Few in the sport are giving Daniel Dubois too much of a chance when he challenges Oleksandr Usyk for the unified heavyweight world championship in Wroclaw, Poland this weekend.
However, a revelation emerged this week about a certain helping hand Dubois has received in preparation for the masterful Ukrainian which may cause some people to think twice.
James Ali Bashir, Usyk’s first ever trainer, was drafted in to aid with ‘DDD’s camp and help get him set for the toughest test of his career on Saturday night.
Speaking to SecondsOut this week, Bashir gave some insight as to how his recruitment into team Dubois came about.
“This is boxing. It’s just like an attorney or a physician. One client moves along, then another client comes in and hires you. I’m here with Daniel Dubois, and I’m pushing Daniel Dubois to win this fight.”
“I think that Don Charles wanted every base covered, so he reached out to me. He invited me into the camp, which is very unusual in the sport of boxing – because everybody thinks they know best!”
“I think that it was a profound move to make that decision, as I feel I have some things to offer Daniel Dubois and team Dubois.”
Dubois will need all the help he can get this weekend, as the fight against Usyk represents a mammoth jump in levels from where he has been campaigning recently.
His most recent outing against Kevin Lerena was not particularly inspiring, and it would go down as one of the all time great heavyweight shocks if he was to be crowned unified heavyweight world champion at the Wroclaw Stadium.
He has the United Kingdom behind him going into the lion’s den in Poland, and is confident he can do what Anthony Joshua and Derek Chisora couldn’t when up against Usyk.