How Daniel Dubois' destiny to KO Anthony Joshua and rematch Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley was sealed after moving gyms
Advertisement
10
Daniel Dubois with trainer Don Charles
Credit: YouTube/Sun Sport News
10
The Wembley arch overlooks Dubois' gym
Credit: YouTube/Sun Sport News
10
Now he rematches Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley
Credit: Getty
10
Dubois also knocked out Anthony Joshua at Wembley
Credit: Getty
But together, they bounced back with big wins over previously unbeaten pair Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic in Saudi Arabia.
And after being elevated to IBF champion when Usyk vacated the belt - Dubois' crowning night came in September when he
The British heavyweight star now returns to England's 90,000-seat national stadium to rematch Usyk on Saturday night for the undisputed titles.
And - like he has for the past two years and four fights - he has prepared for the bout at head coach Charles' Pug gym in Borehamwood.
Advertisement
READ MORE IN boxing
Wembley is just ten miles away and the stadium's arch overlooks Dubois' gym from a distance - with destiny staring him right in the face.
Charles told SunSport
"I told him I had a surprise, a new place that I wanted to show him and his father.
"The minute they drove in - like you did today - I stood there and said, 'What can you see on the far side?'
Advertisement
Most read in Boxing
Usyk vs Dubois 2 - All the info
OLEKSANDR USYK and Daniel Dubois meet again in a blockbuster heavyweight unification fight at Wembley Stadium THIS SATURDAY!
Usyk won the first fight in August 2023 via a ninth round KO - but only after Dubois knocked him to the canvas with a body blow that was ruled a low blow.
Dubois, 27, has improved massively since that first meeting, reeling off stunning wins over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the big fight...
INFO
All the info for Usyk vs Dubois 2
Latest ticket availability and price
How much are Usyk and Dubois earning for the rematch?
Get either fighter at 50/1 to win with talkSPORT BET
LATEST NEWS, EXCLUSIVES & FEATURES
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
10
USYK VS DUBOIS 2: Stream, TV channel and undercard info for blockbuster Wembley fight
Advertisement
"They looked, they looked, they didn't know what they were looking for. I said, 'That's your destiny. The Wembley arch, that's your destiny calling. That's your destiny beckoning.'"
Dubois linked up with Charles after leaving Shane McGuigan but had just 14 weeks with his new coach before fighting Usyk.
In camp with Daniel Dubois ahead of Oleksandr Usyk bout
A low-blow in round five - which Dubois argued was legal -
Usyk, 38, later went on to become undisputed champion by beating Tyson Fury, 36, before dropping the IBF belt to take the rematch which he also won.
Advertisement
Dubois, 27, meanwhile cemented himself as a true champion by flattening Joshua, 35, with a right hand in round five of their Wembley war.
And Charles says the boxer he took to Wroclaw is unrecognisable from the man that stands in front of him today.
He said: "We tried to cram everything to fight a genius of a fighter in the name of Usyk who since then has become undisputed.
10
This is the controversial low-blow from 2023
Credit: TNT Sport
Advertisement
10
Usyk went on to stop Dubois in round nine
Credit: RICHARD PELHAM
"So we had 14 weeks to cram everything because when you fight a southpaw there are rules that you must obey when you're in front of a southpaw.
"Imagine trying to cram that into a new fighter, the working relationship, the trust wouldn't be there irrespective of whether it's Daniel Dubois or whoever else.
"The trust and the working relationship between a fighter and a trainer takes time to develop. Now it's been 24 months, there's a lot of development in all different areas.
Advertisement
"Daniel's two years older, two years wiser, all the ethos of boxing of the boxing that we teach here in this Pug gym, he understands the ethos we teach.
"And, the trust has developed, why? For many reasons; the numbers of fights that he has been with us, they're all wins with the exception of the Usyk fight.
"And the way he's beat his personnels, two unbeaten fighters and one was a double world champion. The way he disposed of them, remarkable."
