Daniel Dubois has made a stunning U-turn by reuniting with trainer Don Charles, admitting that his decision to part ways with him earlier this year was “rash”. The heavyweight was knocked out by Oleksandr Usyk in the fifth round at Wembley Stadium last July, prompting him to sack Charles and team up with Tony Sims.
After just two months, Dubois has now reversed that decision. He began working with Charles in 2023 following a stint with Shane McGuigan, and the trainer was in his corner for the three biggest wins of his career: against Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua. Dubois was crowned champion after his win over Hrgovic in 2024, following Usyk's decision to vacate his IBF world title.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Dubois explained the reunion: “We sat down and had a family meeting, and we decided to do that U-turn because I had the best nights with Don. He knows me as a person, it just makes sense. I think it was everyone needed to go away and think about things. It was a quick and rash decision, but I'm glad we are back together and he is the right heavyweight trainer for me.”
Dubois had been training at the Matchroom Boxing gym in Essex with Sims ahead of a return to the ring. When asked if he and Sims had failed to gel, he said: “Yeah that's about right. I feel like the person and character I am, Don is the right guy for me, he will help me get back to the glory days.”
His business partner Riz Khan issued a statement confirming the split reversal, saying: “Daniel has decided to resume his professional relationship with Don Charles and his coaching team. After careful consideration and discussions with the wider team, Daniel has chosen to reverse that decision. Daniel will now return to working with Don Charles, under whose corner he achieved his greatest accomplishments to date.”
The 28-year-old is targeting a return in the coming months, with a potential April clash against Zhilei Zhang on the cards. “Hopefully soon, in a couple of months now,” Dubois said. “They have been talking about a fight in April, I have been chomping at the bit. We are working on it, I will be going into camp soon, so it will be all systems go.”
