‘I’ll beat Anthony Joshua, change into a legend and take his place versus Tyson Fury’

Daniel Dubois is a man of few words. But there was a moment in some pre-fight filming before his fight against Filip Hrgovic earlier this year when the British heavyweight went for the C-word.

Those there were surprised by it. Dubois, so often shy and reserved, had been angered by talk of sparring stories and goads from the Croatian, so he fizzed with the retort of “let’s put this c*** to sleep”. Swearing isn’t something he often does.

“That was when I knew he’d really found his voice,” said promoter Frank Warren. Dubois, still sometimes awkward, now has the ability to offer up a zinger quote every now and again.

But, as ever, it is the fists of the London heavyweight which do most of his talking, with 20 of his 21 wins ending inside the distance. Queensberry chief Warren was the one who took the quiet giant from the amateurs as a teenager and has led him to the biggest stage in British boxing this weekend.

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Dubois, 27, will put his IBF heavyweight title on the line against Anthony Joshua, the man so long the face of the sport in this country, in front of more than 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.

A win for Dubois would put Joshua’s career on the brink and could be the final nail in the coffin of a Tyson Fury megafight. It has the potential to be a seismic night for British heavyweight boxing and it has been in the pipeline for more than a decade.

It was just over 11 years ago when Warren’s ears were pricked by talk in amateur circles about a Londoner being led around gyms by his dad proclaiming he had a future world heavyweight champion.

Warren dug a little deeper, liked what he heard and got word to the Dubois family that they were keen to support his journey. Dubois was soon in Sheffield on the GB boxing squad and sparring with the man he faces this weekend. It led to one of British boxing’s most disputed stories.

One take is that Dubois wobbled Joshua, who was in the early stages of a pro career that would see him go on to be a two-time world champion after his Olympic success, in a session and that footage being recorded was immediately deleted under orders.

Those close to 2012 gold medallist Joshua laugh it off as myth but this weekend the public will get to see for real a decade on. Warren heard the story at the time and it only strengthened his desire to land the signature. He’d watched Eddie Hearn get Olympic gold medallist Joshua and he wanted his own heavyweight hope.

Dubois, led by his father, spoke to a few promoters and managers. They came back to Warren around the turn of the year and early in 2017 put pen to paper on a professional contract. Many in GB Boxing were disappointed.

Sources close to the set-up in Sheffield were concerned at the time that Dubois wasn’t mature enough for the professional side and they believed the promoter had taken a punt on a boxer not yet ready.

Warren’s team had no such doubts. Dubois, one of 11 children, was quiet and completely reliant on direction from his father, Dave, who claims to have made his fortune wheeling and dealing across the globe from making chandeliers in London to selling posters in New York.

But they knew inside the ring, along with Martin Bowers as manager and trainer, they could move him slowly but cutely up the rankings with good match making.

While TNT – then BT – were happy they had a potential future star of the division best served to bring in pay-per-view buys. Dubois was often reluctant to do interviews but was coaxed into them with the eagerness to build his profile.

Stories came out. Including the one that the family’s fighting spirit – four are now boxers – goes all the way back to Silvia Dubois, a slave and bare-knuckle boxer in 18th century New Jersey.

Dubois has got better at talking over the years, but still not totally comfortable doing media rounds. In our most recent chat, he was laughing throughout and offered up a few one liners, joked he’d told a few tall tales in previous chats and showed his confidence ahead of this weekend’s fight.

“Not a lot of fighters have even made it out of the prospect stage of their careers,” he said. “I am world champion, I will hold onto this belt. I will cement myself as a legend.”

It was the last interview of his schedule, his bag was already beside him and once the chat finished, it was picked up and he walked out. “Done,” he said. As if he was a kid finishing up the homework he’d been set and had to be bribed into doing by a parent eager for their offspring to be top of the class.

That’s not to say that Dubois is a cold character. When he’s relaxed, he is inquisitive and approachable. When he’s tired after training, it can be a different mood. When his father is around, he appears a lot more reluctant to engage.

This all makes up part of the character of a fighter who has never really let anyone in. Not managers, not trainers, so never mind the media.

