By Ian S Palmer
British heavyweight hopeful Daniel ‘Dynamite’ Dubois of England returns to the ring this Sunday, August 29th when he takes on takes on Juiseppe Angelo Cusumano of Danville, Virginia. The 10-round bout from Cleveland, Ohio is on the undercard of the Jake Paul vs Tyron Woodley event and can be seen via Showtime pay-per-view. Dubois last fought in June when he stopped Bogdan Dinu in the second round for the vacant WBA interim Heavyweight Title. Cusumano was in action in November when he stopped Gregory Corbin in the sixth round for the vacant WBC United States (USNBC) Heavyweight Crown.
The 23-year-old Dubois stopped Ebenezer Tetteh in the second round in September, 2019 for the vacant Commonwealth and WBO International Titles after stopping Nathan Gorman in the fifth round in July, 2019 for the vacant British Heavyweight Title. However, he lost all of those belts to Joe Joyce last November when he took a knee in the 10th round and decided not to carry on due to taking Joyce’s jabs all night long and suffering eye damage. He then returned in June and took care of Dinu.
Dubois feels he’s in the same heavyweight class as fellow Brits Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Joe Joyce and a legitimate contender for a world title. Those comparisons are relatively easy to make since Dubois stands 6-feet-5-inches tall with a 78-inch reach and has a mark of 16-1. He’s also stopped 15 of his 17 opponents so far for a current knockout ratio of 88.2 per cent.
Like Joshua, Dubois also enjoyed a fine amateur career, reportedly losing just six of 75 bouts and winning gold medals at various tournaments. He didn’t fight in the Olympics though as he decided to turn pro instead. Dubois was been brought along cautiously since making his pro debut in April, 2017. He’s been pretty active but has just 55 rounds of experience under his belt due to his power.
His opponents thus far have included Joyce, Ricardo Snijders, Kyotaro Fujimoto, Ebenezer Tetteh, Nathan Gorman, Tom Little, Kevin Johnson, Razvan Cojanu and Richard Lartey with Johnson and Joyce being the only two he hasn’t stopped. The fight with Joyce was a step up in class and even without the eye injury Dubois was visibly outclassed but oddly enough was ahead on two of the judges’ scorecards. He’s basically taken steps backward by fighting Dinu and now Cusumano.
Dubois usually tips the scales between 230 and 240 lbs and his career has been based on power. He can cause damage with either hand but isn’t really the most mobile heavyweight in the ring. He has mediocre to decent hand speed and is determined to make a name for himself in the division. It’s still hard to say how good his chin is at this point since it hasn’t been tested with many power shots as Joyce was content to keep the jab in his face time after time.
Cusumano is a 33-year-old who is basically an unknown to most fans but carries around a decent mark of 19-3 with 17 Kos. It’s obvious he’s got some power in his punches with a current knockout ratio of 77.3 per cent. Cusumano gives up an inch in height to Dubois as he’s 6-feet-4-inches tall but unfortunately he has an unlisted reach.
He’s boxed just 62 rounds since turning pro in 2010 and is more or less considered to be a solid journeyman. Cusumano’s first loss came in his third pro fight in 2012 when he dropped a four-round unanimous decision to Daniel Martz. He wasn’t beaten again until 2018 when he lost a six-round unanimous decision to Robert Simms.
His last loss came in August, 2019 when Steve Vukosa beat him by unanimous decision over eight rounds for the vacant WBC United States (USNBC) Heavyweight Title and was dropped in the third round. Cusumano’s biggest wins have been over the likes of Fred Latham, Bernardo Marquez, Michael Marone and Brendan Barrett. He’s never gone over eight rounds as most of his stoppage wins came early in fights.
Prediction…
Cusumano is a big guy with enough power to do some damage if he connects on the button. He’s not expected to win this fight however as he’s just been chosen to keep Dubois busy while making is US debut. This is a step up in class for Cusumano but unless the unlikely happens and he lands a perfect punch, I’m expecting Dubois, whom is 10 years younger than Cusamano, to record another win here.
