DANIEL DUBOIS’ dream of Oleksandr Usyk revenge and undisputed heavyweight glory is being fuelled by Ascot wins, Porsche speed and ancient Greek athletics.
The 27-year-old IBF heavyweight champion of the world is a different beast to the boy who clammed up and was defeated by Oleksandr Usyk in Poland in 2023.
Daniel Dubois’ training camp for his Oleksandr Usyk rematch is spurring him onto glory[/caption]
And he invited SunSport down to his gym to understand what makes Dubois Mk2 tick ahead of the Saturday Wembley rematch.
Phenomenal wins over drug cheat Jarrell Miller, dangerous Filip Hrgovic and the iconic September knockout of Anthony Joshua have helped the home-schooled introvert morph into a confident playboy.
The new wheels and last month’s VIP trip to the races have given Dynamite Dan a new layer of confidence and belief and a licence to thrill.
Ahead of the rerun – against Ukraine’s WBA, WBC and WBO boss Usyk for the undisputed glory – DDD told SunSport how the top hat and tails and soft top 911 super motor have helmed make him a man of the people.
“It was good,” he grinned at a question not about boxing.
“It was the first time I had ever been out to the races, so it was good, it was a good experience.
“I didn’t have any winners but one of the people that we went with had a big winner, so that’s good luck.
“It was great to see the wider public and a wider audience know me – and what I have achieved – and what my next fight is.
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“Maybe one day I will settle down on my own little farm and get a couple of horses of my own.”
The farm Dubois refers to is the lush Borehamwood grounds his trainer Don Charles’ Pug Gym is based on.
Dubois was beaten by Usyk in their first clash nearly two years ago[/caption]
Triple D is hoping to add to his IBF heavyweight crown this weekend[/caption]
Woodcock Hill is a working farm with tractors and stables and two beautiful horses housed right next to the high-roofed sweatbox where Dubois thrashes it out with sparring partners.
But – most importantly – the hill-top car park is just eight miles from Wembley, where Dubois dethroned AJ as the king of British boxing and he aims to topple Usyk from the global throne next.
And every morning when the 6ft 5in, 17st powerhouse unfolds out of his two-seater convertible he cannot miss the 440ft arch, just eight miles down the road, that stares back.
He explained: “When you are in that ring, you are totally alone, so this sort of isolation is good.
“Arriving at work every morning and seeing that Wembley arch from the car park feels fantastic.
“But it just serves as a reminder that I need to produce a repeat performance.
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“I try to soak everything up but we are in fight week now, I have tunnel vision.
“Once the fight is done, then I will enjoy it all properly.”
Assistant trainer Kieran Farrell confirmed the whole team starts the day with a quick game of eye spy.
“When we arrive at training every morning, we always look over at the Wembley arch and use it as inspiration,” he said.
“And I have caught Daniel doing it a few times as well, when we have been three and then two weeks out. It inspires us all.”
Dubois was a mercurial talent even as a middleweight boy.
And with dad Stan desperate to maximise his potential and earning power, he moved around all of London’s best amateur gyms.
It’s been similar in the paid ranks too, with Dubois impressing at the Peacock and Shane McGuigan gyms, before ditching them both.
Lightweight world champion Caroline Dubois even split up the giant family when she decided her dad was too controlling.
And hardcore boxing fans have always been concerned that an overbearing parent – who home schooled six of his most recent children – is the reason Dubois didn’t have the mental strength to cope with Joe Joyce and Usyk challenges.
But Don Charles, the latest coach who has definitely got sensational results in the latest run, explained: “Dan’s dad is a very strict father, just like my father was.
“Whether you are from the Caribbean or Africa, one thing we have in common is that black parents are very strict and we have a very strict upbringing.
“Daniel has a disciplined background, from his father and he has used boxing to occupy them.
“He can’t be doing bad because he has a world champion son and daughter.”
When SunSport first covered Dubois around a decade ago, we were stunned to hear the callouses and scars on his hands.
It was explained that his dad would order him to start doing press ups on his knuckles and – instead of counting his progress in reps – he would pop down the shop and score his gruelling dips by the HOUR.
Calisthenics and mobility mastermind Cuong Hua, who has been in Dubois’ corner for seven years, explained that Dan has a freakish commitment to training, matched by only 0.1 per cent of the country and America’s most extreme soldiers.
He told us: “Dan is old school so sometimes he feels, unless he is exhausted and broken down, then he hasn’t worked hard enough.
“We have explained to him over the years that he doesn’t have to destroy himself to have worked hard.
“Even when Dan first started on the pull-up bar, he could do 20 strict-form pull-ups.
“I don’t think people know how difficult that is, that’s something the Navy Seals aim for, it’s better than 99.9 per cent of the planet can dream of.
“Dan is the most flexible big man I have ever seen, he can almost do the splits.
“For a 6ft 5in, 110kgs man, that is tremendous and almost mad.”
