Daniel Dubois

Amateur career

His father took him to the boxing gym at the age of nine to stay out of trouble in South London. He trains at the Peacock Gym in Canning Town, working under Tony and Martin Bowers. Dubois had around 75 amateur bouts. He won two English schoolboy titles, two junior ABAs plus the CYPs. Dubois spent 18 months in the GB Elite system in Sheffield, boxing for England around a dozen times, competing at the European Youth championships twice and winning gold medals at international events in Tammer (Finland) and Brandenburg (Germany). He was on the Great Britain Olympic team aiming to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, though Dubois opted to turn professional instead, rendering him unable to compete in the Olympics. He signed with boxing promoter Frank Warren.

Professional career

Early career

Dubois' first fight as a professional was a knockout win in the first 35 seconds of the first round against Marcus Kelly in April 2017. In his fourth fight, he knocked out Mauricio Barragan, a late substitute, in the second round to win the vacant WBC Youth heavyweight title. In October 2017, he knocked out AJ Carter in the first round to claim the Southern Area heavyweight title. He won the English heavyweight title in his eighth fight in June 2018, beating journeyman Tom Little by stoppage in the fifth round. He won the WBO European title in March 2019, beating former WBO heavyweight title challenger, Răzvan Cojanu, in two rounds. Dubois was taken the full distance for the first time by former world title challenger Kevin Johnson in October 2018, winning on points after ten rounds, and beat Richard Lartey in the fourth round in April 2019.

In July 2019, he beat Nathan Gorman by knockout in the fifth round to improve his record to 12 wins, 11 by stoppage, and win the vacant British heavyweight title. Boxing journalist Steve Bunce said he "...fought like an old, seasoned bruiser, his feet flawless, his jab a stiff weapon inherited from relics of the ring". BBC boxing correspondent Mike Costello described him as "...one of the brightest prospects in the sport at the moment."

In his next fight, Dubois faced Ebenezer Tetteh. Dubois blasted Tetteh out in the first round, dropping him twice in the process.

After that, Dubois faced Japanese heavyweight Kyotaro Fujimoto. Fujimoto was overmatched from the beginning, fighting to survive from the opening bell. In the second round, Dubois connected on a right hand that knocked out Fujimoto.

On 29 August 2020, Dubois had another dominant win, this time against Ricardo Snijders. Dubois managed to drop his opponent three times in the first round. The first round would end up being the last that Snijders would survive, as the referee waved the fight off after Dubois dropped his opponent for the fourth time.

Rise up the ranks

On 7 February 2020, a press release came out to officially announce Dubois vs. Joe Joyce (11–0, 10 KOs). The fight was scheduled to take place on 11 April at The O2 Arena in London, live on BT Sport Box Office. Dubois would be defending his British, Commonwealth, WBC Silver and WBO International titles and Joyce would be defending his WBA Gold title. The fight was billed as "Seek & Destroy". The fight was promoted by Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions. Dubois said the fight would be his 'most devastating performance' of his career. Days after the fight was announced, Joyce split with trainer Adam Booth. He had reportedly signed with his former trainer Ismael Salas and headed to Las Vegas to train at the UFC Training Center. The split with Booth was amicable, according to Joyce and his manager Sam Jones. Salas became Joyce's fourth trainer in only his eleventh professional fight. Salas stated Joyce would be in top shape for the fight. Although his previous coaches did a good job, they never understood his body. He also stated Joyce would be Dubois' biggest test, someone he has been following since his debut. On 20 February, it was confirmed the vacant European heavyweight title would be at stake.

On 12 March, Frank Warren stated the fight was still scheduled to take place despite the coronavirus concerns and everything would be closely monitored. On 26 March, the BBBofC had cancelled all UK boxing events and lockdown in the UK was also confirmed. The fight was pushed back to 11 July 2024. Frank Warren did not want the fight to take place behind closed doors. By May 2020, the July fight date was also looking unlikely, due to the British Board's request to have any events without an attendance. Joyce was open to having an interim bout in between. On 25 June, the fight was again rescheduled. This time to take place on 24 October at The O2 Arena. Warren hoped by then, the BBBofC would allow limited crowd to attend the event. Joyce had an interim bout against Michael Wallisch, on 25 July, who he defeated via 3rd round TKO. On 29 August, Dubois stopped late replacement Ricardo Snijders in round 2. Dubois was originally scheduled to fight unbeaten two-time Olympic Erik Pfeifer.

There was speculation the fight would likely be pushed back further another month. Both boxers said they would take the fight without any fans. On 6 October, Warren announced the fight would take place on BT Sports, without pay-per-view, which was considered a huge reversal, on 28 November at Church House in London. The fight billing changed to "At Last" after being rescheduled three times. Prior to the fight, the bookmakers had Joyce the underdog heading in. Joyce felt insulted and overlooked. Majority bookmakers also had the fight expected to not go the distance. Joyce stated this boosted his confidence going into the fight and vowed, "people who bet on me will have a nicer Christmas." Joyce was also criticized on is physique when he fought Wallisch. The fight was looked at a genuine 50–50, with many boxing pundits and boxers unable to separate the two. Only two days before the fight, Joyce team hit a setback as trainer Salas tested positive for Covid upon arriving at the hotel in London. The fight was still scheduled to go ahead with Steve Broughton brought in Joyce's corner alongside Jimmy Tibbs. Dubois weighed 244.4 pounds. Joyce came in heavier at 258.9 pounds.

WBA (Regular) heavyweight champion

Discussions first began for Dubois to challenge WBA (Regular) champion Trevor Bryan in August 2021 prior to Dubois making his US debut. Frank Warren stated negotiations would hopefully begin shortly after. In the meantime, previous WBA (Regular) belt holder Mahmoud Charr filed a lawsuit against Bryan's promoter Don King. King later won a purse bid for a Bryan-Charr fight. Whilst waiting for a contract from King, Charr threatened to sue and boycott the WBA. In January 2022, Charr was removed as champion-in-recess and not able to travel to the USA due to VISA issues. Bryan went on to beat replacement Jonathan Guidry via split decision.

Following the win, on 1 February, the WBA ordered Bryan (22–0, 15 KOs) to defend the belt against Dubois, with possible purse bids to take place on 14 March and the fight to take place before 28 July 2022. Purse bids were postponed to 21 March. Don King Productions won the purse bids with an offer of $3,116,001, beating Queensberry Promotions bid of $2,503,000. A per splits, Bryan was entitled to take home a purse of $1,713,800.55 (55%) and the remaining 45%, which equated to $1,402,200.45 was for Dubois. King proposed the fight would land in either London, New York or South Florida. On 5 May, the fight was announced to take place at the Casino Miami Jai-Alai in Miami on 11 June on PPV. It was billed as "The Fight for Freedom and Peace". Bryan was receiving support during his training camp from Larry Holmes. The fight was picked up by BT Sport in the UK, who would also broadcast a card in the UK as a split-site telecast, headlined by Liam Davies challenging Marc Leach for the British super bantamweight title.

There was less than a thousand spectators in attendance. Dubois defeated Bryan by knockout in the fourth round to become the WBA (Regular) heavyweight champion. There was little action in the opening two rounds. Dubois caught Bryan with a right hand to the towards the end of round 3 which hurt him. In round 4, it was a left-right combination from Dubois that dropped Bryan to the canvas, face first. On his attempt to beat the referees count, Bryan fell face down on the canvas again and counted out. In the post-fight interview, Dubois said, "No disrespect to anyone, but Trevor's '0' had to go. That's just it." Trainer Shane McGuigan said they would like to make a defence of the title in London and mentioned Dillian Whyte as a potential opponent. The win also meant Dubois would become mandatory challenger to unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

On 2 August, Dubois filed a lawsuit against Don King Productions. The documents alleged that Don King was yet to pay Dubois his full purse. According to Dubois, between $463,274.32 and $938,274.32 was still owed to him. There was also uncertainty as to whether the IRS or the WBA sanction fees were already paid by King on Dubois' behalf. A couple of weeks later the case was settled and Dubois was paid in full.

Resurgence in Riyadh

In November 2023, Riyadh Season announced a blockbuster card which would take place on 23 December 2023 with Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin as the headline. One of the undercard bouts announced was Dubois against American heavyweight Jarrell Miller. Miller was coming into this bout having defeated Lucas Browne in March 2023.

