The team of Daniel Dubois has faced a lot of criticism for how they handled fight day for the undisputed heavyweight title showdown with Oleksandr Usyk.
This past weekend saw Usyk knock out Dubois in the fifth round to reclaim his IBF belt and add it to his WBC, WBA and WBO titles to once again become the sole ruler of the banner division.
It emerged in the aftermath of the bout that a party was thrown at the house of Dubois on the day of the fight, organised by his father and featuring a lot of guests, just hours before ‘DDD’ got in the ring with Usyk.
Many fans have hit out at that decision, but Dubois’ trainer Don Charles has now responded on Talksport, claiming that it was done following the success of the Anthony Joshua victory in September.
“That same gathering we used as the prep for fight day on the AJ fight. A lot was made for the ringwalk when Daniel walked out at Wembley [for Joshua]. That energy, he was fired up. That gathering at the home, the same home, was taken to the dressing room. Some of Daniel’s friends and his father’s friends were in the dressing room for the AJ fight. That energy is what gave birth to the energy that everybody witnessed in the ringwalk and we were victorious on that occasion.
“If it worked for you the first time, it’s highly likely you’re going to replicate that. There might have been more people granted for this second gathering, to get more energy. The only logical sense why there was more people was to increase the volume. The AJ fight was big, this trumps it. I didn’t think that was possible.
“It may appear madness to a lot of people but it’s the same method that got us the victory. Stan Dubois with his extraordinary methods would try and replicate it. I can’t sit here and tell you that Daniel knew every single person, but he comes from a large family. I know must of those people, but I was not there.”
Dubois knocked out Joshua inside five rounds back in September, so choosing to repeat that fight day routine may make sense to some, but most fans still believe it was a mistake this time around.
