Many predicted Daniel Dubois would beat Fabio Wardley in their rematch at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday. Few, however, predicted it would be so clinical, ferocious and sensationally quick.
Dubois (24-3, 23 KOs) was not messing around. Some people were still grabbing last-minute refreshments when Wardley went down the first time.
The first fight between the two, which Dubois won by Round 11 stoppage, was billed as "Don't Blink." They should have recycled the posters and programs.
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With his Round 2 demolition of Wardley on Saturday, Dubois put his hand up as the best active heavyweight on the planet.
The caveat, of course, is Oleksandr Usyk. He is the best of this generation but is near the end. The gap between him and the rest is sizable, and although the Ukrainian gave up all his belts earlier this year, he has said he will have at least one more fight. Against whom and when remain a mystery.
Of the current crop of champions -- Filip Hrgovic, Agit Kabayel and Murat Gassiev -- Dubois made the strongest case to be at the top of the pile.
He has the power, of course. But his speed, output -- landing 60 punches in less than six minutes of action against Wardley -- footwork and ramrod jab are all scary assets.
He also has the best résumé. He has beaten a defending champion in Wardley, a former two-time champion in Anthony Joshua and has a win over Hrgovic.
There was something different about Dubois on Saturday. He was more focused. Colder and more calculated, somehow. He had spiteful intentions and produced a clinical performance that coach Don Charles will be pleased with. He pummeled Wardley with his heavy, heavy hands.
What now?
"Big fights, big money" was Dubois' first answer.
Luckily for Dubois (and fans), promoter Frank Warren has the keys to the heavyweights and the doors can be easily opened.
WBC champ Kabayel fights next month in Germany, so the timing for that unification lines up beautifully. What a fight that would be.
Tyson Fury fights Joshua in December. Could we see Dubois take his stardom to the next level with a stadium clash against Fury? Or perhaps a rematch with AJ?
Both exciting prospects.
Hrgovic, who climbed into the ring and faced off with Dubois on Saturday, is targeting a fight in Croatia next year and must face mandatory challenger Frank Sanchez next, but Dubois made it clear he wants his old belt, the IBF, back in his cabinet.
"I was just prepared for a war. Whatever he did wasn't going to affect me" Dubois said. "His punches or anything. I wouldn't feel them and I was just going to go right through him.
"I was in the zone. I was so on it, and I wasn't going to be denied. I refuse to lose.
"Fabio's got a great chin, and he's known for taking punishment, but I was going through him with those punches. I had to pull myself back at times and reset."
Dubois is keen to get going and keep his momentum. He even put the heat on Warren in the postfight news conference.
"I want to know who's next, Frank. Who's next?"
Warren knows he has a serious heavyweight on his hands.
"The good thing about it is, everyone wants to fight," he said. "They're fighting men. Even Filip in the ring he was like, 'Let's get it on.'
"Whatever happens, Daniel in my opinion, he's not the same fighter he was even a year ago. He's a totally different fighter now and we want to get these unifications on. We want the best fighting the best and find out who is the best."
That will be music to the ears of fans who have, until recently anyway, been forced to trudge through an era of heavyweight boxing where the best did not always fight the best. Where the biggest fights did not get made when they should have.
Now, the onus is indeed on Warren to deliver. If 2026 is anything to go by, he certainly will.
Who will come out on top? On Saturday's evidence, it's Dubois who should be the favorite.
