite performer and a genuine champion.
Hamzah Sheeraz continued to blaze a trail of destruction through the middleweight division with a two-round blitz of the European champion Tyler Denny. Hamzah is naturally now on the cusp of world title contention, but he has done this by moving through the levels and picking up the necessary experience, along with significant title belts that have manoeuvred him into position.
We didn’t have it all our own way on the night. Willy Hutchinson rolled the dice by stepping up to take on Joshua Buatsi for the WBO Interim world light heavyweight title and came up a little short despite a skilful and gutsy performance.
I felt the deduction of a point was harsh and typical of, in my opinion, some disappointing refereeing decisions over the course of the card, right up to the main event.
In the end, Joshua’s heavy investment to the body paid dividends and congratulations to him for his title success. Willy has shown more than enough over the last 12 months or so to show that he will end up being a major force and we shouldn’t forget that he is only 26.
Mark Chamberlain endured a shock to his system by taking a first professional setback against Josh Padley, which might end up becoming a pivotal moment in his career. Special mention to Josh and his trainer Jason Cunningham, who I admire and respect greatly. It is another big win for Jason following on from his success with Conner Kelsall the other month.
Mark needs to make an honest assessment of his whole set-up and preparations, whether he has been living the life required of a professional athlete. However good you are, you can’t rely on simply bludgeoning through opponents because, if they don’t go, you might just have a problem.
Mark has been given incredible opportunities to showcase himself and move towards world title contention and I believe he has got what it takes. It is now up to him to make the necessary changes to put himself back on track.
To end again on a happier note, what made this Riyadh Season spectacular so special was the record crowd that provided such a memorable backdrop to events in the ring. H.E. Turki Alalshikh – who we extend huge thanks to for making it all happen – cannot have failed to be impressed.