Trevor Bryan is a massive underdog against Daniel Dubois for this coming Saturday’s fight in Miami, where Bryan will defend his secondary WBA heavyweight belt against the British prospect, but has warned Dubois not to look past him.
The generally soft-spoken Dubois (17-1, 16 KO) didn’t say much at Wednesday’s press conference, noting that he’s “ready to rumble” and “going to have to go through Trevor and take that belt back with me on the planet.”
Bryan (22-0, 15 KO) had a lot more to say.
“Hey, listen. This is who I am. This is Trevor Bryan. You see this face right here? I’ve been here for a long time, and I’m going to be here for a long time. First of all, I want to thank you guys as well for coming all this way to get this ass whooping,” he said.
“Let me just say a couple more things. See my face again: this is Trevor Bryan, the undefeated WBA heavyweight champion. This fight is called the ‘Fight for Freedom and Peace,’ but before you have freedom and peace, you’ve got to have war, and war’s what you’re going to have. It’s going to be a war.”
Bryan, 32, has largely been perceived as a fighter simply fortunate to be in the position he is, holding a belt that doesn’t need to exist and simply isn’t taken seriously. He won the interim secondary WBA title against BJ Flores in 2018, then beat a ragged Bermane Stiverne for the vacant proper secondary WBA title in 2021. He defended it against Jonathan Guidry on Jan. 29, but these were all seen as second-tier (at best) fights.
Dubois, 24, has a loss to Joe Joyce, but Joe Joyce is a top 10 heavyweight. He’s still considered a top prospect and a major favorite here, with DraftKings Sportsbook listing Dubois at -1600 right now, and Bryan at +850.
For Dubois, then, this is really a fight he’s fully expected to not just win, but dominate. That’s some pressure. Bryan comes in with an understandable chip on his shoulder, the belief he has something to prove, and the chance to get into everyone’s heavyweight conversation if he scores the upset.
“I’m nobody, you’re just going to walk through me, right? That’s not what’s going to happen,” he told Dubois. “I hope that you’re ready because I’m telling you right now, this is going to be a hard night for you. You’re not going home across the pond with the belt.”
Bryan is a big man and it’s the heavyweight division — one punch can change the night or turn out the lights. We saw it last weekend when 43-year-old Lucas Browne stopped Junior Fa in the first round, facing similar odds to what Bryan is here.
You never know until you know, especially at heavyweight.
Bad Left Hook will have live coverage for Bryan vs Dubois on Saturday, June 11, starting at 4 pm ET. The fight is available on PPV, including streaming through FITE TV, for $29.99.