Error code: %{errorCode}
Usyk-Dubois 2: Inside the Dubois family boxing dynasty
Daniel Dubois will be aiming to exact revenge on Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley this Saturday after losing their first fight two yesra go.
‘Dynamite’ Dubois could become undisputed heavyweight champion of the world by defeating Usyk, live on DAZN PPV, a feat that would secure the Brit’s name in boxing folklore.
But Daniel is not the only Dubois making a name for himself in the world of the sweet science. Here is a deep dive into the Dubois family boxing dynasty.
- Read next | Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois 2: Date, undercard, ringwalk times, TV channel, prediction, analysis, odds
Dave Dubois
Daniel is one of 11 siblings, all raised solely by dad Dave, who also goes by Stan. A Camden Market street trader, the Grenadian made his money by selling posters in America, becoming a millionaire before settling in the UK.
An interesting quirk of the Dubois family is that patriarch Dave insisted on raising his seven youngest children on his own after convincing his first wife and subsequent girlfriend, the mothers of his offspring.
Daniel, and his boxing siblings Caroline, Prince, and Solomon, all share the same mother, who they still see and keep in contact with.
The Dubois siblings are not the first generation of fighters in their family. According to father Dave, 18th century slave Sylvia Dubois is a distant relative. A bare-knuckle fighter, Sylvia won her freedom after knocking out her mistress.
Her enslaver, Dominicus Dubois, from which the family gets their name from, decided to grant Sylvia her freedom, rather than deal with her any longer.
Daniel Dubois
Even before Daniel was born, Dave had a premonition that his son would be heavyweight champion of the world. As such, he pushed Daniel into the sport at the age of nine, a decision which has clearly paid dividends.
Dubois captured the IBF title last year before defeating Anthony Joshua with a devastating fifth-round knockout to defend his belt.
Daniel will hope that a 22nd knockout will produce a 23rd win against Oleksandr Usyk this weekend, enabling the 27-year-old to become undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
Alongside Joe Joyce, Usyk is the only man to have defeated Dubois, stopping the Brit in the ninth round of their 2023 clash.
Caroline DuboisNathan Catantan/Queensberry
But Daniel is not the only world champion in the Dubois family. Younger sister Caroline Dubois is the WBC lightweight champion, having won 11 contests and drawn another.
Whilst elder brother Daniel was pushed into the sport by their father, Caroline had to beg her dad to let her don the gloves. When she was finally allowed to box at the age of nine, she moonlighted at Repton ABC, the same gym where Daniel trained, as a boy named Colin.
Quickly it became apparent that Caroline was just as talented as her brother, with ‘Sweet Caroline’ racking up a record of 35 wins and two losses ahead of the 2020 Olympics. Along the way she won the European Junior Championships in 2017, the English National Youth Championships, World Youth champion, and Youth Olympics champion at lightweight in 2018.
Named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2019, Caroline qualified for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where she reached the quarter-finals.
Ahead of turning professional in 2022, Caroline linked up with coach Shane McGuigan, the same trainer that worked with Daniel. However, when Daniel left in 2023 to work with Don Charles, Caroline remained with McGuigan, who also serves as her manager.
Daniel’s decision to swap trainers stemmed from a family fallout, with McGuigan telling Boxing News Online at the time: “I was put in a very compromising position. I decided to continue my working relationship withCaroline at the expense of losing Daniel really, which is a bit of a shame.”
Caroline has not been on speaking terms with either her father Dave or brother Daniel since 2023, since she left the family home.
Discussing the rift in 2024, Caroline told Seconds Out: "With boxing, he just stopped looking after me and supporting me and stopped pushing me because he didn't like the way that I was changing.
"As he says, I was becoming more independent and I wanted more for myself. And I just was like, what am I doing this for? It was like a penny drop moment. Matt McNulty/Getty Images
"I was like, 'I'm doing it for myself, I'm doing this shit for myself.' I'm not dying, making weight, sweating out, not eating for days, and as a woman I lose my period.
"I'm not doing this for some other guy who couldn't care less. I'm doing it for myself, I'm doing it for my future.
"I took that decision. And it started to get very toxic and very bad in the household. He kept saying, 'Why can't you be more like Daniel? You need to be like him.'
"I can't be like him and I wouldn't want to be like him. And that's not disrespect, but we're different people. It was a decision that I had to make, I spoke to my brothers and sisters about it.
"I was like, 'Okay, I'm leaving home, I'm moving out. And they were like, 'Okay, I want to come with you.'
"My younger brother and sister, they both moved out with me. So we left home and that's what happened.
"My dad's now saying that I saw the change in her. He says, he never liked female boxing. That's absolute BS. And I just wanted to call that out."
Despite the pair’s differences, they are the first brother-sister duo to simultaneously hold world titles in professional boxing.
Prince and Solomon Dubois
There are two other boxers among the siblings, although Prince Dubois has seemingly hung the gloves up after a few amateur fights. Youngest brother Solomon is often seen around older brother Daniel, with the teenager focusing on his boxing career. If he is not ringside for one of his brother’s fights, he is training by Daniel’s side.
In the build-up to his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, Daniel has discussed his younger sibling’s potential, stating: “(He can go) very far I think, very far as long as he stays dedicated and focused, and keeps his head down and trains hard, he can go all the way I think.”
Usyk vs Dubois 2 only on DAZN
Watch Usyk versus Dubois 2 live and exclusive on DAZN PPV this Saturday - July 19 - for £24.99 UK; $59.99 US; $19.99/equivalent ROW. Buy the PPV now here.