Miller weighed in at 333 pounds, nearly 100 pounds more than Dubois, who came in at 239 pounds. Dubois put on a show and likely the most entertaining victory on the card, stopping Miller in the tenth round. Dubois seemed anxious early on from the pressure which was being applied by Miller, but as the rounds went by, Dubois picked his shots and landed heavy punches on Miller. By the tenth round, Dubois was in control and landing power shots. Miller stood and took the punishment before the referee stopped the fight with only 10 seconds of the fight left. Both boxers embraced at the end of the fight. Dubois said the confidence which was missing had come back after this fight. Speaking to DAZN after the fight, he said, "It really mattered tonight. I had to dig deep. I came through it and I showed my heart." Dubois landed a career-high 208 punches on Miller, which was a 40% connect rate. Miller only connected 107 of his 379 punches thrown.

Following the success of the Day of Reckoning card in December 2023, there were talks and a verbal agreement between Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren to put on a future card with each picking five boxers from their promotion at specified weight classes. In March the weight classes were confirmed. On 15 April 2024 at a press conference, it was confirmed that Dubois would face IBF top ranked contender Filip Hrgović on 1 June at the Saudi Embassy in Istanbul, co-featuring on a card that was headlined by a bout between fellow heavyweights Zhilei Zhang and Deontay Wilder. The IBF later de-sanctioned the fight for the vacant IBF 'interim' heavyweight championship due to suspicions about the venue, but immediately created a sub sanctioning body named the MBSBA (Mohammed bin Salman boxing association.) Hrgović reported that he went into the bout with a serious but unspecified injury incurred during the preparations for the fight and had just recovered from a virus two weeks before the fight. Hrgovic apparently decided that he had waited for the fight for two years and could not risk pulling out of such an opportunity. Dubois tipped the scales at 245.8 pounds and Hrgović came in heavier at 247.4 pounds.

In what was considered his biggest win to date, Dubois defeated Hrgović via eighth-round doctor's stoppage due to cuts. The win meant that Dubois won the newly named MBSBA title. Hrgović started the fight landing right hands at will in rounds 1, 2, 3 and keeping Dubois off balance. Dubois grew more confident after cutting Hrgovic with a stiff jab or hook. In rounds 6 and 7 Dubois pressed the action, sometimes leading with his forehead (which eventually created another cut on the opposite eyebrow.) In round 8 the referee, recognizing Hrgovic was at risk of bad injuries, stopped the action and brought in the ringside doctor to assess; and ultimately stopped the fight. Hrgovic admitted that he underestimated Dubois and the fight got out of his control...but contrary to the article by "the boxing scene" the result was far from a "destruction". Over the 8 rounds, Dubois landed 116 of 346 punches thrown (33.5%) and Hrgović landed 96 of his 402 thrown (23.9%). The night ended with Queensberry promotions winning a clean slate of all five fights against Matchroom Boxing.

IBF heavyweight champion

On 26 June 2024 Dubois was elevated to full IBF champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt. It was announced that he would be making his first defence of the title against former two-time unified champion Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in London on 21 September.

The fighters weighed in the day before their fight in front of Nelson's Column at Trafalgar Square, in London. Joshua weighed in at 252.5 lbs, almost 4 lbs heavier than Dubois' weight of 248.6 lbs. This was marginally heavier for Joshua compared to his fight against Francis Ngannou 6 months prior, while Dubois' weight was a new career-heaviest for him, 3 lbs heavier than his previous record.

