How Daniel Dubois trained and ate for Oleksandr Usyk fight – ‘earthquake' workouts, key meal times and oxygen chambers

The Sun

19-07-2025

BRITISH boxer Daniel Dubois has spent months preparing to step into the ring at Wembley to claim the title of undisputed heavyweight champion.
I sat down with him to find out his training and nutrition plan - and exactly how he intends to beat current titleholder, Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, on July 19.
10
Daniel, 27, has a record of 22 wins and two losses, with his latest victory coming against Anthony Joshua in September 2024.
The Brooks athlete has been in training camp since early April, preparing for what could be the biggest fight of his career.
His coach Don Charles, who's previously trained the likes of Derek Chisora and Joshua, is confident that Daniel will win.
He tells Sun Health: 'To become undisputed is equivalent to winning, let's say, a World Cup.
'Daniel is there. The mindset is there. The performance is there.
'He's built like a 100m sprinter with an explosive physique and speed.'
And it shows. I'm visiting him at The Farm Gym, his training base on the outskirts of London, where 6ft 5in Daniel looks sharp, focused and strong.
This is despite the fact that, according to Don, Daniel is training with only giving 45 per cent of his usual effort.
With broad shoulders, strong legs and a solid, sculpted core, Daniel is proof that hard work and discipline pays off.
He tells me: ' I'm confident and daring to go. I'm ready to get the greatest victory in boxing history.'
Although Daniel and his team were careful not to reveal too much, a few standout training methods offered a glimpse into what's helped him get fight-ready…
Isometric leg exercises
Daniel needs strong legs for balance, control and power when he's boxing.
Isometric exercises are great for building strength and endurance.
These moves involve contracting the muscles without moving the joints. In other words, you hold a position instead of lifting or lowering.
To help strengthen his legs, Samuel Otti, a performance enhancement specialist, gets Daniel doing a move he calls 'The Earthquake'.
'I get Daniel to do a wall sit (slide down a wall until your knees are at a 90-degree angle and hold) with two 20kg weighted plates on his thighs,' he says.
'We train to take his mind to another place. Everything we do is extreme.'
Five-minute planks
If you thought a 30-second plank hold at the gym was painful enough, try holding it for five minutes - that's how long Daniel can last, according to Samuel.
The plank is a great move for strengthening all the muscles in the core while also helping improve core stability, so Daniel can stay balanced and explosive in the boxing ring.
A research review in the journal Exercise Rehabilitation revealed that holding the plank has the potential to burn a significant number of calories and build muscle in a relatively short time.
It's also been shown to help to reduce lower back pain.
For Daniel, he's in no doubt that the core - which are all the muscles in the torso that help stabilise the body through all movement - is the most important to exercise.
'Sit ups are also very important; the core is the foundation of the body,' says Daniel.
Daily boxing
It's likely no surprise to you that Daniel boxes every day - if you want to get better at something, you have to do it again and again.
Coach Don says: 'Our main area of focus is boxing. Obviously you need all the other parts to help it to work at its best, but all our training is centred around boxing.'
To perfect his technique, Daniel does 20 three-minute rounds of pad work, Monday to Friday.
Pad work involves a coach holding focus pads for Daniel to punch. It's designed to sharpen technique, speed, accuracy, timing, footwork and defensive moves.
Don adds: 'We have a 45-second recovery between rounds.
'On fight-night, the recovery period is 60 seconds, but cutting the recovery shorter during training makes the night itself a little easier.
'You're programming the body and the mind.'
8km runs
Running - outside or on a treadmill - is a key part of Daniel's training.
Daniel, who runs in a pair of Brooks trainers, says: 'It's a slow, steady run.
'It helps to clear my mind and it helps to keep my cardio fitness up.'
Don adds: 'The morning run is compulsory. But, if he's sore from the evening before, he will do a shorter run.'
After his run, Daniel has breakfast, showers, recovers and then heads to The Farm Gym for a three-hour session of boxing, stretching, warming up, cooling down and going into the ice bath.
Ice baths
Those ice baths are imperative for Daniel's recovery.
Cold water plunges allegedly reduce muscle soreness and inflammation, as well as boost circulation and mental resilience.
