Daniel Dubois v Trevor Bryan ordered by WBA

[Master]

At 90 years of age, Don King is still promoting boxing.

The highly controversial figure first came to prominence in the sport back in 1974, with the legendary ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman being his first major event.

48 years on, King’s endured his fair share of scandals having been sued by several boxers – most famously Mike Tyson – with many of them alleging that he defrauded them.

Remarkably though, at 90, he is still involved in the sport and set to stage a show this weekend.

King now promotes American heavyweight Trevor Bryan, who holds the lesser WBA ‘regular’ belt in the division.

Oleksandr Usyk is the true WBA heavyweight champion, but the ‘regular’ belt could become a pathway to a shot at the Ukrainian in future.

On Saturday night, Bryan is set to defend it against Britain’s Daniel Dubois.

Unexpectedly, King outbid Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren and won the rights to stage the fight.

It is set to take place in Miami, Florida with Dubois and his team having flown out to the US.

On Wednesday King hosted a press conference to preview the fight, which turned out to be one of the most bizarre boxing pressers of all time.

The 90-year-old initially struggled to get out of his seat, and then stood for an hour straight during which he spoke passionately about an eclectic series of topics.

King’s own speeches amounted to about 30 minutes in total.

He covered everything from the war in Ukraine, a potentially devastating nuclear World War III, the Queen of England’s platinum jubilee, US school shootings and, of course, a little about Dubois and Bryan.

Dubois is the heavy favourite to beat Bryan and deliver a result that would leave King without any remaining boxers of note on Saturday night.

If this happens, then time will tell if he can bounce back once again.

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/1...alks-politics/

[Master]

King has put on fights in hospitals, penitentiaries, the greatest arenas in a dozen lands and on Saturday night, at a casino on the edge of town, he promotes Trevor Bryan against Daniel Dubois for a bit of the WBA’s heavyweight championship. King knows how to sell.

King was once known as The Kid, a prolific hustler on the streets of Cleveland, and during the last 50 years he has been boxing’s greatest showman and the most entertaining promoter on earth. He has enemies, he made fortunes and he made headlines during his life in the boxing business. He has the shotgun pellets in his neck, the scars across his old face and the millions in the bank to prove it.

And, at 90, he insists he is not done. “I’m gonna get Tyson Fury out of retirement,” he told me earlier this week. “He’s just a human being – I can help him.”

On Saturday, King’s man in the fight is Trevor Bryan, who is unbeaten, untested and a big underdog. Bryan is also tremendously likeable and believes that he is the most avoided heavyweight fighter in the world. Bryan owns the WBA’s regular heavyweight title; Oleksandr Usyk has the real belt.

Bryan has stopped, bludgeoned or knocked out 15 of the 22 men he has so far beaten; he does, it has to be said, have a reputation for performing well in the gym against good fighters. “I just can’t get fights – nobody wants to fight me,” Bryan insists. The alternative view is that Bryan has been protected, guided by King with care and moved closer to a big payday. Hey, that’s the job of all promoters.

Dubois is still a boxing baby at 24, still a work in progress in many ways and that might seem odd for a man with 18 fights on his record and a date with a champion in a foreign land. The Casino Miami venue is stranded between the freeways near the airport, hemmed in by canals that look like alligator pools and illuminated by the types of bars that sit on the edges of most American cities. Still, it’s a casino and this is a heavyweight title fight on paper.

It is, however, a good fight, a real international heavyweight fight, and in our business we get so few of those. The belt on offer has persuaded both to take a risk and that is fine – it is also a factor that is ignored in the clamour to knock the many ridiculous fights for pointless belts. This fight would not happen without a belt. The winner does move closer to one or more of the real heavyweight champions. The winner is not the heavyweight champion, not yet.

The winner is expected to be Dubois. And he is expected to win quickly and easily and without any fuss. “You seen the odds?” a veteran of King’s patronage, called Stacy McKinley, asked me. I had, they were big. “That is just disrespectful. Two heavyweights and my man is 7-1. There is a lot of money to be made.”

McKinley has been in the corner of more than 20 of King’s world champions during the last 35 years and that includes Mike Tyson. I could tell McKinley was shocked and a little insulted by those odds. And, by the way, he’s a man with thick skin.

“I believe that Bryan is better than we think,” said Shane McGuigan, who has worked in the gym with Dubois since early last year. “But, Daniel will still get him out of there.”

The fight has been placed kindly to start in Miami by about 6pm, which means viewers in the UK can watch before midnight. Bryan has been talking a great fight all week out here, mixing insults with sensible observations and a bit of humour. In previous fights he has looked bored, slow, but there has always been a glimpse or two of the arts acquired in real gyms; there needs to be a lot we have not seen for Bryan to win. Perhaps there is.

Dubois lost in late 2020, has fought twice since and still has a lot to prove. His two fights lasted less than six minutes in total. On Saturday night, he might just want to use a bit of sense before letting his heavy fists flow. A slow beating might break Bryan easier than a fast and furious start.

It will be an event with King conducting once again – perhaps for the last time – a fight for the heavyweight championship of the world. King, a casino in Miami, violent storms, wayward gators, neon silhouettes and fights are what Saturday nights are made for.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...a1609f6e9fe6fe

[Master]

Daniel Dubois taunted with sanitary towels by Trevor Bryan at weigh-in ahead of title fight as ‘Dynamite’ looks in terrific shape

Daniel Dubois has always been one to do his talking with his fists in the ring rather than at press conferences and during interviews.

As he prepares for a heavyweight clash with Trevor Bryan promoted by Don King tonight in Miami, the American has been trying his hardest to rattle ‘Dynamite’ and throw him off his game in the build-up to the fight.

At yesterday’s weigh-in, Bryan made the bizarre move of taunting Dubois with sanitary towels and throwing them at the Brit.

Dubois maintained his composure but seemed eager to get in the ring and punish Bryan for his pre-fight trash talk, which has included bringing up ‘Dynamite’s’ previous loss to Joe Joyce when the Brit was accused of quitting.

Bryan looked considerably fleshier than Dubois, who has a bodybuilder-esque physique.

The American weighed in at 18st 7lbs, while Dubois hit the scales at 17st 3lbs, as he will look to add to his 16 KO’s in his 18 professional fights so far.

Bryan is unbeaten in 22 professional fights, with 15 KO’s, although he has yet to be tested at the highest level, with his best wins coming over BJ Flores who is a natural cruiserweight and an ageing Bermane Stiverne.

The WBA ‘regular’ heavyweight world title is on the line for this bout, meaning the winner could go on to fight for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBA ‘super’ heavyweight world title and Dubois is the heavy favourite with the bookies and a victory by knockout is by far the most likely option.

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/1...n-title-fight/

[TonnnnUK]

Dubois within 4 I reckon.

[Syntax Error]

I reckon this fight will be a battle of the jabs.

I know Dubois idolises Larry Holmes and I read somewhere that Bryan has enlisted Holmes for advice on how to improve his already decent jab.

Bryan looks even fleshier than normal, so it looks to me had hasn't put in the work.

Dubois will probably club him to defeat inside 7 rounds.

[Master]

This is a strange venue in Miami with Don King promotion.

[Master]

Dubois dominates the first round against Bryan behind a thunderous jab knocking the head back of the interem champion.