Why Daniel Dubois might be without his trainer for Anthony Joshua fight

Don Charles’s absence during fight week has been explained ahead of Saturday’s Wembley showdown

The absence of Daniel Dubois’ trainer during fight week of his huge clash with Anthony Joshua on Saturday night continues to create speculation of a rift within the camp.

However, Don Charles’s absence has been explained ahead of the Wembley showdown. George Fox, Charles’s son, has moved to crush rumours two days before Dubois puts his IBF world heavyweight belt on the line against his English rival.

Despite others’ claims, Charles is missing due to having a cold. “No secret, no ploy, no plan to unsettle anyone,” said Fox, reported by Sky Sports.

DAZN also noted that Charles hopes to be in attendance on Saturday and took the decision to stay away to protect the fighters and those involved with the major event.

While there’s no issue inside the camp, it’s not ideal preparation for Dubois to be without the man who is widely credited with improving his career. Charles has cornered the 21-2 boxer in his last three fights and has proven valuable in Dubois bouncing back from defeat by Oleksandr Usyk in August 2023.

Dubois has learned to suffer, and distribute his power more effectively, putting him in the position of defending champion against a global star like Joshua after wins against Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic.

Alongside rumours about Charles, Dubois has had to put up with murmurings that he has an injury heading into the fight. However, assistant trainer Kieran Farrell moved quickly to squash such noise.

Daniel Dubois ahead of his bout with Anthony Joshua (PA Archive)

"Daniel has no injury to his right hand – he’s injured my hands with the power of his shots!" Farrell said, per Sky Sports.

While Dubois has fought the best in the world in Usyk, the 96,000-capacity battle against Joshua should be considered the biggest fight of his career so far. For all of his quality, Dubois still misses a killer name on his hit list; a fight to point to when people speak about legacy.

At 27 years old, he is the same age Joshua was when he defeated Wladimir Klitschko in a legendary triumph at Wembley. Many will remember AJ’s uppercut from hell, a shot that was spectacularly caught in time to create one of the most iconic boxing photos in recent memory. Dubois needs a moment like this.

Joshua has improved since his back-to-back losses to Usyk, with three of his last four victories coming via stoppage. While often reluctant to let his hands go, he’s still incredibly imposing when he loosens up, meaning a spectacular fight could ensue on a huge night for British boxing.