Dubois still lives at home, doesn’t use social media and, up until recently, never had a smartphone. The family house is quite the size in Essex. He trains nearby in a purpose-built facility on a farm.

One person close to Dubois said he enjoys being away from the hustle and bustle of a gym with multiple fighters. There has been a claim he spends time each day looking towards Wembley and the famous arches can be seen on a clear day. Another tale with a bit of a twirl to it?

Dubois laughs when it is put to him if he can actually see the stadium from his training base. What isn’t in dispute is that he is disciplined. The long runs with his siblings as a kid when the police once intervened to check they weren’t being forced to exercise, are now replaced with a similarly militant lifestyle of train and rest.

You won’t catch Dubois out in London between camps either. Holidays abroad are taken, though. With his family.

In the ring, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Dubois suffered criticism for failing to rise to his feet against Joe Joyce in a bruising contest, which left him with a fractured eye socket in 2020.

In a recent interview, Dubois Sr claimed they didn’t want the fight that early in his career. That has been disputed by those closer to the situation at the time after the bout was put on behind-closed-doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The loss soured a relationship with previous mentor Bowers and Dubois was back on the gym merry-go-round which he was known for as an amateur.

Shane McGuigan, the son of Barry, got the nod after a trial with Mark Tibbs didn’t work out. Dubois benefitted from the work with McGuigan, won four fights over two years before a family dispute broke down the relationship.

The details remain unknown, but Daniel’s sister Caroline, a promising female lightweight who was also working with McGuigan and one of the four talented boxers in house, left the family home with two other siblings.

Daniel switched to well-known trainer Don Charles and then suffered a second career defeat at the hands of the brilliant Oleksandr Usyk. In a testing fight for the Ukrainian, who went on to become undisputed champion by beating Tyson Fury, there was controversy over a low blow before Dubois was stopped late on.

Warren led the charge on trying to get the result quashed because of the decision over the low blow by referee Luis Pabon but he also told his charge he had to start taking things into his own hands. Quite literally. “I told him the referee is himself, with his left and right hands,” said Warren.

Dubois had just lost out to a generational talent but it still felt there was a refresh needed if not a rebuild. Before the bout, Warren had gone into the dressing room in Wroclaw football stadium to find it eerily quiet.

There was no music and not much going on. He ordered some tunes to be put on and for more enthusiasm. Yet it was on the ring walk he noticed something which later helped Dubois in his next two fights.

The young heavyweight was constantly looking around and it was Warren who twigged that it was to try to find out where his father had gone.

For all the changes in trainers, the man he still listens to most is the most dominating figure in his life. Dave Dubois. So when the early stages of a clash with Jarrell Miller were tight, Warren ordered Dubois’ father to sit in the front row and shout instructions from there.

Dubois delivered one of the performances of his career to stop the American in the 10th round. Then he came through some early fire to stop Hrgovic and land himself the No 1 spot with the IBF, in what was undoubtedly the standout victory of his career.

It set up what Warren would have dreamed of a decade ago when he signed Dubois. A huge fight with Joshua at Wembley Stadium.

Now they’re all on good terms, there may not be the same vitriol to outdo Hearn and beat the star man of his stable but it will still be sweet for the hall-of-fame promoter.

For Dubois? He will certainly appear like he has just beaten any other opponent. How he will really react inside to being on the grandest stage will have a big say on his chances of beating Joshua.

Dubois has developed inside the ring but now he has to prove he has learned from those experiences to become an elite fighter. Then his punches will have done the talking and, while his words only sometimes get people to stand up and take notice, an upset win over Joshua would alter a lot of plans.

Matchroom and Joshua promoter Hearn has said multiple times that ‘AJ’ will face Fury next, even if the Gypsy King loses to Oleksandr Usyk in their December 21 rematch. Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh is also still eager for Fury and Joshua to settle their long-time rivalry either in Riyadh or London.

But while Fury losing to Usyk would only devalue the bout, Joshua losing to Dubois would leave his reputation on the rocks and make the fight a very hard sell.

“I’m going to beat AJ and upset all their plans,” Dubois said. “I want to be in those mega fights. I’ll be the one facing Fury, or Usyk if he beats him again.”

That will cause a bigger stir than anything he could ever say. Even another C-word.