IBF World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Dubois is set to defend his title against Joseph Parker on Saturday and in a recent video has shown that he’s certainly not a one dimensional fighter.
In Episode 9 of DAZN on the Ground, available on YouTube, Dubois says he began training from the age of around seven years old, not only with boxing but also getting involved in swimming and athletics. In the video, Dubois is shown warming up with a weighted helmet to perform neck presses, before hitting the bag. Alongside his father, Stan, the team then took a trip down memory lane, visiting some of the gyms that had most impacted the champ’s development. It was while at the Commando Gym in Deptford, London, that the boxer showed his foundations are owed to many disciplines, not least gymnastics.
Daniel Dubois is No One-Dimensional Fighter
Dubois’ conditioning coach, Cuong Hua, says he works with the champ on training that includes elements of strongman and calisthenics (bodyweight) exercises. Indeed, Dubois can be seen muscling a medicine ball up and onto a platform, but in addition to his brawn, this boxer has some bounce thanks to his hours of practicing gymnastics. “Dan’s pretty nifty on the gymnastic rings,” said Dad.
Thankfully, it didn’t take much encouragement to get the 27-year-old to give his audience “a twirl.” Dubois wowed the camera crew by nailing his horizontal, vertical, and full rotations on the high rings. For a man that stands 6’5” and weighs-in at around 250 pounds, the boxer cut a figure that looked more like a ballet dancer, completing his moves with pure class.
Stepping away from the high rings, “Dynamite” Daniel Dubois will be back in the boxing ring on pay-per-view at the ANB Arena in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, February 22 for Riyadh Season’s “The Last Crescendo.” And, if Dubois can drop Joseph Parker, he will be a step closer to a highly anticipated rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. Now, that will surely be worth another twirl!
Watch the full episode of DAZN on the Ground here:
