Dubois vs Gorman: Staff picks and predictions

This Saturday streaming live on ESPN+, Daniel Dubois and Nathan Gorman meet in a fascinating matchup of heavyweight prospects with the vacant British title on the line in London.

Our staffers make their picks.

Scott Christ

Tyson Fury is very confident that Gorman is going to be too much for Dubois to handle, and you can sort of see why when you watch them fight. Dubois is no doubt a promising heavyweight. He’s big, young, strong, good puncher, and has been able to finish everyone except Kevin Johnson, who is expert at survival. Dubois is also a bit raw, however, and gets by more on his physical gifts than Gorman does. Gorman, meanwhile, is a crafty sort of heavyweight boxer — he’s about as tall as Dubois, but with a notably shorter reach, and while he doesn’t totally lack pop, he’s not the devastating puncher Dubois appears to be.

Both are interesting prospects and this is a potentially fascinating fight. If Gorman can avoid getting cracked with anything big early and draw Dubois into more of a boxing match, he could really fluster Dubois, I think. This is not to say that Dubois is just some brute, though — he may not have Gorman’s craft, but he’s not a lumbering buffoon relying only on power. Of all the fights this weekend, this is the one I’m most intrigued by, because I really could see this going either way, and being a very different fight depending on whose game plan is executed best. I almost hate to have to make a pick, because I’ve got no great confidence in declaring an expected winner. But that’s the whole point of these things, so here we are. I think Gorman gives Dubois a tremendous test, but gets caught and finished in dramatic fashion. Dubois TKO-9

Wil Esco

In the interest of full disclosure I’ll admit that I’ve haven’t seen a ton of either fighter. I suppose that’s sort of to be expected, though, as they’re both still at the regional level of the British scene at this point. That said, I did at least make an effort to go watch their last fights in full. Dubois is obviously young, strong and sturdy, but also has some defensive liabilities while being fairly immobile. I don’t know how much that will hurt him in this outing, though, as Gorman isn’t exactly fleet of foot himself. I think this turns out to be a really competitive fight simply based on their styles, but suspect that Dubois will be able to catch Gorman with something big in the second half to take the W. Dubois TKO-10

Patrick L. Stumberg

Dubois unquestionably has the higher ceiling of the two, but lacks crispness outside of his 1-2, which he still tends to push. Gorman is quicker, moves better, and puts his punches together nicely, but has limited stopping power. Neither has shown top-notch cardio, though a longer fight favors Dubois if both wind up equally exhausted. This is a terrific matchup that should tell us a lot about both men’s futures.

You know what, I’m just going to bite the bullet and say Gorman. When he’s not flurrying, Dubois only has one really dangerous punch, and Gorman has the wherewithal to pivot out of trouble rather than get pinned against the ropes or corner. Gorman exploits Dubois’ lack of shot variety to rack up some rounds and uses the clinch to avoid “Dynamite’s” late blows, securing a narrow decision. Gorman UD-12

Lewis Watson

It’s the old tale of puncher vs boxer, as two of Frank Warren’s stable go head-to-head for the British heavyweight title. Dubois has blitzed his way through ten of his eleven opponents so far, with the durable Kevin Johnson the only man to hear the final bell – he’ll do well to pin down a fluid Nathan Gorman who will be well-accustomed to the robotic, upright style of ‘Dynamite’ Dubois.

Despite sharing many rounds with each other under Team GB, expect this fight to come to life. Gorman claims to be conditioned well enough to keep his distance from the dangerous Dubois throughout the championship distance, but if DDD connects, how will Gorman react? If Gorman can negate the opening half of the fight he may well canter to the finish line. It’s either Dubois early, or Gorman on points, right?! Gorman UD-12

And the staff winner is...

We have a draw (2-2)!

Bad Left Hook will have live coverage of Dubois vs Gorman on Saturday, July 13, starting at 2:45 pm ET on ESPN+