The former world champion suffered an agonising defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in front of over 90,000 fans last month and is believed to be serving a suspension
Daniel Dubois is currently serving a suspension from the British Boxing Board of Control – due to expire next month – following his crushing defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
The pair went head-to-head in a historic showdown at Wembley Stadium in London last month – two years on from their first dust-up. Usyk would go on to score a dominant knockout in the ninth round, but the fight was not without drama after the Ukrainian was sent crashing to the canvas in the fifth round. However, Dubois’ shot was deemed to be a ‘low blow’ – much to the frustration of the Brit’s team.
Their rematch was a little more one-sided. Usyk would go on to drop ‘Triple D’ in the fifth round before delivering a brutal knockout blow just seconds later. Not only did the ‘Cat’ pick up his second in over Dubois, but he also became an undisputed champion at heavyweight for the second time of his career.
After taking quite a fair bit of damage from the rematch, Dubois is currently serving a suspension by the British Boxing Board of Control – as per Boxrec’s website. The suspension ends on September 2 – meaning he will be able to return to training after the aforementioned date.
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This week, it was revealed that the pair have both turned in negative doping tests following their heavyweight sequel. As is the case with any fight, both fighters were subject to doping tests after the contest in London. The WBC revealed earlier this week that the results from the pair have come back negative. The WBC wrote on its official website: “The Clean Boxing Program has announced that all doping tests for both fighters have come back negative.
“The second fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois ended in a stunning fashion at Wembley Stadium in London, England. The Ukrainian champion delivered a powerful knockout against the British fighter in front of his home crowd, allowing Usyk to retain the heavyweight belts and reclaim the title that Dubois had held.
“VADA, the independent agency that conducts the anti-doping tests for the Clean Boxing Program, reported the conclusion of the process, solidifying the victory and legacy of the undisputed Ukrainian champion. The “Clean Boxing Program” was implemented in 2016 to conduct doping tests in the WBC. The WBC has an agreement with VADA, the association responsible for sample collection, chain of custody, and laboratory analysis.”
Team Dubois sent shockwaves around the boxing community just weeks after the rematch after it was revealed the Brit’s coach Kieran Farrell has left the heavyweight’s team. Farrell joined head trainer Don Charles last year and was in his corner for his victories over Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua.
And as Dubois attempts to rebuild his career, Farrell had decided to leave. In a statement posted to social media, he said: “I have made the decision to part ways with Team Dubois. In the 18 months with DDD we’ve achieved so much including an unforgettable night at Wembley, helping DDD become world champion has been truly rewarding on a number of levels. I wish Daniel all the best going forward.”
When is Daniel Dubois’ next fight?
It remains to be seen what is next for the former world champion, but it is expected that he will take the rest of the year to rest and assess his options going forward. Despite suffering the third defeat of his career against Usyk, Dubois still has a lot left to give the sport.
Speaking about Dubois’ future, his promoter Frank Warren said: “He has got to learn from it. He is only 27. I look at Frank Bruno for example, three times he fought for a world title and he got it on the fourth attempt,” Warren said. “Daniel has won a world title so hopefully he will come back, but the bottom line is it was Usyk’s night and he is a special, special boxer.”
The promoter added: “That is what Daniel needs to learn from this fight, to try and learn and develop the mental attitude that Usyk has. Daniel didn’t stick to the task, he got careless, he dropped his hands and paid the price.”