10
Dubois is in great shape ahead of the Usyk rematch
Credit: YouTube/Sun Sport News
Advertisement
10
Dubois sinks a body shot into Charles' rips
Credit: YouTube/Sun Sport News
10
The pair have been training for two years now
Credit: YouTube/Sun Sport News
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko forced to close restaurant after one year as he puts it up for sale for £1.9m
OLEKSANDR ZINCHENKO has suffered a kitchen nightmare - by having to close his new restaurant after just one year. The 6 Oleksandr Zinchenko has had to close his restaurant after just one year Credit: Getty 6 Inch in Kyiv was a bold plan by Zinchenko and his wife, Vlada Credit: Instagram / @inchrestaurant 6 It was fitted out in a sports theme Credit: Instagram / @inchrestaurant 6 It has shirts from Ronaldinho and other high-profile footballers on the wall Credit: Instagram / @inchrestaurant 6 But it is now up for sale for £1.9m Credit: Instagram / @inchrestaurant Play Dream Team now! Play The Sun Dream Team ahead of the 2025/26 season Free to play Over £100,000 in total prize money Play in Mini Leagues against your mates Submit a team for Gameweek 1 to enter £5,000 prize draw The former But rumours about its future began to swirl before it closed its doors last month. Zinchenko, 31, has now put the business on the market with a £1.9million ($2.5m) price tag. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL The estate agents handling the sale announced its assets as: "Equipped kitchen, designer interior, favourable location. "Ready-made business with profit. Everything is included - equipment, brand, documents." Kyiv has been subjected to air strikes since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Zinchenko helped City serve up four Premier League titles, an FA Cup and four League Cups after arriving from Russian club Ufa in 2016. Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Arsenal paid £30m for him in 2022. He has since made 91 Gunners appearances, scoring three goals. Arsenal vs Tottenham fan debate battle | Stoppage Time 6
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Wicklow's Jack Conan is the ace in the pack as Lions clinch series win with thrilling triumph against Australia
It was a pure elation for the British and Irish Lions, who secured a test-winning series victory 29-26 over Australia on Saturday. Ireland's Hugo Keenan scored the late try to guarantee the result in front of a record 90,000-plus crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Joe Schmidt to avoid sanction but World Rugby 'disappointed' with his referee comments
Australia head coach Joe Schmidt appears unlikely to face disciplinary action for his comments about the match officials in Saturday's defeat to the British and Irish Lions, but World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin has said he is "disappointed" with the Wallabies boss. Schmidt reacted angrily to Saturday's 29-26 defeat to the Lions, which was decided by a final-minute try from Hugo Keenan. The try was eventually awarded to the Lions after a lengthy TMO check, which ruled that there was no foul play in Jac Morgan's clear-out on Australia flanker Carlo Tizzano. Schmidt claimed that the decision flied in the face of World Rugby's player safety drive, and that was backed by Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh, who called for "accountability" from the game's governing body. Waugh didn't have to wait long to meet with World Rugby, with Sydney harbour hosting an event where the ticketing strategy for the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup was announced. The Rugby Australia chief didn't speak publicly at the event, but stood alongside both World Rugby's chair Brett Robinson, and CEO Alan Gilpin. Gilpin did address Saturday's controversial ending, and said he was specifically disappointed by Schmidt's comments about World Rugby's attitude towards player safety. "I think it is disappointing when the reaction is one of, 'this means player welfare isn't taken seriously'," Gilpin said. "We have worked really hard on that narrative. Everyone knows we are putting player welfare, in its broadest sense, at the top of the agenda. You can see that from what we are doing with the instrumented mouthguards, all the research, the science, the investigations. "The way the laws of the game have evolved in the last few years is all about, 'How do we have this great physical contest, but make it as safe as possible?'. "That part is challenging, in terms of the player welfare statements [by Schmidt etc], but we have a fantastic sport, played in front of an amazing crowd; an amazing game – it's going to create talking points. We know that. "As long as that continues to be a respectful debate then we've all got to lean into it." However, while Gilpin wasn't pleased with the reaction of the Wallabies boss, he suggested Schmidt (above) – who previously worked World Rugby as their director of high performance – would not be sanctioned. "I think a lot of emotion, understandably. The Wallabies had a chance to win an amazing Test match, so we understand the emotion involved in that. "Joe's comments have continued to respect the fact that the match officials have got a tough job to do. He might disagree with the decisions that were made, but I don't think he's called the integrity of our match officials into question. "I had a good chat with Phil [Waugh] here, we've still got some, obviously some work to do with Rugby Australia, again, to clarify to them the position, but yeah, it's about respectful dialogue. "This is one of the great things about rugby, right? We can have these disagreements around the interpretation of the laws and around, again, magical games like Saturday, and then we all move on. Like the players," Gilpin added. The World Rugby chief spoke out in support of the match referee, Andrea Piardi, and the rest of his team of officials. However, it was notable that although he gave them his full backing, he stopped short of saying whether or not they made the correct decision. "Emotions understandably run very high when a compelling and fiercely contested match such as the one we saw goes down to the wire. In those tight contests, decisions made in crucial moments inevitably drive a lot of scrutiny. "While, from a World Rugby perspective, we always say we do not publicly comment on match officials' decisions, given the nature of the commentary surrounding last weekend, we just want to express our support for the match officials involved. "There is no other position on the field that is under the scrutiny our match officials are under, and yet they do an incredible job under that pressure they are under in a live environment. "I think it is fair to say that when the refereeing groups review decisions, they review them with the coaches and across the game. We are always proud to support our officials in that review process and that is what we are doing now and in the coming days with our colleagues from Australia and the Lions." Meanwhile, it was confirmed that the 2027 Rugby World Cup will see more than one million tickets available from as low as €100 ($100AUS), while the cheapest adult tickets will be available from €22.50 ($40AUS).
