Daniel Dubois was done before his gloves were laced. Wembley saw the body — but the soul got wrecked back home. And the man who helped tear it all apart? His own father.
Hours before the biggest fight of his career, Dubois’ house was rammed with 50 to 70 people. Not friends. Not his core team. Strangers.
Fight Day Madness — 70 Strangers in His Living Room
Simon Jordan on talkSPORT:
“He had a party at his house before the event… 50, 60, 70 people at a party that the kid doesn’t know, so he has to go round the corner and drive because he doesn’t know anyone at the party.
Then you get to the event, and people want this entourage to be brought in.
And then they start telling security guards that if the entourage isn’t allowed to come in, then Daniel won’t fight.
His dad had other things to say in the corner, which I don’t think were particularly productive… Daniel defers to his father on everything… I’m not saying he hasn’t had a massive influence — but this wasn’t it.”
Dubois legged it from his own house to clear his head — that’s not prep, that’s panic. Then Dad tells security the fight’s off unless 70 randoms waltz in like it’s some family barbecue? That’s not loyalty, that’s sabotage hiding behind a shared last name. Calling it unprofessional’s being kind — it’s straight-up madness. And Dubois just let it all happen. Why? Fear? Guilt? Or is he too wrapped up in the drama to see he’s the one getting played?
Walked Into Wembley Like a Bloke With a £45 Ticket
Then came the “walk-in” — and it was just that. A walk.
Dubois showed up in a car that wasn’t on the accreditation list, and security didn’t even let him in through the proper fighter entrance. So what did he do?
He walked into Wembley like a normal fan with cheap seats — no presence, no authority, just another guy on foot looking lost in the car park.
Dubois’ Trainer Insists Pre-Fight “Gathering” Was Strategy – Says It Helped Beat Joshua
Speaking exclusively on talkSPORT’s White and Jordan, Daniel Dubois’ trainer Don Charles defended the now-infamous pre-fight house party before the Usyk rematch — insisting it was a deliberate tactic.
“Let’s retract that word, it wasn’t a party — it was a gathering,” Charles said.
According to Charles, the same “gathering” was used as part of their preparation when Dubois defeated Anthony Joshua.
“The same gathering was used as the prep on fight day for the AJ fight, the day he won,” he explained. “That gathering was taken from home to the dressing room for that fight.”
He claimed the energy from that gathering directly contributed to Dubois’ ring walk and performance that night:
“That energy is what gave birth to that energy that he showed in the ring walk. Yes [we tried to replicate it], we were victorious. If it works for you the first time, you’d do it again.”
Even the bigger crowd this time, Charles says, was intentional.
“There might have been more people for this second gathering to get more energy. I’m a logical man and it makes logical sense.”
And to anyone raising eyebrows over the whole spectacle?
“It may appear madness to people, but it was the same thing that got us victory.”
In short: if it looked chaotic, disorganised, and borderline unhinged… don’t worry. It was energy-based strategy.
Corner Chaos — Barking Over Don Charles
If Dubois needed clarity between rounds, he walked into the wrong corner. What should’ve been Don Charles calmly guiding a gameplan turned into a one-man shouting match from Stan Dubois.
His dad didn’t just chime in — he took over. Barking orders. Drowning out the coach. Interrupting like a pub loudmouth mid-brawl.
Fan reactions from ringside were brutal. One posted:
“Stan Dubois was barking over Don Charles the entire fight. It was chaos in that corner.”
Another nailed it:
“That wasn’t a coach’s corner — it was a dad shouting nonsense over his son’s future.”
Fans on BoxingForum24 didn’t hold back either:
“Dubois listening to his father in a disjointed corner, not even listening to Charles. Dubois definitely seems controlled by the father.”
A world title fight — and the guy in your corner sounds like a nightclub bouncer on a megaphone. No wonder it fell apart.
Fighters Reactions
Joseph Parker, known for his cool head and tight-knit camps, was straight-up stunned:
“That is insanely disruptive. I’m very surprised, I’m shocked. That many people over? You’re preparing for a massive fight. You need rest, you need to chill, you need to get in the zone—and he’s got this big party happening.”
Translation: Who the hell hosts a full-blown mixer before facing one of the greatest technicians in boxing history?
Lawrence Okolie, who’s trained with Dubois and knows the family dynamics, added:
“The problem is, it’s coming from someone that he looks to out of the ring. It’s coming from his dad. I’ve trained with him, his dad’s a huge part of his life, so that is obviously going to be disruptive.”
A polite way of saying: “I’ve seen it up close, and this doesn’t surprise me… but it’s still a terrible idea.”
And Spencer Oliver summed it up with the kind of blunt logic the Dubois camp clearly forgot:
“We’re talking about fighters being regimental and superstitious on the day. Some fighters want to wear a ring in their laces and all that stuff. It all has to be on point for you to go in there. Any little thing can throw you off track.”
Usyk Cleaned Up the Mess
By the time Usyk let off the first combination, Dubois was already spent — mentally wrecked, emotionally distracted, physically flat.
This wasn’t a man locked in for a fight. This was a lad who walked into Wembley like a punter with a £45 seat, who left his own house to escape strangers, and whose father turned his corner into a shouting contest.
Usyk didn’t need to dominate. He just had to stay calm and sweep up what was left.
Dubois never had a chance. Not with that house. Not with that corner. And not wiith such “freinds”.