Dubois parties with 70 strangers before his fight with Usyk
Hours before his heavyweight unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk, Dubois’s home was the scene of a bizarre and disruptive celebration.
Controversy surrounds the heavyweight unification fight that took place last Saturday at Wembley Stadium in London. Daniel Dubois (22-3-0, 21 KOs) lost his IBF belt to Oleksandr Usyk (24-0-0, 15 KOs), who reclaimed the title of undisputed champion with a knockout in the fifth round. Just 90 minutes before the bout, Dubois’s team threw a party at his family home – with 70 strangers in attendance.
The event was organized by Stanley Dubois, Daniel’s father. “It was a strategy to ease the atmosphere. We wanted to keep Daniel from feeling overwhelmed by the pressure and help him feel at home, surrounded by positive energy. It’s a psychological tool to keep calm before the fight,” head coach Don Charles told The Times.
The party was filled with guests the British fighter didn’t even know. Several videos posted to social media showed Dubois smiling, posing, and singing alongside the attendees, with deafening music blasting as some declared him the new undisputed heavyweight champion. The large crowd caused logistical issues getting to the stadium, and Stanley Dubois reportedly insisted they needed more vehicles so everyone could travel together – leading to a delay in departure.
Things only got more complicated at Wembley, where only pre-approved vehicles were allowed to park. As a result, Stanley personally drove his son into the stadium, while the rest of the entourage was stopped by venue security. According to The Times, some witnesses even saw Dubois’s father threaten that his son wouldn’t enter the ring unless all the guests were allowed in. The family had reserved 50 ringside seats just for their invitees.
The unusual scenes stunned the boxing community, especially when contrasted with Usyk, who appeared focused and silent in the lead-up to the fight. “That’s incredibly unsettling. I’m very surprised – I’m shocked. That many people? You’re getting ready for a massive fight. You need rest, you need to relax, you need to get in the zone,” said heavyweight contender and analyst Joseph Parker, as quoted by Daily Mail.
It’s unclear how much the pre-fight party impacted Dubois’s performance – but he lost his crown, and his shot at becoming undisputed champion, in the fifth round.
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