Daniel Dubois coach admits ‘emotional’ reason he doesn’t want Derek Chisora fight

Chisora is the mandatory challenger for Dubois’s IBF title, according to the latter’s promoter Frank Warren

Daniel Dubois’s coach Don Charles has admitted he does not want to see his boxer fight Derek Chisora – one of his former mentees.

Frank Warren, who promotes Dubois, revealed last week that Chisora’s recent win over Otto Wallin made him the mandatory challenger for Dubois’s IBF belt.

A bout between the British pair could therefore come to fruition, in what might be Chisora’s final professional fight, but Charles would have complicated feelings about such a scenario.

“I feel blessed in life, but the kind of luck I’ve got... What are the chances of that?” Charles told The Ring. “It’s not something obviously that I want, because I’m quite an emotional guy, I’m a sensitive guy, so it’s not something I would want to materialise.

“But I’m happy for Derek obviously, because it’s going to be his 50th and – according to him – last fight. Had it not been against someone I’m currently training...

“I’m happy for Derek, of course, to be going out on a bang; what a way to exit, what a way to cap off his very successful and colourful career. But this is where the emotion comes into it: it’s not really something I would want to see.

“[But] all the hypocrites who are now saying, ‘Derek deserves it,’ they’re the same hypocrites who said he should have quit five years ago, two years ago, three years ago. Look where he is now, because he said, ‘I will quit when I’m ready to quit.’ I’m really happy for him, but not happy that he could potentially be facing Daniel.”

Chisora’s February win against Wallin, a decision at the O2 Arena, was supposed to be the 41-year-old’s final fight on British soil. However, a showdown with 27-year-old Dubois would likely take place in Britain this summer, according to Warren.

“The timeframe is public knowledge,” Charles said. “Frank Warren, our promoter, has mentioned the potential of July. That’s probably what we’re looking at.”

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Daniel Dubois (left) with his coach Don Charles (Getty Images)

Charles also opened up on his relationship with Chisora, with whom he was at odds last year.

“Very good, very good, couldn’t be better,” said the coach. “When it’s family, we quarrel. Of course we quarrel, but I never hang my dirty washing out in public. I was very angry after the ‘AJ’ fight, because I was under a lot of pressure,” Charles said, referring to Dubois’s September knockout of Anthony Joshua.

“When everybody’s telling you, ‘You’re going to lose,’ even people who are supposed to be your family [predicting] your downfall, that’s what I didn’t take lightly – and I still don’t. That was my anger. It’s all sorted, because he’s family, like I said.

“[He’s] my first son in boxing. I have many children in boxing, I refer to all of them as my children and I treat them like that. I will always acknowledge him; he gave me my entrance to the boxing industry.”

Dubois was due to make a title defence against Joseph Parker in February but withdrew due to illness on two days’ notice. His planned challenger Joseph Parker instead faced Martin Bakole, winning by second-round KO.

Joseph Parker (left) knocked out Martin Bakole, who replaced Daniel Dubois on two days’ notice (Getty Images)

In the aftermath, Dubois and Parker both pushed for bouts with unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, though it was Parker who was named the Ukrainian’s mandatory challenger.

Dubois previously fought Usyk in 2023, losing to the unbeaten southpaw via stoppage, but only after dropping the 38-year-old with a low blow – which many observers felt was a legal body shot.