DANIEL DUBOIS is the shy new king of British boxing – a title his father knew was always made for him.
The Londoner has been on a unique journey to the top since he first started boxing aged seven, culminating in his brutal knock-out win over Anthony Joshua.
The win has cemented Dubois as IBF world champion and dispelled accusations he is a “quitter” after his defeats to Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk.
Those two setbacks are now just part of Dubois’ story to the top, but the moment he KO’d Joshua in the fifth round with a devastating right hook was one he has been training for since he was five-years-old.
His father Dave would put him through rigorous workouts that left his knuckles scarred from an hours-long daily routine of press-ups on clenched fists.
But Dubois insists he “genuinely enjoyed” the training regime, and was happy to live the life of an athlete after his dad “told his grandmother and his mother he was going to be a world champion when he was in the womb.”
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Dubois, 27, was even warned against using a phone and was home-schooled along with his siblings, many of whom are fighters as well including world champion sister Caroline.
He still uses a phone without internet and has never drank alcohol in his life, admitting the “outside world sort of passed me by” because he was so busy in the gym.
But he says his dad was disciplined rather than strict, and Dave believes those training sessions as a child helped Dubois become a powerhouse.
He told The Times: “I wouldn’t give him food or water until he’d finished.
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“That’s why he’s so powerful. I just wanted to strengthen his mind because boxing is a hard sport. Not anyone can do it.
“I did that for years with him in the mornings. They [the children] would all be there.”
Round by round: How Dubois demolished Joshua
ANTHONY JOSHUA bravely picked himself up from the floor against Daniel Dubois – until he could no more.
AJ was floored four times in five rounds by Dubois before a thudding counter right closed the show in dramatic fashion.
Here, SunSport’s Jack Figg takes you round-by-round from the Wembley war.
ROUND 1
Dubois comes out sharp with the jab as Joshua bounces around struggling to deal with the piston-like left.
Huge right hand from Dubois has AJ staggering backwards with his hands far too low from the opening bell.
Joshua made to pay for the mistake as he circles out with his hands down and gets dropped by an overhand right.
ROUND 2
Joshua – saved only by the bell after being floored – struggles to get going as he takes shots to the face.
AJ is tottering and teetering around the ring with his guard again dangerously low and inviting pressure on.
Joshua is attempting to get back into the bout but his jab looks far too lazy – he doesn’t look to have recovered from the knockdown.
ROUND 3
AJ comes out with more intent but swings wildly with a right and connects with only thin air.
Dubois pours on the pressure and hammers Joshua into the corner scoring another knockdown.
The bell sounds but Dubois lands one or two afterwards – again AJ is saved by the clock as the writing looks on the wall.
ROUND 4
Disaster strikes again with Joshua floored once more – losing his balance as he touches the canvas.
The referee gives AJ another fighting chance and Dubois lands a low blow – giving the challenger some valuable respite.
Dubois slows down as four rounds come to a close with Joshua showing sensational resilience to hang in there.
ROUND 5
Joshua lands a huge right hand and Dubois legs buckle – an astonishing turnaround looks to be on the cards.
AJ pins Dubois onto the ropes and attempts one of his signature uppercuts but the countering right hand gets there first.
Joshua is caught flush on the chin, dropped once more and this time out for good. Dubois scores a stunning KO win.
Dubois likens his father to a prophet and says he wanted to make him “proud” by winning every tournament he entered.
Dave took his son to the renowned Peacock Gym in Canning Town – where Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno once trained – when he was seven-years-old, and instructed Dubois to run laps of the estate with his siblings.
Dubois went on to forge a formidable amateur career and was invited to join the GB Boxing programme at 16-years-old – where he famously rocked Joshua in sparring.
But Dubois turned down the opportunity to fight at the Tokyo Olympics and turned pro instead, winning his first 15 bouts before defeat to Joyce.
Dave is proud of his son, particularly the fact he made him a “millionaire at 20-years-old”, with his first six-figure sum coming in 2019 for a fight against Richard Lartey.
Dubois has not been hesitant to splash out with his earnings,
He drives a Bentley Continental GTC convertible that carries a price tag of around £260,000.
‘Dynamite’ has also been seen behind the wheel of a practical Mercedes V Class van that has a starting price of around £75,000.
He is also a lover of fine suits and is a regular at bespoke Saville Row tailors Aspley.
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Dubois also spent big on a luxury mansion in Chingford, Essex, that boasts a swimming pool and is decorated with wooden sculptures of lions and crocodiles.
It’s a home fit for the new king of British boxing.
‘Are you not entertained? I’m a gladiator’ – What Dubois and Joshua said after brutal fight
DANIEL DUBOIS annihilated Anthony Joshua’s dream of becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion, writes Wally Downes Jr.
Joshua was floored FOUR times as Dubois landed an astonishing fifth-round knockout in front of a record 96,000 Wembley crowd and millions of TV viewers to retain his IBF belt.
AJ, 34, never recovered after being downed in the first round of last night’s Battle of Britain showdown as a huge Dubois right-hand haymaker caught him flush on the chin.
Here’s what they said after the fight:
DANIEL DUBOIS
“Are you not entertained? I’m a gladiator, a warrior to the bitter end. This is the biggest win of my career. I couldn’t let this opportunity go and now I want to go to the top level of this game.
“I’ve been on a roller-coaster ride and this is my time. I’m not gonna stop until I reach my full potential.”
ANTHONY JOSHUA
“As p***ed off as I am, it is what it is.
“I had a sharp, fast opponent and there were a lot of mistakes from me. Credit to my opponent and his team.
“We rolled the dice and came up short. You know I’m p***ed but I’m going to keep cool and give respect to my opponent.”
FRANK WARREN (DUBOIS’ PROMOTER)
“It was a phenomenal fight, like Hagler v Hearns.
“A brilliant fight and everybody has seen a champion’s performance tonight.
“Daniel has shown his courage, his skills.
“AJ caught him with a shot towards the end and I was worried, but what a fabulous, fantastic fight.”
EDDIE HEARN (AJ’S PROMOTER)
“AJ shipped a huge right hand in the first round and was fighting on heart.
“He hurt Daniel at the end of the fourth and then again in the fifth, but got greedy and walked on to a right hand and that’s all she wrote.
“I’m sure Anthony will exercise the rematch clause.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
