Daniel Dubois insists he isn’t a superstitious man, yet his daily ritual ahead of his upcoming clash with Oleksandr Usyk suggests otherwise.
“Where I train, I can see the Wembley arches. I’m staring at them every day,” he tells talkSPORT.com.
“I’m not [superstitious]. Just normal. Everyone has that way about them, I’m more about routine.
“I’d walk by a black cat, white cat, it doesn’t matter,” he laughs.
‘Triple D’ will meet his old foe at the iconic London venue in a rematch on July 19.
It’s a stadium he holds near and dear to his heart, having knocked out Anthony Joshua there last September to cement his position as IBF heavyweight champion.
Now, he has the opportunity to add the WBO, WBC and WBA titles to his collection in a four-belt shoot-out with the Ukrainian slickster, just under two years after their controversial inaugural encounter.
That night in Wroclaw, Poland, back in August 2023, Usyk knocked out Dubois in round nine after being decked by a shot in the fifth frame that divided the boxing world.
Some claimed the punch, which floored Usyk for a considerable stretch, was a legal body shot.
Others insisted it had strayed low.
Ultimately, the only opinion that had any bearing on the fight was referee Luis Pabon, who determined the punch was illegal.
As a result, Usyk was given four minutes to recover before rebounding to stop ‘Triple D’ with a stiff jab.
Dubois was branded a ‘quitter’ by several members of the boxing fraternity for seeing out the count on one knee.
But a trio of gutsy wins over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Joshua have shifted the public’s perception.
There is now more hype surrounding the Brit than ever before, while the man himself insists he is a ‘completely different animal’ to the ‘boy’ who squared off with Usyk before.
“I’ve changed. I’ve learn from that,” Dubois continues.
“There were a lot of things going into that fight. I’ve learnt from it now. I’m going to put it right.
“There’s been a lot of pain from what happened last time. So I want to get my revenge.
“I need to be more clinical, I need to be better, I need to be more vicious, take no prisoners and get the job done.
“I’m nailing him to the canvas this time.
“When I close my eyes, I see a spectacular win, a spectacular knockout.”
