REWIND: The first ever feature with ‘The New AJ’ Daniel Dubois

IN APRIL, 2017 Boxing News sat down with Daniel Dubois for the first time, in what was the first major feature with the then-teenage heavyweight published anywhere. Little was known of the kid from London, other than that he had apparently dropped Anthony Joshua in sparring and then signed a professional contract with Frank Warren.

Incidentally, the issue of the magazine in which the feature appeared hit the shelves on April 20, 2017, just nine days before Joshua knocked out Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium in what is arguably still the greatest moment of his career to date. On the cover of that issue, of Dubois we asked: “The new Joshua?”

Now, more than seven years on, Dubois has just knocked out Joshua in the very same stadium with an iconic fifth-round finish in front of more than 96,000 fans.

Below, we have published the conversation between Dubois and Boxing News’ senior reporter Declan Taylor in full. Have a look back at what Dubois, just 19, made of the comparisons with Joshua, his view of the sparring rumours and his hopes and dreams for the coming years. It has been quite a ride for the Londoner.

‘I HURT EVERYONE I SPAR’

When you consider touted heavyweight prospect Daniel Dubois has sparred Anthony Joshua – among others – it’s time to pay attention, writes Declan Taylor.

April, 2017

DANIEL DUBOIS can barely be heard over the usual hubbub in the cafe at east London’s famous Peacock Gym. The seat on which his 6ft 5in, 17 stone frame is perched struggles to hold him up too.

At just 19, the softly spoken giant is a picture-book heavyweight. His potential so vast that he was already being tipped to bring home a gold medal from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. That was until he decided, having had just six senior contests in his entire life, to turn professional to widespread surprise,

“When I was in the amateur system, winning a gold medal was the sole focus,” Dubois tells Boxing News. “Now, they’ve given me a chance to pursue my ultimate dream; the world heavyweight title.”

He took the first step on that road on April 8 when he dispensed of the 1-0 but woefully overmatched Marcus Kelly in just 35 seconds. Dubois was supposed to be fighting 12-5 Dave Howe until the Yorkshireman pulled out, leaving Kelly with just days to prepare – and it showed.

Dubois said: “What can I say? I did what l had to do, I got the ball rolling. He came out swinging so I had to stay composed and do my job, which is what I did, it was the first step on my journey and I was just happy to get started. I can’t wait for the next one.”

In this Anthony Joshua age, promoters are falling over themselves to find the next big heavyweight star. Indeed, it was réported that Dubois received a six-figure signing-on fee to turn over with Frank Warren.

The veteran promoter tried hard to sign AJ in the months that followed London 2012 but he was left disappointed when he instead chose Eddie Hearn and Matchroom with whom to launch his career: Warren was not about to let Dubois slip away.

Given his size, age and mild-mannered nature, the teenager is bound for a career of comparisons with Joshua but the two are very much opposite sides of the same heavyweight coin.

For starters the IBF heavyweight champion did not care for boxing one bit before his cousin Ben Ileyemi invited him along to the gym when he was 18 years old. Joshua was not a fan of the sport, did not follow it at all and, in fact, to this day he has no idea how to score a professional boxing match. Although he is a big fan of old fighters now, it was not always thus.

Dubois, meanwhile, has been an avid student of the game since he was in primary school. Raised on old boxing video tapes by his father Davidson, as a kid he could describe the difference in nuance between the jabs of Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson, for instance.

He was also withdrawn from traditional education at the tender age of 12 in order for him to focus on his boxing. At the same age, Joshua had just returned from a stint at a boarding school in Nigeria before joining Kings Langley School in Hertfordshire.

Dubois adds: “My upbringing was good – It was always about boxing, mainly about training, but I enjoyed that. I loved it. I did all sports: athletics, javelin. I used to train at Crystal Palace. I did many different sports, I never took them very seriously becáuse boxing was the one constant. Everything else was to help my boxing.

“My strength always stood out. I was always stronger than all the other kids. They used to say ‘oh I wish i had a body like you, and your power’. That stood out for me a lot so I just added some skill to that and then I started having success.”

And herein lies the next contrast in the careers of Dubois and Joshua. Although he had no junior bouts, the latter trod the traditional amateur route: Haringey Box Cup, senior ABAs, European and World amateur championships before that gold at the 2012 Olympics. Dubois, meanwhile, impressed as a junior but had just six contests as a senior.

In addition, Joshua boxed exclusively out of Finchley ABC when he wasn’t up in Sheffield. Dubols, on the other hand, seemed to have stints at just about every major club in London with spells at Repton, Dale Youth and the Lynn, among others.

“Im from Chelsea,” Dubois explains. “My dad has got a place there and in Greenwich so he used to train here at the Peacock. I grew up mainly in west London but when I started boxing i came over here at first, but then Dale Youth was good for me when I was west.

“I was just looking out for myself, making sure I enjoyed gaining experience of different clubs and different coaches who could teach me different things. I think it worked well for me.”

