Daniel Dubois will have a few new looks among his team when he next enters the ring.
The former IBF heavyweight titlist has brought aboard prominent boxing figure Sam Jones, who joins Team Dubois in an advisory role. The union was confirmed on Tuesday, less than a month after Dubois, 22-3 (21 KOs) suffered a fifth-round knockout defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, 24-0 (15 KOs) in their July 19 heavyweight championship rematch at Wembley Stadium in London.
“Really excited to be linking up with Team Dubois,” Jones told BoxingScene. “[Five] years ago, we were in opposite corners. But now in the funny old sport of boxing, we have now teamed up.”
Jones was the manager of 2016 Olympic silver medalist Joe Joyce when he faced Dubois in their November 2020 battle of unbeaten heavyweights. Joyce won via tenth-round knockout in a fight that left Dubois with a fractured eye socket.
The hulking heavyweight – a career-long product of Queensberry Promotions and favorite of Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren - went on to win seven of his next eight bouts, all via knockout. Three big wins came against unbeaten opposition, including a June 2022 conquering of unbeaten Trevor Bryan to claim a secondary version of the WBA heavyweight title.
Dubois parlayed the belt into a mandatory title shot in his first fight with Usyk, who won their August 2023 clash via ninth-round knockout.
Similarly, Dubois claimed the IBF interim heavyweight title in an eighth-round stoppage of then-unbeaten contender Filip Hrgovic last June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The win came six months after he dealt the first career defeat to Jarrell Miller via tenth-round knockout, also in Riyadh.
Dubois was subsequently upgraded to full IBF titlist when Usyk committed to a rematch with Tyson Fury in lieu of a pending mandatory title consolidation bout. The move worked out equally well for Dubois and Usyk, who won their next respective bouts and would ultimately meet again this past summer.
Usyk earned a repeat win over Fury last December to preserve the balance of his unified championship reign. Waiting in the wings was Dubois, following his career-best and stunningly one-sided fifth-round knockout of former two-time unified heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua. The win took place last September in front of a record-breaking crowd at Wembley Stadium.
It remains the last win to date for Dubois, whose IBF title reign ended in disappointing fashion with his repeat defeat to Usyk.
A timetable for Dubois’ ring return was not made available. While his next bout will include Jones, no longer along for the ride is Kieran Farrell, who stepped down from his role as assistant trainer.
Farrell, a former lightweight prospect who was forced to retire following a December 2012 defeat to Anthony Crolla, joined Team Dubois last March and was in the heavyweight’s corner for his wins over Hrgovic and Joshua as well as the second loss to Usyk.
The decision to step down was not immediately made clear, nor will Farrell further comment on the matter.
“I have made the decision to part ways with Team Dubois,” Farrell revealed via his verified Instagram account. “In the 18 months with [Dubois], we’ve achieved so much including a unforgettable night at Wembley Stadium. Helping Daniel become world heavyweight champion has been truly rewarding on a number of levels.
“I wish Daniel all the best going forward. I won’t be making any further comment at present, but needless to say [I’m] excited for what’s next for myself and look forward to making many more world champions.”
Meanwhile, Jones – whose roster includes former title challenger Jack Catterall and highly touted heavyweight prospect Pat Brown, a 2024 Great Britain Olympian – firmly believes that Dubois will become his next world champion.
“The goal is simple,” Jones stated. “That is for Daniel to become a [two-time] heavyweight champion.”
