Daniel Dubois is preparing to take on Anthony Joshua in the biggest fight of his life, hoping to make a first defence of his heavyweight crown, topple a giant of British boxing and in doing so prove himself to be worthy of his world championship status. However, concern developed on social media after whispers that head trainer Don Charles had been sacked, and now Dubois’ team has addressed those rumours.
‘Triple D’ appointed Don Charles as his lead cornerman but gave him a tough first assignment as he unsuccessfully challenged Oleksandr Usyk for the unified heavyweight world titles in Poland but gave a good account of himself until being stopped in the ninth-round.
Since then, Dubois has fought twice and has impressed on both occasions as he silenced those doubting his heart by fighting through the fire and trumping both Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic in back-to-back career best knockout victories. Those performances have convinced the boxing universe that Dubois truly is one of the main players in the heavyweight division but whether he has the quality to mount a solid reign as a champion remains to be seen.
This weekend’s showdown with a resurgent Anthony Joshua will provide the 27-year-old with the perfect acid test but during the fight week thus far, Don Charles has been absent – leading to doubts as to whether he remains as a part of Dubois’ team.
The situation was Charles was soon cleared up as Daily Star journalist Chris McKenna told social media that Charles has not been in attendance at fight week because of an illness and confirmed that the 62-year-old would indeed be by Dubois’ side this weekend.
Don Charles has a flu/cold and has stayed away from media events this week. He won't be at press conference or weigh-in. But he will be in Daniel Dubois' corner this weekend
— Chris McKenna (@cmckennasport) September 19, 2024
“Don Charles has a flu/cold and has stayed away from media events this week. He won’t be at press conference or weigh-in but he will be in Daniel Dubois’ corner this weekend.”
Dubois and Anthony Joshua will headline a record-breaking event at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night, topping a bill that features a host of British talent.
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