Daniel Dubois: ‘I need to take Anthony Joshua back to that dark place’

Interview: The IBF heavyweight champion will defend his title against AJ on Saturday, in an all-British showdown at Wembley

Daniel Dubois is a man of few words, with an occasional affection for the figurative. When he sat down with The Independent in May, before fighting Filip Hrgovic, Dubois said: “I’ve got to take it away from him.” Whatever ‘it’ was, Dubois indeed took it. Now, addressing a larger group of journalists, the 27-year-old speaks similarly about Anthony Joshua. “I need to take him back to that dark place, make him break down.”

Dubois is talking about the more precarious moments in Joshua’s career: knockdowns by Wladimir Klitschko and Andy Ruiz Jr, exasperating exchanges with Oleksandr Usyk. Against Klitschko, in the same Wembley Stadium that hosts Saturday’s fight, Joshua rallied to retain the IBF heavyweight title – the belt that Dubois defends this weekend. But against Ruiz, there was no comeback; against Usyk, there was no way through in 2021 or 2022.

Dark places, indeed, but which Dubois has also visited. For Dubois, they were boxing rings shared with Joe Joyce in 2020, Kevin Lerena in 2022, and Usyk last summer. Joyce exploded the orbital bone of “Dynamite Daniel”, leaving the younger man kneeling and beaten – his faultless record suddenly faulty. Lerena put down an injured Dubois three times in round one, only for the Briton to somehow stop his opponent two rounds later. Against Usyk, there were familiar “quitter” jibes when Dubois was stopped by a jab, the same shot that secured Joyce’s win.

“The last two fights were my redemption fights,” Dubois says of December’s dogged war with Jarrell Miller, and his bloody dismantling of Hrgovic in June. But Frank Warren, the heavyweight’s promoter, disagrees.

Promoters are of course spokespeople for fighters, but that is especially true in this case. Dubois even parries certain questions with a, “What do you think, Frank?” Well, Warren rejects the notion that any “redemption” was needed.

Dubois before beating Jarrell Miller in Riyadh in December (Getty Images)

“See what [other] guys have done at his age,” Warren says. “Without a doubt, he’s fought better-quality fighters in his last three fights than AJ has.” Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin, and MMA star Francis Ngannou – for reference. “Daniel’s been an underdog in those fights, and he’s come through two out of three. And for me, to this day, the referee should not have given that as a low blow [against Usyk].”

Warren is referencing the attempted body shot that, in another life, could have made Dubois unified champion. Instead, it was ruled a foul, and Usyk went on to stop Dubois. But the Ukrainian did him a favour this spring: after Dubois won the interim IBF belt against Hrgovic, Usyk vacated the official title to elevate Dubois to regular champion.

“AJ has got all the pressure in this fight,” Warren continues. “He can’t afford to lose because of his age. And I think Daniel is a bigger puncher, his jabs are more meaningful; it’s an offensive, emphatic jab, whereas AJ tries to line you up with his. And I want AJ to throw those bombs, because then he’s exposed to the counter, and if he feels the power, he does what he did against Ruiz and Usyk: he’ll go on the back foot.”

When the topic turns to past sparring sessions between Joshua, 34, and Dubois, the latter is dismissive. “Nothing at all [to take from those]. Sparring is sparring. I’m not here to spar; I’m here to win a fight and knock him out. That sparring talk is all in the past now, I’m a man of the future.” But again, Warren jumps in to claim: “The interesting thing is what he [AJ] takes from the sparring. He knows [Daniel] can hurt him.”

Joshua and Dubois clash at the launch press conference for their fight (PA Wire)

What of Joshua’s warning, in a joint interview this summer, that he would “put a f***ing chair across” Dubois’s face? “I just need to make him pay for those words,” Dubois says. Are you nastier nowadays? “I’m a man now. I’m ready to destroy.” You look leaner this week. “I’ve done everything I’ve needed to do.” There have been more media demands. “It’s just business. It comes with the territory.”

Are you getting AJ at a good time? “I think so, I’m on the rise.” Are you the most confident you’ve ever been? “This is the best team I’ve had, the best camp, so no complaints from me.” What does this fight represent? “Planting the flag, moving forward as world champion.” You can see the Wembley arch from your gym. “Sometimes I look back at it. It’s all meant to be.”

So yes, a man of few words is Daniel Dubois. But accusations that he is dull feel unfair.

Now and then, he allows himself a little fun, like when responding to Eddie Hearn’s suggestion that Dubois’s ‘knees will be knocking’ on fight night. “Na, na, na,” Dubois says. “We’ll make his knees knock when he sees what I’m doing to his boy.”

Joshua vs Dubois will air live on DAZN worldwide, including in the UK and US. The pay-per-view is priced at £19.99, and you can purchase a subscription to DAZN here, with plans starting at £14.99 a month. New subscribers who buy the pay-per-view and sign up to a Monthly Flex Offer will receive a seven-day free trial; those who choose the Instalment Offer will get one month free; and those picking the Annual Offer will receive a 15 per cent discount.