Richard Harrison Still 15th In WBO Ranking…As The Dynamite Dubois Rises

After going down on Saturday at the SSE Arena at Wembley in London, Ghana’s Richard Nii Lartey Harrison is still number 15 in the WBO world rating, while his conqueror, Daniel Dubois has moved to number 14.

Dubois who now holds WBO Global title belt is however not rated by the other boxing bodies like WBC, WBA and IBF.

He has been considered to face Joe Joyce, the British Heavyweight champion on July 13.

Dubois is managed by Frank Warren, one of the popular boxing managers and promoters in the game.

Dubois was rocked on a few occasions against Harrison, and was tested during certain moments when he traded punches with his opponent.

But Dubois — who was pushed back for the first time in his career by some stiff shots — landed a huge right hand that dropped Lartey, who struggled to get to his feet.

The referee Bob Williams called a halt to proceedings after one minute and 50 seconds of the fourth round to award Dubois the vacant WBO Global heavyweight crown.

“I was so busy trying to hit him with hurtful shots that defence left my mind for a few rounds,” said Dubois, who is now on a collision course with Commonwealth heavyweight champion Joe Joyce. “But then I started boxing smart and I learned my lesson, adapted to it and coped after being clipped a few times. It’s about being careful at all times.”

Joyce, who was at ringside for the fight having recently signed with Frank Warren and will return to the ring himself on May 18 at the Lamex Stadium in Stevenage, as part of the supporting cast to Billy Joe Saunders’ vacant WBO interim super-middleweight title clash against Shefat Isufi, exclusively live on BT Sport in the UK.

“The big fights are being lined up and all I’ve got to do is keep winning, keep improving and sooner or later I’ll be sharing the ring with these guys,” Dubois added. “As long as the preparation is good, I believe I can beat anyone. It’s a great experience and I showed that I have the heart to make it.”

Joyce said: “[The fight with Dubois is] an option. I should be out in July [after May] and we’ll see what’s out there. I’m going to discuss my options and it’s an interesting one.

“I’m on the verge of world title level, I’ve got fights for the WBA ‘regular’ and European [titles] lined up, but I want to be a world heavyweight champion.”

Both Dubois and Joyce, along with WBC International Silver champion Nathan Gorman, will feature at the O2 Arena in London on July 13, with a press conference expected to take place in the near future to confirm further details.

Heavyweight (unlimited)

By Sammy Heywood Okine