Just a few weeks ago at Wembley Stadium, Daniel Dubois was dropped twice and stopped by Oleksandr Usyk in round five of their undisputed world heavyweight title fight. It was not a shock, but it was a brutal ending.
Dubois lost his version of the world heavyweight title and there was, not for the first time, criticism of him at the end of the fight. There was a feeling, which seems harsh, that Dubois could have got up from the second knockdown.
A lot of high-profile boxers, including potential rivals Joseph Parker and Derek Chisora, insisted that Dubois quit at the end of the fight. It was an unusually open display of criticism and firmly placed him under unnecessary scrutiny so soon after the loss. Change, it seems, was needed.
On the night at Wembley, Dubois had Kieran Farrell and Don Charles in his corner; it was their fifth fight together and the relationship had actually started with a loss. Both Farrell and Charles are gone, victims of yet another regime change in the boxing business.
The loss in Poland against Usyk in their first fight together, in 2023, was a cruel baptism for Charles, but he believed in Dubois and he worked on his concentration; he certainly improved the boxer’s ability to listen in the corner. He was not the first trainer to have a big loss on his first night in charge and then salvage a boxer’s career.
It happened in 2004 when the great Manny Steward started to work with Wladimir Klitschko. In 2003, Klitschko had been knocked out by South African Corrie Sanders – it was a devastating loss, a career-ending defeat.
Steward was hired to salvage Klitschko’s career. In Las Vegas in 2004, Steward was helpless in the corner in their first fight together when Lamon Brewster, a massive underdog, broke Klitschko again. The towering Ukrainian looked at that moment like a lost cause; Steward worked on Klitschko’s psychological strength, his pacing of fights and his defence.
The pair went on a remarkable sequence of 16 fights without loss, including 12 world heavyweight title defences. The Brewster loss was avenged, one of 10 world title defences that finished early.
The man hired to alter the course for Dubois has the opportunity to walk in Steward’s footsteps. It would be a similarly epic return from the edges of oblivion; after the Brewster loss, nobody in the boxing business had any faith in Big Wlad. Right now, Dubois is in that same box.
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There is a favourite for the post to replace Charles, who was the nominal lead trainer and was the main voice in the corner, but it has not been signed and sealed just yet. Charles also had a long-established friendship with Dubois – friendships in boxing are always a reason for hurt and resentment.
If Tony Sims, who has worked with Conor Benn since 2016, does get the job – and it seems like a perfect fit – he will be the fifth trainer in the short life and career of Dubois. At the start it was Martin Bowers, then Mark Tibbs worked behind the scenes to prepare him, then Shane McGuigan had a good run, and finally Charles took Dubois to the world title and the wild night at Wembley last September when he knocked out Anthony Joshua.
Also in as an independent adviser is Sam Jones, who in a few short years has become one of the most popular and busy advisers in the business. Jones currently works with Jack Catterall, British champion Conah Walker, and about 15 other boxers. It is a wise move.
In the days before the second loss to Usyk, it seemed like the once tiny and close Dubois team had spiralled out of control. Assuming Sims is selected and Jones has some influence, the tracksuited horde will be massively reduced.
Charles had first officially worked with Dubois in the summer of 2023 when the initial Usyk fight was made for Poland. On the night, Dubois was beaten in the ninth round, but the pair then went on a spectacular run of wins. It seemed that Charles, with Farrell doing a lot of the pad work, had found a way to motivate Dubois.
The night against Joshua silenced the critics, and Charles and Farrell correctly received praise. One fight and less than one year later, they are gone; published statements claim everybody is happy with the split, but that is never the case. The storyline now for Dubois is simply “let’s get back to business”. There is a sensible plan to get him out again before Christmas.
Steward had Klitschko back in the gym in a hurry, fighting just six months after losing to Brewster; Dubois will benefit from the same schedule. And some brutal honesty from his new team.