Research in the journal Biology even found that a five-minute dip in cold water boosted feelings of alertness and attentiveness and decreased perceived anxiety.
Immediately after boxing training, Daniel gets in the ice bath for around 10 minutes.
'It gets easier over time,' laughs Daniel.
For those not keen on a freezing plunge, try turning your shower to cold for the last 30 seconds and increase this over time.
To further boost his recovery, Daniel also spends 45 minutes in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber - a sealed cylinder pod which allows him to breathe pure oxygen at higher-than-normal atmospheric pressure.
'This helps with recovery after training and helps him to sleep better at night,' explains Don.
10
10
Hill sprints
Every Saturday, Daniel heads to his local park in Greenwich for a savage session of hill sprints.
Don says: 'The hill has a gradient of about 25 degrees and it's about 120 metres from bottom to top. He does it in 20 seconds.
'His recovery for every sprint takes him about a minute and 15 seconds as he walks back down to the bottom. He does that 20 times.
'Hill sprints help in the ring because they push your heart rate to the max, then force you to recover and go again.'
I usually have porridge or cereal or eggs. In the gym, I burn a lot, so I'm eating double or triple portions.
Daniel DuboisBritish heavyweight boxer
As Daniel gets closer to fight night, his hill sprints will be done on a flat track.
'He'll do sprints of 40m, 60m, 80m, 100m and then back down' says Don.
'He does those in shuttles. Run, recover again, run, recover.'
10
10
Breakfast
They say it's the most important meal of the day and for Daniel, it definitely is.
'Breakfast starts me off for the day so I'm firing from all cylinders. I will never skip it,' says Daniel.
'I usually have porridge or cereal or eggs. In the gym, I burn a lot, so I'm eating double or triple portions.'
Although his dad and sister make his food, Daniel's meals are packed with protein and carbs.
'We've got a good schedule, but I don't want to tell you too much,' says Daniel.
Sleep
Never underestimating the power of sleep, Daniel says he aims for eight hours of sleep.
He says: 'Before bed, I switch off properly. I chill out at home, I read books.
'But, after a long day of training I am shattered. I am constantly tired!'
Daniel's weekly rest day is a Sunday.
'On Sundays I go for a casual swim and use the ice bath or hot tub,' says Daniel.
Explosive weight sessions
There's no denying that Daniel is one muscle machine.
Strength and conditioning plays a big part in his training to help build muscle and improve power - essential for throwing a strong punch.
Daniel has previously opened up about his weights routine, utilising basic moves to build strength. Think squats, bench press, deadlifts, pull ups and push ups.
I don't make Daniel lift heavy. We might be going light on the bench press but it's about the explosive tempo when we press it back up.
Samuel Otti performance enhancement specialist
At the start of his training camp, Don says that weight sessions focus on strength to build muscle.
After this, Daniel transitions into explosive movements using lighter weights but focusing on moving them faster. This helps to generate force more quickly - ideal for boxing.
Samuel says: 'I don't make Daniel lift heavy. It's all about how you manoeuvre the weight.
'We might be going light on the bench press but it's about the explosive tempo when we press it back up.'
Daniel's weight sessions are no longer than 45 minutes and he does three to four a week.
Resistance-based exercise happens down the track too.
Samuel will hold a resistance band around Daniel's waist, forcing him to sprint against the pull. This explosive move builds leg drive, speed and endurance.
10
Carb load
The latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) found that the average daily carb intake is around 252g for men and 198g for women.
But Daniel eats significantly more, especially around his training sessions.
Daniel's nutritionist - who is not being named - says: 'Generally Daniel will get between 450 to 600g of carbs per day as he's training two to three times per day at really high intensity, so it's crucial he's got plenty of energy to fuel and recover from sessions.'
As well as his high-carb breakfast, Daniel has a top up snack closer to training.
'Something simple like a banana gives him an extra 30g of carb before training,' the nutritionist says.
Post-training, Daniel has a carb/protein shake from the Applied Nutrition range.
'Sometimes appetite is blunted after training but this is a crucial time to replenish nutrients and kick start recovery, so a fluid option is great way to refill energy stores, enhance muscle repair and replace fluids,' the expert adds.