MANCHESTER, England – Fabio Wardley’s trainer isn’t reading too deeply into Daniel Dubois rejoining Don Charles ahead of his WBO heavyweight title fight with Wardley on Saturday at Manchester’s Co-op LIVE.
Dubois registered his best wins under Charles – in particular his run of defeating Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua, during which he picked up the vacant IBF heavyweight title. Dubois would then go on to lose the belt to Oleksandr Usyk in 2025, and subsequently parted ways with Charles following the defeat.
Dubois would spend a brief spell with new trainer Tony Sims, but he returned to Charles without even competing in a bout under Sims’ guidance. Dubois’ split from Charles was met by criticism, and his return raised eyebrows over who was in control of the Dubois camp heading into his heavyweight title fight with Wardley on Saturday. However, Wardley’s trainer, Rob Hodgins, who has been part of Wardley’s camp since his white-collar days, isn’t all that interested in Dubois’ movement with trainers.
“I don't make too much of that,” Hodgins told BoxingScene. “I think it’s like, ‘I want to go to this shop, I want to go to this place, I drink coffee here, I drink coffee there.’ You're allowed to change your mind. I think people focus on it too much. I think Don Charles has brought the best out in Daniel. I've known Daniel for a long time. I remember when he was with Mark Tibbs for a bit, he was with Shane McGuigan, he was down at the Peacock Gym. It's trying to find the right fit for you. I think Don, in his whole career, has been the best for him.
“Tony Sims is a great trainer, and if it's not worked with Tony Sims, then go back. You can't say something was broken because you lost to a universal great in Oleksandr Usyk, who's an undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight champion. Things work well with Don. I don't take too much into that, I don't think Fabio does either.”
Hodgins also believes that Dubois’ best performances have come with Charles in his corner.
“You've got to look at the Hrgovic fight, the Miller fight and the Anthony Joshua fight,” he said. “You've got to look at the first fight against Usyk [which Dubois lost in 2023 but also dropped Usyk on a disputed low blow], when he was with Don – you know, low blow, not low blow, either way. I think Daniel boxed well under Don and has given him the confidence. Don's added on to what Daniel's good at. They don't try and make Daniel do flashy pads. They don't try and make Daniel move his head a lot. If something's not broken, don't fix it. I think Don's the best fit for him.”
Hodgins also does not blame Charles for taking Dubois back after the pair parted ways, even stating he would be open to doing the same in that situation.
“Of course the door's always open,” Hodgins said. “It depends how it ended, really, as well. They were on good terms. Don did an interview on talkSPORT saying, ‘I think Daniel beats Fabio Wardley,’ and he wasn't training him [at the time]. He goes, ‘I believe Daniel's the best in the world.’ So that's on good terms, and from him saying that, maybe Daniel saw it and went, ‘I'm going to go back as well.’”
Tom Ivers is a lifelong fight fan and former amateur boxer who has a master’s degree in sports journalism. Tom joined BoxingScene in 2024 and is now a key part of the UK and social media teams.
