How Daniel Dubois and his team are training the first professional fighter to beat Oleksandr Usyk

Independent

19 hours ago

Daniel Dubois is a formidably powerful athlete. When his training camp is opened up to press for a few hours, coaches tell him to wind back to '40-45 per cent' for some padwork, but ringside you can still feel your hair vibrate as each punch connects.
This power is one of the major advantages he holds over his upcoming opponent – the undefeated Oleksandr Usyk. On 19 July, the pair will meet for the second time, with the title of undisputed heavyweight champion of the world on the line.
When they clashed in 2023, Dubois dropped the Ukrainian with what was judged to be a low blow in the fifth round. The latter took a few minutes to recover, then characteristically grew into the fight to claim victory via a ninth-round stoppage.
This time, Dubois and his expanded team are certain things will be different, and they are laser-focussed on the task at hand.
Asked about other heavyweights who could present a future challenge, Dubois refuses to be drawn, telling me: 'Many of them, but right now I'm just going to stay in my own lane and focus on the guy in front of me: Usyk. I've got to get him out of the way. It's the mountaintop from there.'
At the time of our interview, the 27-year-old is eight weeks into a 14-week training camp. His team is understandably keeping many cards close to their chest with the fight just weeks away – 'When we have press here, we tend not to show everything, because remember the same personnel are still going to go to Usyk's camp, and they gossip,' his trainer Don Charles says with a wry smile.
But they are willing to share a bird's eye view of the training techniques they are implementing to create a world champion in waiting.
Daniel Dubois: Strength training
You might expect someone with Dubois' physique to spend much of their time hoisting heavy weights around. This is not the case, although strength training still plays an important part in his training regime.
The first phase of the training camp is used to 'load him up' with heavy compound exercises like squats and clean and jerks, three or four times per week, Charles says. This is not Dubois' favourite part of training – asked to name any exercises he is particularly partial to, he laughs and says it would be a struggle. Although, he is a fan of calisthenics moves, especially those involving the gymnastic rings.
'I like training where you can actually put some creativity and imagination into it,' he tells me.
After four weeks of the training camp, strength training sessions shift to focus on developing power using explosive exercises – 'He's already built the body,' Charles adds. He tends to do two per week, never lasting more than 45 minutes.
Daniel Dubois: Running
From speaking to Dubois' team, running seems to play a significant role in his training regime – both for developing his capacity across all energy systems, and improving his ability to recover from intense efforts.
Dubois has just signed a deal with US-based Brooks Running, and dons the brand's Ghost 17 shoe most mornings for a 'compulsory' 5-8km run around his home. Three evenings per week, he also completes sprint sessions at a track with his strength and conditioning coach.
'Then, on Saturdays, he does the mother of all sprints – the hill sprint in Greenwich Park,' Charles says. 'We're talking about a gradient of 25 degrees, then at the top it's about a 45-degree hill. It has a bend to it, it's approximately 120m from bottom to top, and he does it inside 20 seconds.'
Dubois will walk back down the hill in about 1min 15sec for his recovery, then hit it again until he has completed 20 rounds. Fortunately, Sunday is his one day off.
'Running is massive for me, just for getting that extra speed' he says at the Brooks Running media day. 'I'm glad we've got the right trainers to help me run faster; it means I fight better. I like to punch and having that speed means I can land it quicker. You also need that athleticism, and the speed to jump around the ring.'
Daniel Dubois: Boxing training
Boxing dominates Dubois' training time; he is at the gym five times per week, three hours per day.
'Obviously you need all the other parts to help it work at its best,' Charles says. 'But when you undress it all, what you have left standing there is the boxing. His training is all centred around boxing and boxing technique.'
He usually does 20 rounds, with three minutes of work followed by 45 seconds of recovery, rather than the full minute he will be privy to on fight night.
'In training, we do 45 seconds recovery so when it comes to the fight, he's ready to go – it's programming the body and the mind,' Charles explains.
Daniel Dubois: Diet
Dubois' team for the Usyk fight includes a nutritionist who ensures the athlete is fuelling himself for optimal performance. He also has help from his family on this front.
'My dad cooks brilliant food for us,' Dubois says. 'It's good, natural wholefood – the food that gives you power and strength.'
Daniel Dubois: Recovery
A big change Dubois has made for his latest clash is to expand his team. It now includes a nutritionist, physio Tom Kopelman and Dr Ravi Gill, who is present at training sessions.
'Our main remit is illness and injury prevention, recovery optimisation, and giving Don Charles the best possible version of Daniel Dubois every day,' says Dr Gill.
Kopelman is responsible for the injury prevention side of things, prescribing prehab and strengthening exercises to keep Dubois moving smoothly. During training, Dr Gill monitors metrics such as heart rate variability and pulse via a chest-worn strap.
After Dubois' last-minute withdrawal against Joseph Parker earlier this year, no chances are being taken regarding illness. Dr Gill also keeps tabs on the fighter's vitals, and says it is 'impressive' how quickly Dubois recovers during training – 'He can go 18 rounds, no problem,' he adds.
Several members of this extended team, including Kopelman and Gill, have been sourced from Premier league side Tottenham Hotspur.
'They work with a multi-million, if not billion, pound industry in the football industry,' says Charles. 'If they've been trusted with those players, they're worth a lot of money, so that's good enough for us.'
He adds: 'We have a nutritionist, we have a physio and we have a doctor, so they take care of that side of things; helping him maximise his recovery and giving him advice based on their experience.'
The work does not end there, says Charles.
He adds: 'They've been advising Daniel on how to get the best out of himself, and they talk to us as well. We share information on where we can improve things – I've learned a lot from them, and they learn from us.'
Post-training ice baths and even an oxygen chamber have also been employed to aid recovery, but sleep remains the primary focus.
'Sleep is massive for me,' Dubois says. 'I'm knackered now,' he adds with a grin. I am the last reporter of the day. It feels like a good point to stop.
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