Daniel Dubois’ ‘man strength’ has arrived – and that is dangerous for Anthony Joshua

Daniel Dubois will never have a better opportunity to ascend to the pinnacle of boxing’s blue riband division and set himself on course for a full takeover.

Dubois, known as “Dynamite”, is expected to be heavy-handed and aggressive in his fight against Anthony Joshua, his more famous foe, on Saturday night. That is the plan, at least, but he will also need to show new maturity.

Those around the fighter say that Dubois’s “man strength” is finally here both physically and mentally. In front of a record-breaking crowd of more than 90,000 at Wembley Stadium, the fight for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) belt has come at the perfect moment for him.

Victory for Dubois would elevate the Londoner to a series of fights against a generation of champions coming to the end of their careers, including Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, who he has faced once before already. Boxing is so often about timing and Saturday could be just the right place, at the right time.

The 27-year-old migrated to North Finchley to train at the converted barn gym of Don Charles, who has used all of his wit and experience to guide the fighter over whom there were question marks earlier in his career. There have been dramatic changes – and successes – under the veteran trainer.

Rewind to November 2020, when Dubois suffered a fractured eye socket against Joe Joyce on a telling night during lockdown – no crowd, no atmosphere. Dubois’s eye was peppered by the jab of his foe from the off. Eventually the young fighter took a knee in the 10th round and failed to rise, leading his critics to question whether he had the character to be a world champion.

But Dubois is in the process of proving them wrong. In his last three contests under Charles, he has produced the most significant performances of his career so far – and all in the past 13 months.

Victory over Joshua would be biggest prize

In a trio of challenging contests, all on a major stage, he demonstrated greater acumen in the ring, a resilient chin, and a strong mind to come through difficult periods in fights – even though one of those ended in defeat.

Thirteen months ago, by virtue of being one of three mandatory challengers to the World Boxing Association (WBA) belt held by Usyk, Dubois had the opportunity to challenge the Ukrainian for the world title. That was in Wroclaw, Poland, in front of 40,000 fans, mostly Ukrainian, exiled from their country following the Russian invasion.

Dubois went into the lion’s den that night and gave Usyk a very difficult early series of rounds. He probed, came forward and was aggressive – attacking the midriff of the world champion, before landing what referee Luis Pabon deemed a low blow, from which Usyk took five minutes to recover. It looked borderline, but in that recovery time, Usyk regained his mettle, and outboxed Dubois in the next four rounds. In the ninth, the Briton took a knee and quit the fight.

But something in Dubois had changed, and he has since gained in confidence. Dubois then fought twice in Riyadh and returned from his defeat by Usyk to halt 23st Jarrell Miller.

In June, he then fought the Croatian Filip Hrgovic, the IBF’s mandatory challenger, a contest in which the Londoner came through a period of pressure to battle back with vicious assaults. The ringside doctor was forced to stop the fight after his rival was cut above both eyes. In the eighth round, Dubois claimed victory by technical knockout.

It made Dubois the IBF’s mandatory challenger, and with Usyk relinquishing the belt, he will now defend it against Joshua. More than the belt, however, it is the victory over Joshua that would be his biggest prize, a scalp he would relish.

‘Time for me to become a kingslayer’

There are stories of sparring between the pair and rumours that Dubois caused some genuine damage in their sessions.

Dubois has brushed those off as irrelevant, but he did anger Joshua in the build-up, with the pair almost coming to blows. Dubois’s backroom team of Charles, former boxer Kieran Farrell who creates fight strategies, and his promoter Frank Warren all told Telegraph Sport in the lead-up to this contest that they are convinced the timing is “perfect” to fight on the grand stage against Joshua, whom Dubois labels “one of the kings of the division”.

“It’s time for me to become the kingslayer,” Dubois said. “Joshua has been in my sights for a long time, and has always been a target for me. Now I need to make it my time, my fight.”

“Bombs away,” he said earlier this week at the grand arrivals under the lights in Leicester Square, grinning and indulging in interviews with the relish of a fighter ready to take his destiny into his own hands. Unusual for Dubois, normally reticent about opening up in interviews. Perhaps a sign that he truly believes.

By good fortune, the IBF title belongs to Dubois for now. More than the belt, however, is the figure and the name of Joshua that he wants on his resume.

“I need to legitimise it, win it, and show the world I am the man. It is all meant to be, I am in the right place at the right time, and I just need to stay in my bubble and stay focused. I am on the job. He is going to bring it and I am going to bring it. Knockout? By any means necessary.”

Finishing training every day during camp at Charles’s barn in north London, Dubois walks to his car and can see the Wembley Stadium arch in the distance. It is an omen, perhaps, of where his destiny in the heavyweight division lies. And that is very dangerous for Joshua.