So well, in fact, that despite his tender years and novice status Dubois found himself meeting with a string of major promoters keen to tempt him away from following his initial dream of winning Olympic gold.

“I met with Eddie Hearn and then Barry McGuigan,* he recalls. “People like that were interested. They both spoke to my dad about it. Then it came round to Frank.”

His decision to turn professional was one thing, but the link up with Warren was a surprise given that most of Team GB’s talent of late have Instead opted to join Matchroom. The likes of Joshua and his London 2012 teammates Luke Campbel and Khalid Yafai have all headed to Essex. More recently Josh Kelly, Joe Cordina and Lawrence Okolie have done the same.

Dubois feels like it has become a well-trodden path for those working under GB performance director Rob McCracken to then choose Hearn, but the teenager had no problem bucking the trend. He now trains under Martin Bowers at the Peacock.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – APRIL 08: Daniel Dubois and Marcus Kelly during their Heavyweight bout at Manchester Arena on April 8, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Getty Images)

“Maybe Rob is guiding them all to Eddie,” Dubois says. “So I just went the other way.

“How did it go down? It was my decision. There was nothing they could do about it. I’m the one doing the fighting.”

The decision was a curious one given his prospects for a medal in Japan. Indeed the news was greeted with skepticism by many. One of his super heavyweight competitors on the Podium Squad, Frazer Clarke, even took to Twitter to give what appeared to be his cryptic view on the move. “Bunch of leeches brain washing a kid because they see the pound notes…” he wrote.

Dubois took little notice. “Everyone has their own personal view on it,” he says, suddenly irritated. “It’s their own opinions, it doesn’t matter at all. I’ve had to deal with loads of them already.”

So while it took exactly a year for Joshua to turn professional following his success at the Olympics, Dubois’ transition to the paid ranks was altogether quicker.

“It all happened very fast,” he recalls. “Me and my dad discussed it. My dad thought ‘yeah, we’re ready’. He knows, I trust him, so we did it. I’d say it just made sense for me and my family. He made me a good offer, it made good financial sense, so why not? I think he’s the best man for the job. I’ve seen his track record with people like “Prince” Naseem [Hamed], Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton. You can’t deny the sort of success he’s had.”

So what was it that made three of the country’s leading promoters all try and snap him up at the same time? “It was the sparring rumours,” Dubois says. “As soon as they started doing the rounds, that’s when the contact came.

As a result of his time with GB, Dubois has sparred countless rounds with Joshua, Clarke and Olympic silver medatist Joe Joyce while, he says, always at least holding his own. Sparring rumours are common currency in boxing although it is always difficult to separate the real from the fake. It has been said that Dubois has floored all three.

“Those rumours,” he chuckles. “They’re all completely true. But seriously. I hurt anyone I spar with. I’ve sparred Anthony Joshua, I’ve sparred Joyce, I’ve sparred Frazer… Most of the major heavyweights and done well against all of them.  I’m young now so I feel I can surpass all of them to get to the top.

“I was also up in Bolton sparring Hughie Fury ahead of his world tide fight and while I was up there, Tyson jumped in for a round too. Every time I’m in the gym I feel like I’m learning.”

From that point of view, Dubois is well placed to give an opinion on the current landscape in this country. He says: “Joshua is the best in Britain, based on what I’ve seen. He’s beaten everyone he’s had in front of him and he’s world champion. Being able to spar him so much was a good experience. At first I was a bit nervous – ‘woah, this is the world heavyweight champion’ – but I did well. 

“He’s physically huge, there aren’t too many who are bigger than me, but at the end of the day, skills pay the bills. If I’m doing well against him, seeing things that I want to do in the spar and pulling them off, then I can do them in a fight.

“He won his belt four years after he won the gold. I’m looking to win the world title before Tokyo 2020 – that’s the goal. I’ve been boxing for 10 years now, I know what I’m doing. That’s my professional goal – to win a world title before the 2020 Olympics.”

While Joshua made his professional debut amid much fanfare in 2013 when he knocked out Emanuele Leo at a packed 02 Arena, Dubois’ introduction to the pro game was far more low key. Now he is hoping to box six more times before Christmas, with a spot on this weekend’s Leicester bill against Cameroon’s Blaise Mendouo, his next outing.

“Manchester was just the start for me,” he adds. “I beat who they put in front of me and that is what I will always do. I felt so comfortable. I felt like it was what I was born to do.

“I’m from a boxing family, I’m one of 11 kids. My sister Caroline is an undefeated champion and my brother Prince, who is 12, is the next one. He’s almost as tall as me already and weighs about 63kg. He’s going to be bigger than me.

“It was my dad who had the vision to put us all into it and I’m the first one out, leading the way. I’m the start of the dynasty and that’s an honour for me.”

With that he walks back into the bowels of the Peacock for his second session of the day. Softly-spoken or not, Dubois is ready to make a lot of noise.