Daniel Dubois is set to rematch Oleksandr Usyk on July 19th after being stopped by the Ukrainian in their first encounter.
Daniel Dubois aims to prove his doubters wrong yet again with a win over Oleksandr Usyk, a win that would cement him as an undisputed heavyweight champion.
For both men, the fight means more than just the belts on the line – for Usyk, it marks a chance to settle the low blow controversy, for Dubois, it marks a chance to beat one of the only men to defeat him.
Ahead of the rematch, Dubois’ trainer, Don Charles, spoke on the upcoming fight, and on their first encounter two years ago.
‘We were mad thinking we were ready’… Don Charles speaks on Dubois vs Usyk 1
In an interview with Queensberry, Charles was asked if Dubois, who was dropped by Kevin Lerena in his last fight before the Usyk match, was truly ready for that fight in 2023.
Charles said: “I can sit here and say we were mad thinking we were ready. I’m always very ambitious, Daniel’s very ambitious. It was an opportunity, we didn’t have to take it but we did.”
The Usyk fight was Dubois’ first fight with Charles, having left Shane McGuigan after the win over Lerena, who will face Lawrence Okolie next.
“We had to develop [our relationship] quick, instantaneously. In 14 weeks, we had to gel. I had to try to and put the ethos of the boxing that I teach to this new fighter. […] It was very difficult.”
Usyk was well ahead in the fight the entire time, though Dubois has been on an impressive run of form lately, and newfound confidence could give him a better chance.
Daniel Dubois has beaten three top heavyweights in a row
Following the Usyk loss, Dubois’ career has gone from strength to strength.
His first test after the loss was a fight with Jarrell Miller, an undefeated 26-0 fighter with 22 knockout wins.
Dubois weathered a storm against Miller, and stopped him in the final eight seconds of the fight.
After that, Dubois went into another tough test, one many expected him to lose. As part of the Queensberry vs Matchroom 5v5, Dubois took on Filip Hrgovic, who had beaten Zhilei Zhang.
Dubois inflicted cuts over both of Hrgovic’s eyes, and forced a doctor stoppage.
In his most recent outing, Dubois completely demolished British legend and huge favorite, Anthony Joshua, in front of a record-breaking Wembley Stadium crowd.