Queensberry Promotions boss Frank Warren and his son George will convene an internal review into reports that Daniel Dubois hosted a sizeable get-together just hours before his fifth-round stoppage loss to Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley Stadium.
Phone footage that surfaced online shows the 27-year-old heavyweight mingling with a crowd at his family home on the morning of the bout - a routine that, according to trainer Don Charles, left Dubois with less than two hours to settle in at the venue. Charles told BBC Sport that Dubois’ father, Stan, organised the gathering as a good-luck ritual, the same template used before Dubois’ upset knockout of Anthony Joshua last September.
“That recipe worked for the AJ fight,” Charles said, “so the father replicated it, hoping for the same result. It didn’t work this time, and now the party is under the spotlight.” Charles maintains he still had adequate time to wrap Dubois’ hands and warm him up, yet admits the late arrival “will be questioned” when the Warrens sit down with Team Dubois in the coming days.
Usyk’s clinical dismantling ultimately made the pre-fight festivities a footnote, but the episode has drawn criticism from observers who argue an underdog challenger cannot afford any distractions on fight day. Frank Warren, who has promoted Dubois since his 2017 debut, is expected to “delve deeper” into why the champion-in-waiting spent fight morning entertaining visitors instead of resting and focusing.
The inquest cannot change the result - Usyk became a three-time undisputed champion with a masterful display - but it may shape how Dubois prepares if he hopes to rebound from a second defeat to the Ukrainian maestro.
Image Credit: Sky Sports