DANIEL DUBOIS vowed to rain down revenge on Anthony Joshua – after he threatened to smash a chair across his face.
At the June press conference to launch Saturday’s Wembley spectacular, the pair were pulled apart by security after 34-year-old AJ’s switch was flicked.
Dynamite Dubois, 27, lit the fuse by telling the two-time heavyweight world champ that he was ready to scrap there and then.
And Joshua’s violent warning is still ringing in Dubois’ ears as he plots to bring thunder and lightning to his rival’s front door.
He said: “I need to make him pay for those words. I have to make sure I do something about that.
“But the best place for me to do that is in the ring on Saturday night.
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“I am ready to get in there and bash AJ now.
“I know I can cope in dark places now. I have made those dark places a home for me now.
I don’t need to weather storms any more – because I am the storm now.”
The dark places Dubois is referring to are the two defeats he suffered to Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk.
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Both times he took a knee and surrendered when the going got too tough – and that earned scorn from armchair fans, while some of his prize-fighting peers called him a quitter.
Now under the tutelage of trainer Don Charles, on a farm that has views of the Wembley Arch he will fight under, he feels vindicated and dangerous.
And Usyk can take some credit for that after he consoled his beaten rival after their 2023 Poland battle.
The IBF title holder explained: “They were the right words at the time. And I did come back from it.
“I needed to sort things out and that’s all in the past now — I am a man of the future.
“I feel like I have redeemed myself now.”
Joshua vs Dubois fight predictions
THIS weekend Wembley will witness one of the biggest all-British fights of all-time.
But who will emerge victorious under the famous arch? Some of the biggest names in boxing have been having their say…
Oleksandr Usyk: “My favourite is Anthony Joshua but I am very bad at predictions. But I will predict Anthony Joshua.”
Dillian Whyte: “I just think that it’s one of those fights where it is a genuine 50/50 fight in my opinion.”
Joe Joyce: “I was initially edging with Joshua but I don’t know, Dubois is coming on.”
Frazer Clarke: “As heavy-handed as Dubois is and as good a fighter as he’s becoming, I still have to go for Joshua.”
Francis Ngannou: “Even though Joshua lost against Usyk twice and Dubois fought Usyk and almost knocked him down and almost won, I would still give this to Joshua.”
Click here for more fight predictions for Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois
A major part of Dubois’ arsenal is his giant dad Stan, who has fathered 11 children.
Some believe he is too overpowering in his son’s career.
But, in his last two must-win bouts against Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic, Dubois Sr is the man Daniel has turned to in his hour of need and now he has a licence and can be officially in his corner.
Daniel continued: “My dad gives me an extra boost. We are a partnership and team – he knows the words that get to me and help me.
“When I look over into my corner and he’s there, it gives me that kick up the a**e.
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“He makes me fight even harder, he makes me fight to win, he makes me give it my all.”
Dubois burst on the scene in 2017 as a teenage terror laying waste to the biggest journeyman in the country.
But he always appeared like a boy in a huge man’s body and tough to interview.
He reckons that is all about to change.
Dubois laughed: “I am just a man of few words. I do my talking in the ring, with my fists.
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“Of course, when I was just starting out at 18, I was a little camera-shy, what young kid wouldn’t be?
“But I am a man now, I am a world champion and I am going to stay this way.”
AJ vs Dubois: Build up to the big fight
ANTHONY JOSHUA and Daniel Dubois go head-to-head at Wembley THIS Saturday.
Ahead of the all-British heavyweight showdown, here’s all the biggest stories and need-to-know information…
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk