Daniel Dubois’ trainer Don Charles had an explosive confrontation with Gareth A Davies on talkSPORT on Saturday night.
The veteran coach joined the Fight Night presenter and his co-host Adam Catterall for an interview in which he took issue with Davies’ pre-fight prediction before Dubois knocked out Anthony Joshua.
Dubois dominated and KO’d Joshua, to the surprise of many in the boxing worldGetty
“A lot of people were siding towards Anthony Joshua,” Catterall said midway through the discussion.
This prompted Charles to reply: “Let’s get it right. 97 per cent.”
Davies interjected: “I picked Joshua to win.”
And Charles shot back: “I know you did. Sorry, can I just interrupt that?
“This young man here, right? Gareth has known me longer than everybody.
“In fact, Gareth was the first presenter, reporter, journalist to acknowledge me.
“He pulled me to one side. Not a lot of people know this, he pulled me to one side to say to me, ‘Young man, I like the way you conduct yourself.’ He was very observant.
“Everybody else ignored me, they wouldn’t give me the time of day. He gave me the time of day in the very, very beginning. You probably forgotten but I have a very good memory.
“Along the way, something’s happened to you where you’ve now become my biggest critic based with no foundation.
“So I don’t know what I’ve done to you my friend. Every time any of my [fighters], Daniel in particular, you’ve got it wrong every time my dear friend. Every one badly wrong.”
Charles confronted Davies live on talkSPORT
Davies asked: “What, with Daniel you mean?”
Charles answered: “Yeah, your predictions. It’s just the way you say it, this is deeper.
“I’m a very wise old man. When someone speaks, I’ve also become a psychologist. I didn’t get a degree in it, but the human psychology – I study humans, I made my job to study humans.
“And there’s a deeper thing. And that’s what gets me. It almost becomes personal, it’s almost like you’re wishing for me to fail.”
Davies replied: “No, no, that’s not true, that’s not true.”
But Charles insisted: “I’m telling you, I’m telling you how it comes across.”
Davies added: “I pick with my head, not my heart Don.”
Charles continued: “It’s almost like you’re wishing, you’re getting your personal thoughts cluttered with your profession, you’re mixing the two. You should always be able to separate them.”
Davies reaffirmed: “No I always pick with my head, not my heart. If I picked with my heart I’d be with you and you know that.”
Charles was adamant: “No, no, like I said, it’s a deeper meaning. It’s not just you. It’s not an isolated problem.
“There’s a number of experts, so-called experts – and you’re not gonna like what I’m going to say, but I’ve come here to speak the truth.
“In every job we do in every walk of life, when we get something wrong, when I get my job wrong, I get the sack, I get fired.
“In football management, if you get your job wrong, you get sacked.
“How many times are you guys gonna get it wrong and you still keep your job?
“Because what you don’t realise – all you experts this is not just Gareth, it just happens Gareth is here in front of me – all you experts, reporters, you don’t know the consequences your predictions and the impact it has on people’s lives.
Charles was ill throughout fight week, but made it to Wembley on fight night itselfGetty
“This is my life. My job is my life. You don’t know what I do. The money I earn from it feeds people from here to Africa. So it’s so important for me to win.
“And when we lose, you guys don’t know, I don’t drink and I don’t smoke, I don’t have no escapism.
“God forbid should we have lost that fight last Saturday, I don’t even know what would have become of me.
“You know how many people depend on me to succeed?”
Davies answered: “No I don’t.”
Charles continued: “Right. So when you guys, all the experts, I’m not saying you can’t judge your opinion, you can, but I detect this deeper meaning to your predictions. You’re wishing for us to fail, I can feel the energy.”
Davies said: “That’s not true.”
But Charles went on: “The reason I fell ill – I’m not a madman, trust me – I’m a spiritual person, I’d used all my energy to fight off all the negative energy which then made me so weak and I fell ill.
“I prayed to God they will not win. God gave me enough energy to go support my child, not my biological my biological child, Daniel Dubois to be there for him to support physically and spiritually to secure that victory.
“Then I said to God, ‘Even if I pass away the following day I’ll be happy.’ And God gave me the strength to be there present last Saturday.
“And when we finished, guess what? I went home and a little baby could’ve pushed me and I’d fall, I had no energy because I used all my energy to ward off all the evil spirits.
“Yeah, you guys don’t know, you haven’t got a clue.”
At this point the show took a break, but the conversation became heated once again at the end.
Charles said: “I must apologise to your audience. You’re looking at a very angry man here. I’m very happy, but I’m also very, very angry.
“20 years of punishment. Do you not understand? The industry has crushed me.
“If I wasn’t the person I am, I could have had a nervous breakdown. I could have started intoxicating alcohol or drugs or whatever to escape the pressure, the persecution, the ridiculing.”
Davies interjected: “There’s a lot of love for you, Don, you need to know that.
Charles responded: “No, the love from my family is the only love I want. I don’t want love from you guys. Your love is fake love.
Catterall then said: “I think the fans appreciate you.”
But Charles replied: “No, no, I’m not talking about the fans here. I’m talking about the industry.”
Davies insisted: “No, I think you’re loved in the industry.”
Charles was adamant: “No, excuse me, excuse me. It’s me that it happened to, let me be the judge of that, not you, you’re not qualified to judge that.”
Catterall concluded: “I appreciate you coming in. Thank you so much.”
And Davies agreed: “Me too.”
But Charles fired back: “No, you didn’t. Don’t lie. You do not appreciate me being here.”
