Daniel Dubois looked tired and frustrated rather than hurt as he watched the referee Luis Pabon count him out of his fight with the unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Mentally beaten, Dubois stayed on his haunches and the Ukrainian retained his titles with a ninth-round stoppage.
As Usyk danced for his fans and posed for photographs with his belts last August, Dubois stood quietly in his corner. Although he was at the centre of the sporting world, Dubois must have felt almost entirely alone.
Not 20 minutes earlier, Usyk had spent four minutes on the canvas after absorbing a heavy right hand on the beltline. Whether the shot was legal or not, Dubois had a vulnerable target sitting on the floor in front of him but rather than building himself up for an all-or-nothing attack, he seemed to almost talk himself out of pressing home his advantage during the break in action and allowed the brilliant Usyk to find his feet and regain his rhythm.
In 2020 Dubois attracted plenty of criticism when the pain and concern caused by a badly broken eye socket became too much to deal with and he decided to take a knee against Joe Joyce, losing his unbeaten record and – in some eyes – his reputation as a can’t-miss prospect. The incident against Usyk was even more difficult for people to understand.
Dubois, 21-2 (20 KOs), pays little attention to social media or the opinions of those outside of his small circle but when his driver dropped him back at his Essex home the following afternoon and left him with his own thoughts, he must have spent some time wondering whether he truly had what it takes to succeed at the highest level and whether he would ever again have the type of opportunity that had passed him by the previous evening.
Dubois’ resurgence was fast and remarkable. Four months later he visibly grew in confidence throughout a 10-round stoppage victory over the loud and large Jarrell Miller, and he then marched relentlessly forwards, absorbing bomb after bomb from the unbeaten Filip Hrgovic before breaking the confident Croatian’s heart in eight brutal rounds. Victory eventually led to him being crowned the IBF heavyweight champion.
When he emerges from his dressing room and enters a packed Wembley Stadium to defend his title against the two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on September 21, Dubois’ journey from the depths of despair will be complete.
“It was dark, for sure,” he told Queensberry. “It’s just life, I guess. Life is up and down and there are experiences in life that you have to learn.
“I mean what I’m saying when I say, ‘Out of the darkness and into the light’, but it’s got a whole different meaning behind it. I don’t wanna go into too much detail about that but that’s all this fight is about – redemption. Part of my redemption – coming from where I was to where I am now – on the rise and reaching my fullest potential.
“I started young. I’ve been at it since my dad got me in at about the age of about seven. From then until now it’s been a long road. There’s been good experiences and bad experiences. Good memories and I feel like I’m coming to the pinnacle of it now.”
In July, Dubois stepped off a flight from Brazil and directly into a long day of media commitments to officially announce his fight with Joshua.
Jetlagged or not, the 26-year-old Londoner isn’t at his most enthusiastic when confronted with a bank of cameras, but he cut a particularly languid figure during the day’s events.
Things livened up during a roundtable discussion between he, Joshua, and their promoters Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn.
As the filming wound down, Joshua took offense at what he saw as lack of respect on Dubois’ part and threatened to “Put a chair across his fucking face”.
Dubois quickly got to his feet and refused to back down from the confrontation but he believes that Joshua was simply attempting to make his presence felt and intimidate him. He hasn’t lost too much sleep over it.
“First off, he’s giving me time,” Dubois said. “He’s warning me, isn’t he? If you’re gonna do something, you just do it. Whatever, it’s just mind games and trickery. I’m ready to fight. I’m sick of all these questions now. I want to get in the ring and fight.
“I’m not sure what I was thinking – I was just going with it. Whatever. Words were exchanged; it didn’t mean anything to me.
“Disrespect is not the right word is it? Is there respect in that ring? There’s no respect in that ring. At the end of the day, this is a fight. If you want respect, go and become a lawyer or a doctor or something. This is the fight game. I’m 100 per cent ready to just go out there and fight now; it’s getting closer and I’m on the home run.”
The fight with Joshua will be Dubois’ fourth contest within the space of 13 months. Three of those – against Usyk, Hrgovic and Joshua – will have been against top-class opposition. The domineering Miller also presented a unique challenge for a quiet character like Dubois.
It is rare for a young heavyweight to be so active against such strong opposition – particularly when they begin the run with so many question marks hanging over their mental strength and self-belief. Dubois has grown immeasurably throughout that process.
“I think it’s the best thing for me, to be active,” he said. “It’s better now than when I’m older and I can’t train properly and I don’t have the energy. I need to do it now. This is the perfect time. This is why I need to beat A.J and the next three, good opponents. I need to beat them all.
“I’m not over-thinking nothing. It’s a fight at the end of the day. This is our profession and I’ve just got to get everything right. Get the tools sharp and just flow. Don’t think too much, just flow with it.”
John Evans has contributed to a number of well-known publications and websites for over a decade. You can follow John on X @John_Evans79
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