The jab was too much for the young fighter from Greenwich.

Joe Joyce used timing and distance to consistently land on Daniel Dubois, and it led to a stoppage in the 10th round due to Dubois’ left eye taking too much damage. Dubois took a knee after being hit with a jab and chose not to get up after a full count by Ian John Lewis. Joyce (12-0, 11 KO) wins multiple regional titles as a result of the KO victory and given the magnitude of the fight could very well be looking at a world title shot in the near future.

This highly anticipated bout was viewed as a battle between a young rising fighter in Dubois against someone that faced tougher opponents in Joyce, and the difference was evident in the early rounds. Joyce threw his jab early and often, and had the ability to roll with a number of power shots that Dubois threw. Once Joyce got the rhythm of what his opponent was doing, he started to walk forward and land a few shots to the body behind the jab. The lack of head movement from Dubois ended up being his downfall as his left eye started to swell in the third round. He had trouble seeing the jab coming after that round, and Joyce just stuck with his game plan to keep Dubois from getting inside to land power punches.

Dubois was valiant in the second half of the fight as he tried to land a power shot to affect Joyce as he was able to do to many opponents before him, but he was unsuccessful as Joyce was able to move away or absorb a few of them. The eye got worse in the eighth and ninth rounds to the point where Dubois could not see out of it and it led to the stoppage with over two minutes left in the tenth.

After the fight, Joyce brought up his strategy as the rounds went on. “I felt quite comfortable landing the jab, and I was moving away from his right hands,” he said. “I tried not to get backed up on the ropes also, because that’s when he lets his right hand go, and I didn’t want to get hit with any.”

When it came to the power that Dubois was known for, Joyce was aware of it but felt like it was his experience that showed him how to deal with it. “I’ve felt power like that before,” Joyce said. “With my experience I’ve learned to ride it and come back, and I’m blessed with a good chin.”

As for Dubois, he thought that his tactic of landing power shots would eventually break down the Putney native.

“I was just fighting. Just trying to figure out a way I could break him down and get inside and let my shots work,” Dubois said. ““He rolled with punches well. I was probably a bit trigger happy, but I need to be smarter and just pace myself maybe a bit more.”

Dubois falls to 15-1 after this loss and depending on how much damage his eye suffered, it could be very costly. If it is a serious injury he could be out of action for months. On the flip side, Joyce did not waste much time as to who he wanted next…the man who defeated him in the World Series of Boxing in 2013.

“Usyk…I’m ready for you, Usyk!”