Don Charles: Daniel Dubois has shown only 70% of his ability, and will become the undisputed champion

Don Charles wears a familiar bright white sports cap, but even the shadow that falls over his face can’t hide his beaming smile.

A week on from the biggest triumph of his career, Charles is still recovering from an illness that wiped him out throughout much of fight week.

“It’s subsided,” says Daniel Dubois’ coach. “It’s coming out of my system. It’s just a flu, a common flu.”

The symptoms had him bed-bound, missing the fight week circus and, more pertinently, triggering speculation of a rift in camp at a crucial time. 

“It’s laughable,” he tells BoxingScene. “Those people must be really, really bored with their lives. I was ill and somebody decided they were going to put something out. As a former president of America would say, fake news. There wasn’t an ounce of truth to what they were suggesting and I was still involved. I managed to summon up enough mental energy to be able to be there for my guy, because we would not be denied.”

While Charles would have wanted to be there for his fighter, the hoopla, hyperbole and hustle and bustle of the media obligations that come with the territory of a showpiece occasion – such as his fighter defending his IBF heavyweight title in front of a reported record-breaking crowd at Wembley Stadium, against Anthony Joshua – are not experiences the veteran trainer relishes with significant enthusiasm.

“I’ve done enough of those to last me a lifetime, press conferences and media workouts,” he smiles, seemingly relieved to have missed out. “I’ve done them for a long, long time. It’s about the fighter. As long as the fighter is alright. I had my reliable team who represent me anyway. I couldn’t be anywhere around Daniel [with his illness]. It would have been stupid and foolish to be around him and he can’t fight or, if he does, he’s not fully fit, he’s ill. 

“That would have been very unforgiving and very naïve of us had we done that. We didn’t and it worked. He didn’t catch it. No other members of my team caught it to pass it on to him, so it worked out brilliantly.”

It also allowed the fight and the night to clearly become the highlight of Charles’ career to date.

“By far – it has to be,” Charles says. “It’s like going to the World Cup. There’s only one World Cup so nothing else is going to better that. My aim is to replicate that; go a couple of steps further. Daniel Dubois will be an undisputed world champion.

“I’m always saying the word God. The word universe. I was right. God exists and the universe is great.” 

Dubois hammered Joshua into a one-sided stoppage loss and his team was euphoric, having silenced doubters and critics as the underdogs who shook up the heavyweight landscape. 

It was just Charles’ fourth fight with Dubois. They opened their account together fighting Oleksandr Usyk in Poland, before scalping the unbeaten duo of Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic.

Charles still harbours ill-feelings about what happened in Poland, too, but the Joshua win was something he expected – even if the post-fight emotions exceeded expectations.

“That shot would get to anyone,” Charles smiles, thinking back to the first-round right hand that dumped Joshua the first time. “It doesn’t matter who was in the ring that night. That’s what was done in his two previous fights. Daniel doesn’t discriminate; it doesn’t matter who’s in front of him. He’s going to put hands on you and that’s a classic example – it happened to be Anthony Joshua there on that night. That was the plan. Go out there. Let your hands go. Take charge. Take control.

“Daniel carries his power from round one to round 12. He’s one of those extraordinary punchers and he’s also a very fit young man, which aids and supports the power. If he makes that clean connection, he’s always got that ability to take you out. His power doesn’t diminish during the fight.”

The 27 year old is 22-2 (21 KOs) and after 14 months with Charles, the Biafra-born trainer maintains there is still much to be done, and that Dubois is not competing at his full capacity. So how much have we seen of Dubois?

 “He’s probably operating at 70 per cent capacity right now,” Charles explains. “He’s developing. We’re putting layers and layers on him. 

“There’s so much more to come from him and as we’re getting these results as a human being his confidence will grow and he will realize, ‘You know what? I’m actually very dangerous’. It’s really, really exciting.”

Dubois did not have a long amateur career and he has boxed just 95 rounds as a pro. He does not have a high mileage, and that adds to Charles’ excitement over what is to come.

“The future’s so bright for that young man and my job is to keep improving him on all aspects, from the defensive point of view, being more aware – that when you’re in front of somebody they, too, have a right to hit you. Understanding the concept of coming off the firing line and bringing the people on to your firing line. That’s what we’re trying to do at the moment. 

“He’s already a very dangerous young man. Can you imagine when he fully understands and does it naturally, to come off the line, people’s firing lines, and bringing them on to his? The future is really bright for him and for us.”

Charles remembers each aspect of the fight in granular detail. He lived it; absorbed it; saw the faults; recognized the successes and is now keen to move things on, albeit while enjoying the post-fight adulation and overdue respect that has come his way. 

“Every second, every minute; every moment,” he replies, when asked about his recollections of that night in Wembley. “To keep the level of concentration and not become complacent, because the fight was going how we wanted it to go, you could easily take your foot off the pedal or lose sight of the task. And not let the opposition in to build any momentum or give him any confidence.

“We got hit with, I believe altogether, three significant shots that were concerning – two uppercuts and then one shot in the last round before the end, the right hand that made Daniel go in a retreat mode. But [Dubois] still had his faculties. He was stunned, but he was still coherent in the sense that he didn’t lose his shape – his fighting shape – which was why he was still able to throw an effective knockout punch. Even on the retreat.”   

