Daniel Dubois exclusive interview: Everything’s going to plan

Boxing’s traditional summer break seems to get shorter and shorter with each passing year but Daniel Dubois has made the most of his brief period away from the spotlight. Worryingly for his rivals, there will be even more of the unbeaten heavyweight to worry about when he gets back into action this weekend.

“The break has given me time to grow physically and mentally. I’ve put a bit of weight on and had a bit of rest. I’ve been able to rest and recuperate and get ready for the new season,” Dubois (4-0, 4 KO’s) told 32Red.

“I’m weighing about 17 stone at the moment. I was around 16st 7lbs before but I’ve gone up a little bit. It isn’t something that Martin [Bowers, his trainer] and me decided to do. It’s just happened naturally with eating and training every day and living in the gym. I’ve just grown naturally.

“My dad is around 6ft 6in tall and I’m about 6ft 4in. I think I could get up to there or maybe even go past him.”

Dubois is also effortlessly growing into his role as one of world boxing’s brightest young stars and the smile that crossed the Londoner’s face when he picked up the WBC Youth World title in July hinted that he had taken a liking to collecting silverware.

On Saturday night he gets the chance to add another item to his trophy cabinet when he takes on Southern Area champion A.J. Carter but until the new strap is safely slung across his shoulder it is just another fight, just another chance to impress, and just another step towards where he wants to be.

“Winning the youth title definitely made me want to collect more belts. I wanna get up there and become world ranked, world respected and eventually a world champion one day. That’s what I’m aiming for and working towards.

“It’s been going fine so far. It’s all gone to plan. I can’t complain too much. Everything has been going relatively smoothly. I’ve been working hard and winning my fights. I do think it’ll start to pick up now the season is back on and I can progress on to bigger and better things pretty quickly.”

There is now a quiet authority to Dubois’ words. He has matured from a teenager clearly puzzled as to why strangers were asking him such obvious questions and become a confident 20 year old who understands the growing interest in him. Nonetheless, he will never be the type of fighter to ridicule or belittle his opponents. Heavyweight peers like Deontay Wilder, Tony Bellew and Dillian Whyte aren’t exactly shy about voicing their opinions and the recent ‘Money Fight’ between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor perfectly illustrated the power of promotion but whilst Dubois finds the hype entertaining, he is happy to let his rivals do the talking.

“It’s all great. it shows that when you have a big mouth and can back it up relatively, you can go far. When you match that [in Conor McGregor’s case] against Floyd Mayweather, it created a tremendous event for boxing. It bought a lot of attention for Floyd and his team of fighters. It was a massive show and a massive event and that’s what boxing is all about.

“All of the talking works for some people and it doesn’t work for others. You need to have the ability to back it up. Some guys do it and some guys don’t but I like to think I can rely on my skills and ability. I just like to get in there and perform and entertain. That’s how I go about it.”

The Dubois family are fanatical boxing fans and Daniel even has a brother named Prince after former world featherweight champion, Naseem Hamed. Daniel may not have adopted Hamed’s showmanship but he does have the same ability to end a fight with natural, numbing power.

“Oh yeah, I loved watching Prince Naseem videos growing up. It was very entertaining. Guys like Prince Naseem didn’t just do it to entertain, they did it because  it was part of their style. They didn’t just do it to entertain the crowd. It was their character and personality. Everybody has their own character. It’s an individual sport made up of individual characters. If that’s who you are then go for it.”

With the Mayweather – McGregor show confined to the annals of history, attention turns to Saturday night’s fight between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin. You may expect Dubois to be more interested in a fight between two men who prefer to let their fists do the talking but regardless of who is competing, Dubois concentrates on soaking up as much as he can from the sports elite fighters.

“I’m equally interested in both fights to be honest. I’ve watched Floyd throughout his career and he himself interests me. I’d watch any fight of his. ‘Canelo’ and Golovkin are both skilful fighters and the winner will rise to the top of the pound for pound list probably.

“I’m very impressed when I watch all of these guys fight. It impresses me and inspires me to add new things to my game. I’m impressed by the way these guys go about mastering their own style and I think there are a few more elements I can add to my style before I master it.

“There’s a lot more to come from me yet.”

Daniel fights on Saturday night – to see our latest boxing markets, check out 32Red Sport here. If you’re up for a flutter on table games or the slots, be sure to check out our award-winning casino too!