CONTROLLED DEMOLITION
at [Daniel’s sister] Caroline, the current [women’s lightweight] world champion. The youngest child, Solomon Dubois, is currently competing in the Europeans representing England. And, of course, Daniel is the two-time world champion. These things don’t happen by accident; the seeds were already planted, nurtured, and locked in. “The dad did what he did to ground them properly and prevent any deviation from the current world we live in, where children are so overconsumed with the internet. These kids have sacrificed a lot to stay focused, hence what they’re producing now. It’s remarkable. “People say, ‘Oh, Don Charles is a yes man.’ Don Charles is this, Don Charles is that. But I’m intelligent enough to recognize how much this kid needs his father. They come as one. It’s not my ego trying to undermine anyone.” Charles explained: “Off the record – no, on the record; it’s the truth – Stan is not the easiest guy to work with. He has a very strong character. You have to be equally as strong, drop your ego and know how to deal with such a man to get the best of the situation. I am the coach, he is paying me to be the coach, and I work very closely with the father to get the best out of the son. It’s as simple as that.” I talked to Warren about superfights, about whether the winner of the Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua bout would want to face Dubois. It remains debatable. “I’ve got to be honest. I’d feel a bit uncomfortable with Tyson fighting him now, because of my promotional involvement with both of them,” Warren admitted. “At the end of the day, it will be up to the fighters to determine whether they want to do it or not. Tyson has never ducked anyone, and to his credit, neither has Daniel.” Does Warren believe Dubois has the potential to be “The Man”? “Yeah, I think he could be,” said the promoter. “I mean, Moses Itauma is coming too. He’s a young man and he’ll be back [after
his upset loss to Hrgovic in August]. What a fight that could build up to be: Daniel versus Moses. But for now, Daniel is the guy. He’s the champion, and there are some great fights to be made. Filip Hrgovic was there on the night, they faced off, and they want the fight. [Hrgovic] will most likely defend his IBF title in Croatia. “Agit Kabayel, as you know, is a quality fighter and a quality champion. Usyk vacated the belts rather than fight some of these guys. I’m not saying he’s scared of them, but he’s gone in a different direction. But Agit is a tough fight for anyone. Daniel versus Agit is a brilliant fight, and a rematch with Hrgovic would be brilliant, too – Hrgovic really has the bit between his teeth. “Then there’s the December 11th fight [Fury vs. Joshua] where someone is going to come away with the belt. Next
year, we want to get those four belts sorted out.” So, is it a mandatory next for Dubois, or a voluntary? “At the moment, I hope he gets another voluntary, but if a unification comes up, it takes precedence over everything. I don’t know yet, but obviously it would be against a ranked opponent. What I want to do is keep Daniel busy. He’s made it very clear that he wants big money, and the only way to get big money is by being in big, meaningful fights. Unifications could certainly be on the table.” So, the first unification would likely be against Hrgovic or Kabayel, but not Fury? “Well, not unless Tyson and Daniel both say they want it,” added Warren. “You’d have a million fans in an online queue for Wembley Stadium for that one!” But should the older heavyweights – Fury, Joshua and Usyk – stay away from
There will always be a uniqueness to Dubois, agreed Charles: “When Daniel suddenly leapt out of the ring and left during the post-fight interview, people asked, ‘Where’s Daniel gone?’ He’s quite unpredictable at times, isn’t he? But all special individuals in life – whether you’re a footballer, musician or artist – are a bit quirky. That’s what makes them special.” Charles would gladly see his charge face anyone now, young guard or old guard. “When you look at the new breed of heavyweights – excluding Joshua, Usyk and Tyson Fury – I definitely put my guy at number one. He has already beaten one of those three in Anthony Joshua. Fury is yet to fight him. Whoever wins between Joshua and Fury next, I would take either fight. There is no one out there right now that I would refuse for Daniel to face.” And he includes Usyk. “I have every confidence we will keep focused and keep developing,” explained Charles. “When I inherited him three years ago, he was already a WBA regular champion, which we count as a world title, meaning he is actually a three-time world champion. Back then, I’d say he was operating at about 60% capacity. Over the last three years, we’ve added another 20% of development, so he’s currently operating between 75% and 80%. There is still so much room for growth.” No doubt, mentally, Dubois is maturing as a man, a father and a fighter. Team relationships are evolving. “Experiencing losses like the one against Usyk, which is the only loss he has suffered under me, teaches both the athlete and the coach,” said Charles. “The ultimate mission, which Daniel has stated on numerous occasions, is to become the undisputed champion. That is the aim over the next couple of years.”
Every time Wardley made a move, he was intercepted and hurt.
into his 40s. “But look, it’s going to be an exciting time,” said Warren, referring to Fury- Joshua, Kabayel vs. Nelson Hysa and Hrgovic’s homecoming. “Look at the shows. They’re all selling out. Cardiff sold out. Germany sold out. Croatia will sell out.” It is more by design than chance, said Warren, who currently holds a level of promotional control over the heavyweight division not seen since Don King ruled the landscape in the late 1980s. “It was our business plan,” Warren concluded. “We actually wrote it out. When Tyson came back, we went into [BT Sport, now TNT Sports] and said we were going to build and control this heavyweight division. The only hiccup along the way was Usyk. “It didn’t happen overnight. We invested heavily in these fighters – Daniel 12 years ago, Moses six years ago. And this is where we’ve brought it.”
Dubois? “They don’t need my advice. They’re sensible fellas who know their strengths and weaknesses. If someone takes a fight with Daniel, they take it because they believe they can win – not just to make up the numbers. It has to make financial sense, but above all, it has to make sense for their careers.” Yet Warren reiterated he does not particularly want to see Fury vs. Dubois take place. Perhaps it enters the realm of Larry Holmes vs. Muhammad Ali in 1980 or Mike Tyson vs. Holmes in 1988, though Warren insisted that Fury has more left in the tank than Ali and Holmes, who were 38 when they faced younger men. Fury will be 39 next August. With the exceptions of George Foreman (46) and Vitali Klitschko (42), no heavyweight has held a world title
Gareth A Davies is Boxing Correspondent for The London Telegraph and TalkSport.
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