And while Charles is often a harsh critic, he was full of deserved praise for the vastly-improved Dubois and delighted with how Dubois performed, under the bright lights and under so much pressure. Charles contends the other side of their big fight was underprepared.

“He was punch perfect,” adds the coach of his student. “On Saturday night, we rehearsed everything – planned everything – but when you plan it, it doesn’t necessarily go like it because the opponent has something to say about your plan. 

“But I couldn’t believe how ill-prepared they were, which allowed us to literally do as we wished. They underestimated us totally. The attitude beat them. The team’s attitude – the coaching staff and the fighter’s attitude is what really beat them in my opinion.” 

Charles reflects on his time with Dubois so far, and while many look at his Fighter of the Year win-streak having stopped Miller, Hrgovic and now Joshua, Charles puts a great deal of stock in the loss and the experience garnered from the defeat by Usyk. In fact, Charles still will not have it that Dubois did not deserve victory before a blow that had pulverised Usyk was ruled low.

“People always talk about the ‘Baby’ Miller and Hrgovic fights – no, no,” he continues. “And the Usyk fight. It’s a very significant moment.

“I never discount the Usyk fight. We didn’t get the result in Poland, but I never discount that. I have to mention that. That was a win, on all accounts. That was a win, before we lost. He draws experience from that. He broke up that man. He dropped him. His central nervous system was shut down. I know what I saw, so no one else can tell me anything. You can go online and look at it. He [Usykl] was let off by the industry – the referee, whatever – allowed to regroup, and he used his experience to get to the win that he got.”

Given it was their first outing as a team, and Dubois was a significant underdog, Charles was satisfied after Poland – particularly how things subsequently worked out. He knew what he had and the potential his rough diamond had shown him.

“We spent 15 weeks together prior to the [Usyk] fight, and fighting a southpaw who is now the undisputed world heavyweight champion,” Charles says, “It’s remarkable the run Daniel’s been on in the last 14 months. It’s been 14 months. What he’s achieved in 14 months. It’s incredible, really.”

How the next 14 months go, Charles does not know. He purposefully steers clear of talking about the next steps in the business – rather, he focuses on the job in between the ropes.

“I never get involved with that,” he responded when asked about Dubois’ next moves. “Of course, I know what I would like for him, but we are working with the master architect in the name of Frank Warren and what he’s done, not just with Daniel but how Frank has engineered previous champions from the UK – why he hasn’t been knighted yet I don’t know. What that man has done for British boxing over the years and he’s done it again.

“He trusted in Daniel Dubois from the age of 18, 19. He saw something and he went for it. Even when the chips were down, Frank still had the belief that he made the right decision in signing that young man and backing him. And look where we are today. And like I say, he’s only gonna get better.”

Is Charles keen for a return with Joshua? 

“If that’s what it is, that’s what it is,” he sighs. “When they ask me, are you good with this fight we are proposing, I will say yes or no. If it is Joshua, the answer is capital Y, capital E, capital S. I’ll welcome that. And if it’s the winner out of Usyk and Fury [who fight December 21], I would also welcome that.”

If it is Usyk again, does Charles see his man as better equipped to deal with the undisputed champion than he was when they fought last August in Poland? 

“I would say he’s very equipped,” Charles replies, smiling this time. “Our working relationship – that was our first fight and we had 15 weeks preparing for it, and we’ve now been together for 14 months, so there’s going to be a lot of difference. The understanding is there and he’s already been in there with Usyk. He knows he can hurt Usyk, and definitely we would relish that opportunity to right that wrong – the fighter and the coaching staff.”

Charles goes back to Poland once more, and again argues in defense of his fighter and what happened.

“Not discrediting Usyk – what he’s done, you have to admire what the man’s done,” he says. “He’s a genius. From the cruiserweight division, to unify, to become undisputed, at heavyweight. Not only did he do it, he’s the undisputed champion, you have to salute that. I salute that. 

“He’s phenomenal. He’s a generational great irrespective of what happens next. But when it comes down to what happened to us in Poland – I’m not a bitter guy, I’m just a guy who doesn’t like being cheated, and we got cheated out of that. Nevertheless, look where we are today, and we relish the opportunity to [rematch him]. Should he succeed against Fury – I don’t believe he will second time round, I believe Fury beats him – should he be the one Daniel’s fighting, we relish that opportunity.”

It is likely the IBF champion will not see action again in 2024. He has been busy, boxing at a high level and he’s often been written off, certainly in his last two.

“Probably 2025,” Charles says, of when Dubois might return. “The kid’s been really active; probably the most active heavyweight in the world in the last 12 months. Four fights, Usyk, Baby Miller, Hrgovic, AJ… If someone said to me when I started training Daniel, that is the run you’re going to have, that is a daunting run, isn’t it? And he’s stopped everybody, including Usyk.”

Does that mean Charles believes his student is a worthy favorite to win Fighter of the Year honors?         

“Categorically,” Charles grins, before spelling it out once more. “Y. E. S.”