Dubois' coach cautions Joshua against rematch

Don Charles, trainer of IBF heavyweight world champion, Daniel Dubois, has warned Anthony Joshua not to take a rematch against his ward because he is afraid for the health of the former 2-time champion.

In a shocking upset at Wembley on September 21, Dubois retained his hold on the IBF world crown by stopping Joshua in 5 dominant rounds, flooring him in rounds 1, 3, 4 and 5 before referee Marcus McDonnell counted him out to complete the staggering beatdown.

The IBF last week set an April 22, 2025, deadline for a potential rematch between the pair and an opportunity for 35-year-old Joshua to exact his revenge on his former sparring partner. 

Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn have both previously hinted at taking the rematch in pursuit of the Nigerian-British boxer's third world championship dreams.

But speaking at the Kotoka International Airport on arrival in Accra last Thursday on a 4-day working visit to Ghana as a guest of the Bronx 

Boxing Club, Coach Charles, the Nigerian-born trainer of Dubois, who revealed he previously also trained Joshua for five years before he won Olympic gold at the London 2012 Games, minced no words in explaining why it would be a big mistake for Joshua to face the 27-year-old Dubois again.

"He (Joshua) is my boy but I don't want him to have that rematch because they do not care about his health. In my opinion, remove the money from it, he shouldn't be going anywhere near Daniel Dubois. Daniel Dubois will destroy him again," Coach Charles said.

Dubois has won three straight fights since his controversial stoppage loss to unified world champion, Oleksandr Usyk in August last year, a fight in which he appeared to drop the Ukrainian in round five in Poland but was scored a low blow, with Usyk given almost four minutes to recover before later stopping Dubois in round nine.

It is something that still irks Coach Charles as a potential undisputed collision with Usyk looms, depending on the Ukrainian's rematch against Tyson Fury in December.

"Obviously, it's God's plan, I was very disappointed when we got robbed but again that was God's plan. I didn't see it that way back then but it was so obvious that Daniel hurt this guy and he cheated but God had a bigger masterplan and now Daniel is the world champion. We can't wait to take him on again," the 63-year-old world champion trainer said.

Meanwhile, Coach Charles joined Lawrence Carl Lokko and his army of boxing champions in an open training and media interaction at the Bronx Boxing gym last Friday afternoon during which he outlined the details of the partnership between himself and the Bronx Boxing gym which will see regular training camps for some boxers from the Ghanaian gym in his UK gym.

The UK-based boxing trainer took the opportunity to also donate some boxing equipment to the Bronx Boxing Club including gloves, head guards, handbags and training kits.

"We have been in communication about collaborating for the past 10 years but which never materialised. God always has a plan and this is the time, if God is willing, we will make it happen," Charles intimated.

"I've lived in the UK for 50 years and it feels great to finally return home to Africa to support the good work they are already doing. I feel honoured, I feel blessed to be in a position to be able to help my people. This is for the long-term, it's not a short-term plan," Don Charles added.