Daniel Dubois did exactly what was expected of him on Sunday night as he smashed the overmatched Joe Cusumano on his US debut.
The exciting London heavyweight (now 17-1 with 16 wins inside distance), continued his rehabilitation from that shocking defeat by Joe Joyce last year by blasting out Cusumano inside a round on the big Jake Paul vs Tyron Woodley undercard in Cleveland.
Three knockdowns for Dubois
Dubois knocked down Cusumano (now 19-4) three times en route to a first-round stoppage. ‘Dynamite’ landed nearly everything he threw at Cusumano, who was finished off by a barrage of punches 2:10 into the fight.
Dubois has now won two consecutive fights since losing to Joyce last year. He sustained a horrific eye injury in the process, but proved his wellbeing on his return against Bogdan Dinu in June with another early stoppage.
Daniel targeting world titles
“You don’t get paid for overtime,” he said afterwards. “I had a great performance and had the best training camp ever. I want to fight for a world title. I want to fight the best. It’s going to come soon. Whoever’s next. I want to fight for a world title.”
Dubois had claimed the WBA interim title with that win over Dinu in June, and is ranked highly by the sanctioning bodies.
He is now likely to step back up in class again after this stay-busy fight, and the chance to showcase his skills before a PPV audience in the United States (Jake Paul vs Woodley aired on Showtime and was a big deal).
The world titles are currently all locked up by other British fighters – Tyson Fury holds the WBC belt while Anthony Joshua has the IBF, WBA and WBO straps. It is hoped they will meet next year at last to provide an undisputed champion.
Until then, Dubois may just have to wait a little longer for his shot at the really big time.