Dubois, despite being the reigning IBF champion, walked to the ring first "very composed, almost seemingly too relaxed" whilst Joshua entered the ring second and "seemed tight during his ring walk", according to Joseph Santoliquito of The Ring. Dubois retained his title by defeating Joshua by KO in the fifth round after a dominant performance. The result was considered a major upset, as Dubois was the pre-betting underdog going into fight. Dubois immediately started boxing aggressively, and knocked Joshua to the canvas at the end of the first round with a huge overhand right to Joshua's chin. Joshua was able to beat the count, but seemed to be on unsteady legs as the bell signalled the end of the first round. Momentum seemed to be in Dubois' favour, and he knocked Joshua down for the second time in round 3 with a left to the chin: Joshua's gloves had touched the canvas, but the referee allowed Dubois to continue unloading punches which eventually did trigger an official knockdown. The fourth round saw Joshua hit the canvas twice more, although one of those occasions was ruled a slip. In the fifth round, Joshua seemed to find a way back into the fight when he landed a right hand which seemed to force Dubois back into a corner. However, Dubois caught Joshua on the chin with a counter right hand as Joshua was attempting to land a right uppercut of his own, which sent Joshua sprawling to the canvas again, and this time unable to beat the count. The fight was called off after 59 seconds of the fifth round, with Dubois retaining his IBF heavyweight title via fifth round knockout. After the fight, a victorious Dubois questioned the crowd who had been largely pro-AJ prior to the opening bell: "Are you not entertained?" Over the five rounds, Dubois landed 79 of his 196 punches thrown with a connect rate of 40% and Joshua landed only 32 of his 117 punches thrown with a connect rate of 27%.

WBO heavyweight champion

On 7 October 2025, the IBF confirmed a second heavyweight contender, as Dubois consented to an eliminator match against Frank Sanchez. The winner of the bout would be in position to challenge the undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk. Prior to this agreement, the IBF had encountered refusals from additional contenders, including Filip Hrgovic, Efe Ajagba, and Moses Itauma, all of whom were mandated to face Sanchez. Both teams had until 22 October to finalize an agreement; if a deal was not reached, the bout will proceed to a purse bid. The fight was officially ordered the next day. Purse bids were originally scheduled for 13 November, however on 20 November, Queensberry stated that Dubois had changed his mind and pulled out of the negotiations. In a statement, they mentioned that the IBF eliminator held little value to Dubois, as it was fourth in line in terms of a mandatory shot to fight Usyk.

On 10 February 2026, it was reported that a fight between Dubois and WBO heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley (20–0–1, 17 KOs) was being finalised. Wardley was coming off an upset stoppage win over Joseph Parker in 2025, where he claimed the interim WBO title, before being elevated to full championship status. Days later, the fight was officially announced to take place on 9 May at the Co-op Live in Manchester on DAZN PPV, under Queensberry Promotions. On the announcement, Wardley stated he only wanted to take on big challenges, noting this was a voluntary defence and wanted to fight Dubois. The launch press conference was heated. Wardley was officially announced as a world champion for the first time, despite being elevated in November. Both teams exchanged sharp verbal jabs. Dubois’s manager, Sam Jones, predicted a quick and violent win for Dubois. Wardley’s manager, Michael Ofo, mentioned Dubois’s return to trainer Don Charles, implying that Dubois’s camp was insecure. Wardley criticized Dubois’s past losses, suggesting Dubois had a reputation for quitting under pressure, pointing to defeats against Joe Joyce and Usyk. Dubois responded, vowing to hand Wardley his first career defeat by knockout. Both boxers maintained a respectful tone publicly, but the tension was evident when Dubois refused a handshake after their first face-off. Charles said his time apart from Dubois should not be considered a split, but rather a break. Warren spoke about the importance of avoiding any unnecessary delays, mentioning that the pre-fight "party" incident before his loss to Usyk would not be repeated. With the fight taking place in Manchester, it allowed for better control over logistics, as boxers would stay in hotels. Warren was extremely frustrated by the situation. He said, "When he was late getting there, I was tearing my hair out…" After the fight, they had a serious discussion to address what went wrong and to have a stricter structure in place.

Awards

Dubois was named British Boxing Board of Control 2024 Boxer of the Year.

Personal life

Dubois' father is from Grenada, while his mother is from Nigeria. His younger sister Caroline Dubois is also a professional boxer and World Champion. As an amateur she represented Great Britain and in 2018 became the -60 kg European Junior, World Youth and Youth Olympic champion. She is the unified WBC, WBO and Ring magazine female lightweight champion of the world. In an interview, Caroline Dubois stated that she does not keep contact with Daniel or their father.

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

IBF heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

WBO heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

Secondary major world titles

WBA (Regular) heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

Interim/Silver world titles

WBA interim heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

IBF interim heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

WBC Silver heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

Regional/International

WBO International heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

WBO Global heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

WBO European heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

WBC Youth heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

Commonwealth heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

British heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

English heavyweight Champion (200+ lbs)

Southern Area heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)