Daniel Dubois will take a while to recover from his loss to Joe Joyce yesterday. Not only because he has to nurse a broken orbital bone, but also due to the psychological consequences of his loss. An undefeated fighter losing their first bout is always hard, but the way Dubois lost makes it harder.

Dubois essentially gave up in a sport where dying by the shield is the only acceptable way to lose. We have heard stories from both boxing and MMA of how fighters carry on with career-altering injuries. Dubois chose to not over-extend himself in a losing fight. That is smart in its own way for self-preservation, but it has been looked down upon by many.

This seemingly included Tyson Fury, who put up an Instagram story with Joe Joyce to congratulate him on his win. He called it a great boxing display. However, the one message scrawled over the image was ‘boxing is a heart sport’.

Considering that boxing purists have been getting on Dubois for lacking heart, this caption could be a direct reference to what Joyce made his opponent do. An admission of quitting is hard to get over in boxing, considering how these fighters pride themselves on never giving up.

Daniel Dubois and his odds of making a comeback

Daniel Dubois is just 23 years old. What we saw from him in the fight is that he is uncomfortable getting jabbed at and obviously didn’t want to be finished. However, his age means he can learn all of this. Yesterday’s loss was a classic tale of ‘young and cocky boxer gets beaten by an experienced veteran’.

Dubois will have to earn a lot of respect back from the boxing community, as his loss will haunt him for a long time. Meanwhile, Joyce can expect a jump in high-profile opponents. He could find himself in a world title fight.

Fury is one of the most respected boxers, and him putting a message which may be a slight is a hard thing for Dubois to overcome. However, his age is something that will give him a long time to do so. Hopefully, ‘Dynamite’s’ coaching team can rebuild this talented boxer.