2026-01-29 14:56:55

Daniel Dubois has admitted his decision to leave trainer Don Charles was “too rash”.

Dynamite, 28, split from Charles immediately after his rematch defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, 39, last summer and turned to trainer Tony Sims before ultimately bringing Charles back, and Dubois has now acknowledged his initial decision was a mistake as he plots his route back to the top in 2026.

Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: “We sat down and had a family meeting, and we decided to do that U-turn because I had the best nights with Don.”

Dubois enjoyed three consecutive victories under Charles, a run that culminated in him becoming a world champion and establishing himself as one of the leading heavyweights of his generation.

That momentum came to a halt in July 2025 when he lost a high-profile rematch to The Cat, a defeat that denied him a shot at becoming undisputed champion.

Reflecting on the aftermath of that loss, Dubois said of Charles: “He knows me as a person, it just makes sense. I think it was everyone needed to go away and think about things.”

Dynamite admitted the speed of his original decision to leave Charles was driven by emotion rather than logic.

He said: “It was a quick and rash decision, but I’m glad we are back together and he is the right heavyweight trainer for me.”

In the meantime, Dubois spent a brief spell training with Tony Sims at the Matchroom Boxing gym in Essex as part of a wider shake-up of his team.

However, the arrangement was always short-term, and Dubois conceded the fit was never quite right.

Asked if the pairing failed to gel, he said: “Yeah that’s about right. I feel like the person and character I am, Don is the right guy for me, he will help me get back to the glory days.”

With Charles back in his corner, Dubois is now focused on securing a high-profile return bout.

A potential title fight with WBO champion Fabio Wardley, 31, has been discussed, but attention has shifted towards a clash with Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang, 42, with April 2026 currently being targeted.

On his comeback plans, Dubois said: “Hopefully soon, in a couple of months now. They have been talking about a fight in April, I have been chomping at the bit.

“We are working on it, I will be going into camp soon, so it will be all systems go.”

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