Daniel Dubois is the heavyweight sensation knocking punchbags off the gym roof and chasing down Anthony Joshua
ANOTHER day, another punchbag ripped from its moorings in the ceiling.
Welcome to the raw, destructive power of Daniel Dubois, the 20-year-old from London with dynamite in his hands.
The heavyweight hopeful is training in the famous Peacock gym in London’s Canning Town, the gym that boasts former world champions Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis.
Ahead of his Saturday night fight with Dorian Darch, Dubois has been working on the bag and the bag has thrown in the towel.
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It lies defeated on the gym floor.
He looks embarrassed as two of his fellow boxers drag the sorry punchbag away.
Dubois, who has won all five of his pro fights with KOs inside two rounds, admits it is not the first time he has destroyed one of the 10 stone swinging targets.
He said: “It wasn’t staged, not at all, I am just fit at the moment and I have been grinding on that bag for a while and it finally gave in.
“It has happened a couple of times now but it’s fun.
DULL-HARD Heavyweight sensation Daniel Dubois excited about Tyson Fury fight
"It’s just another day in this life – it can get a repetitive, I guess – but that’s just what I do.
“I am enjoying being a professional fighter and right now it is all systems go.
“I am out there getting real experience – ring experience – and becoming a real pro.
“I have always dreamed of being a heavyweight world champion – that has always been the goal.”
It is no exaggeration for Dubois to say boxing glory was always his destiny, despite being one of 11 children to giant father David, he was the first to get the boxing bug.
Older siblings work in law and the music but Dubois has inspired little sister Caroline to become European champion and baby brother Prince is destined for great ring things.
Even five-year-old Solomon is showing incredible physical feats.
As a six-year-old boy Dubois would watch his father train at the Peacock and – after a tour of London’s best boxing academies like The Dale and Repton where his dad would clash with coaches over his future – he is back where it all began.
He explained: “I am the first, my dad sort of decided that I was going to be the one.
“I was exceptionally strong as a kid and I was hyperactive and had a lot of energy so it had to be put to good use. He put me in the game and it’s paying dividends.
“It was fun back then at the start, I even enjoyed the arguments and all of it. It was enjoyable but now we are in the big leagues and we are climbing up the ladder.”
And Mr Dubois confirms that even at knee-height, his son was showing signs of what was to come.
He said: “He was always tough and from an early age he was chasing kids around the ring and I thought ‘bloody hell, we might have something here.
“He is taking it all in his stride, he is enjoying everything that is happening, it’s all new and good. I wouldn’t mind being 20 again and getting his attention.
“But, my God, his food bills are a lot of money.
"When he was young he was quite skinny but he ate a lot. Now look at him.”
Daniel Dynamite Dubois' list of victims
Marcus Kelly – April 8 – The Caveman was a late sub and he looked every inch his nickname. The brave lamb came out swinging but was swiftly slaughtered in 35 seconds
Blaise Mendouo – April 22 – The Cameroon hardman showed real resilience reaching the second round. DDD looked a bit sloppy as he got dragged into a battle but the finish was sensational
David Howe – May 20 – Dubois faced a 6ft 8, 18 stone giant who was tipped to test him but he was blasted out with his first big right hand.
Mauricio Barragan – July 8 – The Uruguayan was almost a decade older but was floored with the first punch. Reaching the second was a minor miracle but a bodyshot finished him off.
AJ Carter – Sept 16 - Again the first punch of the fight floored DDD’s opponent. He went down again seconds later and the hat-trick punch was the most devastating of his career.
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Everyone is looking at Dubois, because of his frame and his record and the fact he dropped Anthony Joshua , the IBF and WBA king in training.
Before social media and Conor McGregor, sparring was conducted under a strict code of silence, what happened in the ring stayed there.
But Dubois punishing the 28-year-old is common knowledge and an internet search of his name instantly offers up myths and legends about the rounds they have shared.
In truth it has become a double-edged sword, the recognition and reputation come in handy when it comes to selling tickets.
But Dubois and his team are old school and are not interesting in tagging themselves onto the AJ bandwagon.
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But – after WBO champion Joseph Parker released a bizarre video cataloguing some of Joshua’s failings, including Dubois' dominance – the truth is out and the prospect does not need to hide from it.
Promoter Frank Warren says he is the best young heavyweight he has ever worked with and insists he could dethrone Parker and AJ in 2018 - the fanfare is unavoidable.
He admitted: “It gets you places, obviously.
“You have to do what you have to do and look after No1.
“If having a big mouth and putting your name out gets you places then I’d be out there shouting from the rooftops.
“But sparring is just practice, you prepare for a hard fight so you want hard practice.
“Anthony is a lot further ahead of me in his professional career so I am just focused on what I am doing and learning from my mistakes and trying to get where I am meant to be.
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“I know I have raw power but the best is still to come from me.
"What I can really do and what I can eventually become is yet to be seen.
"People have seen and heard glimpses but the best is yet to come.”
