Some delayed press conferences are in the end worth waiting for, whereas others have you wondering, “What was the point of that?”
In the case of Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua, who met this evening (September 19) at a press conference in London, we fell more into the latter territory than the former. That said, given the two characters involved, expectations were pretty low to start and all anybody really needed from the press conference was one answer to one particular question.
The question, of course, centred around Don Charles, Dubois’ trainer, who has been conspicuous by his absence all week. All week, too, there have been various rumours floating around, as is boxing’s custom, with Charles’ absence the result of him either nursing the flu or falling out with Dubois’ father and therefore severing ties with the heavyweight he has trained for the past two fights. As always, your view on this situation will depend on what you read and who you believe, but ultimately the only person whose opinion matters is Daniel Dubois.
When asked about Charles this evening, he said, “Listen as long as he’s there in my corner on fight night I’m all right. Everything’s good.”
Nothing more was said after that and, in truth, nothing more needed to be said – about Charles anyway. Even when moving away from the subject of Charles, Dubois had very little to say.
“Everything has gone well,” he said. “Training camp has been brilliant. I am ready to fight. Let’s go.
“It’s a resurrection story, my career, and I’m just on a roll right now. I just want the biggest challenges and to make a name for myself and create history.
“I haven’t got too much to say right now. I’m just ready to go on Saturday. It’s going to be a great show and I can’t wait to go.”
Although in many respects the B-side in this fight, Dubois does bring with him the IBF heavyweight belt. This was a title he won against Filip Hrgovic in June and something he has used to lure Joshua into taking this fight. “I need to maintain it and hold on to it,” said Dubois, referencing the belt. “It’s a great thing to have. But now I need to legitimize myself by winning this fight by any means necessary; knockout, whatever way it comes.”
As for Joshua, he was a bit more open at the top table, but not much. He, too, is itching to go now and, like Dubois, has never given too much away, particularly during fight week.
“It’s a blessing to be able to perform, prove to myself and prove to my team that I’ve listened to the instructions in training camp,” Joshua said. “We’re ready to rock and roll. I’m in supreme condition both physically and also mentally. Its great to be back (at Wembley) and I’ve been watching some of the old fights just to add some fuel to the fire; reminding myself of what I can do and what I am capable of.”
That, of all the things said in their opening statements, was perhaps the most interesting, if only because it revealed a certain self-awareness and an apparent desire on the part of Joshua to get back to what he does best. Maybe in recent years he has strayed away from what he considers the optimum version of himself and now, against Dubois, someone who will give him plenty of target to hit, the aim is to reawaken whatever bits of him have become dormant.
“I showed Daniel and his whole team the respect they deserve during training camp and that’s going to put me in good stead on Saturday,” said Joshua. “I’m tough, and so is he. May the best man win really.
“When I started boxing, I said I wanted to bring the heavyweight division back to life in the UK, and we’ve done that.”
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